Speaker Review: Adam Carroll

As a part of the Alpha Kappa Psi Convention in Phoenix, Arizona last week, students and alumni were encouraged to attend the College of Leadership, a series of talks by business professionals.  Quite honestly, some of the talks were outstanding while others were lacking.  As is usually the case with these things, the speakers were hit and miss.  However, there was one speaker who absolutely blew me away.  His name is Adam Carroll, and he is the co-founder of an organization called the National Financial Educators, which was founded to educate young people in high school and college on the issues of making, saving, and spending money.  In his breakout talk, he covered four crucially important topics- vision, remembering names, connecting people to other people, and always doing what you say you will do.  

Adam started off his presentation by saying his mission in life is to help young people succeed professionally.  After a horrifying story about how he rolled his car end over end while on the way to Fiji, he discussed the importance of having a vision.  High-impact leaders connect everyone to a common goal, which is called a vision.  Adam explained that we must never lose focus from the goal no matter what adversity we face.  

The networking element of Adam’s presentation was the part that impressed me the most.  He created an acronym from the word, “Power”.  Power stands for “Promoting Opportunities While Establishing Relationships.”  To be remembered, we need to stick out in people’s minds.  That’s why Adam recommended asking new people questions out of nowhere to be memorable.  When Adam meets someone for the first time, he asks them, “If you had $1 million, what would you do to give your life meaning?”  We live in a transactional society, not a relational one.  True power is selflessly giving everything you can to get other people to where they want to go.  If you selflessly connect enough people to their dreams, you will gain a reputation as a person who knows how to make things happen.  

Perhaps the most powerful part of Adam’s presentation came when he demonstrated his theory of connecting other people to their goals.  He asked for a volunteer, and a young girl from Toledo, Ohio stood up.  Adam then asked her, “What is your dream job?”  She said she wants to create a non-profit organization for orphans.  Adam then asked around the room, “Can anyone help her achieve her goal of creating a non-profit for orphans?”  Immediately, three hands shot up in the air.  Adam selected one, who said he has a friend involved in international non-profit organization designed specifically for helping young children who have lost their parents due to famine or war.  There’s the connection.  Adam then repeated this process for 10 or 11 people, and each time, someone was able to provide a contact to assist another person in realizing their vision.