The Advantage That Keeps Us Moving Forward
A 59-cent tray of watercolors launched my career. When I first opened it, I was an amateur with no idea where painting might take me. I only knew I wanted to see what I could create.
Years later, I had developed a recognizable style, won awards, and made my living as a watercolorist. I could have spent the rest of my career doing what I already knew how to do. But each new painting seemed to raise another question: Where else might this gift lead?
Recently, I listened to my friend Dr. Nido Qubein talk about a differential advantage. It made me think about the opportunities that changed my work—and about the organizations I meet when I speak. The most valuable thing we bring to our work may be an ability we have already developed, waiting to be used in a new way.
Know what you do especially well.
I did not arrive at a distinctive style by trying something different every morning. I spent years practicing, paying attention, and learning what my paintings could communicate. Associations build that same kind of knowledge through the people they serve. They hear concerns, understand their profession, and know what brings members together. That experience is an advantage worth recognizing.
See where else that strength can serve.
Eventually, I discovered that a painting could do more than hang on a wall. It could celebrate a community, help raise money through the Honor Card, or begin a conversation among people who had never met. Onstage, I use paintings and the stories behind them to help audiences notice opportunities in their own work.
An association can ask a similar question. Beyond its familiar programs, where could its knowledge help members solve a problem, welcome someone new, or make a difference in the community? Sometimes a fresh opportunity begins with a strength everyone has grown accustomed to seeing.
Keep making room for what comes next.
My work now includes traditional landscapes and contemporary paintings. I have moved from watercolor into acrylics and from the studio onto the stage. Each step required me to learn again. That willingness has kept my work fresh and has given me new reasons to be excited about the day ahead.
Meeting planners understand this balance. People return to a conference for the relationships and trusted experiences they value. They also hope to leave with a perspective that helps them see their work differently. The best moments often connect what an audience already knows with a possibility it has not yet considered.
I am still following the possibilities that began with that little tray of paint. When I stand before an association audience, I hope to leave them with a question I keep asking myself:
What could you do next with the strengths already in your hands?
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