Motivational guru to inspire young leaders

(CNS): This year’s keynote speaker for the Young Caymanian Leadership Award (YCLA) is Mark Sanborn the author of 8 books and over 20 video and audio training programmes on leadership, change, teamwork and customer service and one of the youngest speakers ever inducted into the Speaker Hall of Fame.

The motivational guru will make his keynote address on 21 February at the black tie gala at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman. As a former sales and marketing executive, successful business owner and national leader, Sanborn is said to understand the real-life challenges his audiences face, and he delivers ideas they can immediately use.

Sanborn says his mission is to transform knowledge into application to create a generation of leaders who make a positive difference, regardless of title. 

 “In my opinion, there are two kinds of leadership,” Sanborn said.”The most familiar is what I term “big L” leadership; this is formal leadership that typically comes with a title. But the other kind is important, too, and begins with a “little l”. It’s not conferred by the title a leader carries or the corner office she occupies. Rather it’s expressed in a leader’s daily actions and the influence he or she has with others, whether customers or colleagues. I believe that the definition of true leadership is not power over people but power with people. And true leaders see leadership as the ultimate opportunity to serve others and to give back; they are people committed to making a bigger positive difference in their organizations, communities and world”.

The YCLA is an annual awards show which attracts leaders in Cayman, both young and old. The 2009 YCLA will celebrate a Decade of Leadership with the 2009 five finalists, Elroy Bryan, Chris Duggan, Marilyn Conolly, Sean Parchment and Raquel Solomon.For more information on the 2009 YCLA, please email ycla@candw.ky