I’m back from some travel with the second in my series about speakers worth catching.  If you have speakers you’ve seen recently that inspired you, please send along the names and I’ll see about including them in the series.

On to Doug Keeley.  Doug is the CEO and Chief Storyteller of The Mark of a Leader, a program that brings leadership training to corporations around the world.  He’s also the author of a book of the same name.  Doug combines music and heartwarming stories to inspire these corporate audiences, and I particularly like his riff on the 12 notes. 

Western music uses a 12-notes scale, and Doug asks the audience, why don’t you ever hear musicians complaining that they only have those 12 notes?  It’s a humorous way to talk about leadership, abundance, and getting the job done with what you have.  He has the audience guessing the song and performer with only a few notes as clues, to make the point that if a musician can make a unique mark with only those, then surely a business leader can make a difference with all the resources businesses have. 

It’s fun, and a good way to make the serious point underlying the music and the jokes.  Keeley has a great relaxed conversational style, and he’s very accomplished on the guitar.  The combination makes for a compelling presentation.  The video doesn’t give the entire speech, unfortunately, but enough to give you a taste of it, and to make you wish you were there.