An article in the Wall Street Journal reported a new type of speaker for corporate retreats.  In the past, companies hired management gurus like Peter Drucker or Tom Peters or Jim Collins to speak.  Now they are hiring speakers at rates fit for a Drucker or Peters or Collins, who may have no business experience at all.

Who are these speakers?  People who have unique life stories to tell of overcoming adversity—a blind mountaineer, the Central Park jogger who was assaulted and left for dead, a part-time rancher who survived the crush of a large bale of hay. And the corporate crowds are being wowed by these speakers—inspired and moved to tears.

What I’m struck by is how humans are compelled by stories with meaning.  It is an easy next step to apply those stories to our own lives—how we can be more courageous, more tenacious, more innovative in the face of business challenges.  In fact, in the article, a Cisco manager is quoted as saying after the blind mountaineer spoke, “With all the chaos of the past five years, it’s as if we’ve all been climbing blind. But that’s no reason to be timid.  Be pioneers. Climb high.” 

I think stories with meaning are all around us, that we don’t have to wait until our employers decide to plunk down $10K for a motivational speaker. Look for the stories that are waiting to be told. They are in your colleagues, your neighbors, your family and friends. There are more heroes and heroines among us than we realize.