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You attend a keynote session and are awed by the speaker. The awe is because the speaker is very, very good at the following:

• Communicating in a simple and easy to understand manner.
• They describe your pain point so clearly, you say, “Ah! At least one person understands how I feel.”
• The stories are entertaining.
• Using a combination of techniques, they make you feel good about yourself.

Speakers who live off speaking fees have this down to an art form. So do bosses and business leaders who are looking to get you to do your job. Their paychecks and bonuses depend on how good you feel about yourself, so you work hard and do your job. Lets call these people Type I (for “inspiration”).

On the other hand, the person who makes things happen, the person who understands risk analysis, the person who understands how the dots connect, is boring. They tend to scare you, they tend to give you work you don’t want to do, they make you think about things you don’t want to think about. Lets call these people Type E (for “execution”). Think of the grumpy martial arts teacher or the strict coach who drills you till your arms and legs fall off.

Obviously these are extremes. The takeaways are as follows:

• We need both Types. Because Type I’s are entertaining, they will relax you so you might actually learn something. Type E’s get things done.
• You’ll find that Type I’s don’t have tangible next steps. You still have to figure it out. BUT, the problem is not that Type I’s don’t have tangible next steps, the problem is you go and make foolish investments because you have a false sense of confidence in your untested and unpolished abilities.
• If you are a Type E, take on Type I behaviors a notch. People will appreciate your talents more, and earlier. Besides, it will make you look and sound human.
• If you are a Type I, take on some Type E behaviors. Keep your sword shining and send the message that “you can walk the talk.” Show people how its done, don’t just talk about it.

The ability to inspire and the ability to execute are both valuable. Business models can be built around each. But when you can combine them, you will be unstoppable!