Give 10x more!

Make it 60,000. And make sure you give 10x more than what they expect to get from you.

It was in June 2007 when I met  Vic. I was the incoming president of Metro Manila Toastmasters Club. I was at the house of my first mentor from Toastmasters.

Vic was a guest at our club two weeks before. He delivered an impromptu speech for less than two minutes. A speech that made everyone stood in admiration and awe. 
His gut-level speech brought out my moxie. I asked for his business card and permission to visit his home.

Vic was 67 years old who drives a red vintage car. He spent most of his time writing and taking care of his small garden.
He was a professional speaker, who during his prime, delivered more than 200 speeches a year. 

Anyhoo.

I visited him because I wanted to learn how to lead my club and how to become a professional speaker. 

I will tell you he taught me about professional speaking.

We have been talking for three hours when the phone rang. I thought that a client was trying to get him as a keynote speaker. I overheard him telling the caller to call again around 7 in the evening to talk to his wife.

Me: Someone’s getting you as a speaker sir?

Vic: Yes. I still speak once or twice a month.

Me: Wow. (I paused because I don’t know how to ask about his professional fee.) Sir…may I asked how much you charge for a day?

Vic: Oh, that’s for an hour. And I don’t negotiate for fees.

Me: So, you don’t charge for speaking?

Vic: I don’t but my wife does.

Me: And how much does your wife charge for an hour of speech?

Vic: At least two hundred thousand pesos.

Me: Really?  (My face must have shown him how surprised I was).

Vic: Why? How much do you charge clients?

I didn’t know how to answer him. I only had four paying clients for the last six months the highest I got was 4500 pesos.

Me: Five thousand pesos sir. That’s because I am still new and not yet popular. I am still starting. This is why I get many speaking engagements, most of them are for free because I am still learning how to do it well. And I do not have much experience to offer.

Vic: I see. You feel that you don’t have much to offer. So you sell yourself at a bargain. You are playing small. You mentioned earlier that you are about to submit a proposal for the two-day training. How do you value your two-day training?

Me: I will quote them for 10,000 pesos.

Vic: Make it 40,000. No, make it 60,000 pesos.

Me: Sir. That’s too high. I am afraid that they’ll not get me.

Vic: They”ll not get you for 10,000 too. This company will not get its managers trained by someone who does not value its services. Make it 60,000! And make sure that give 10x more than what they expect to get from you.

My mentor gave me a gift that I will treasure as long as I live.

Play bigger. Give people ten times more of what they expect from you.

Give 10x more!

Give 10x more and you will make a better leader. I encourage you to suspend your disbelief if you have any. Do it.

What I am going to give you next are proven ideas to help you become an effective leader. I giving these to you for free because I know that you will use them and forward them to others.

17 Principles for Leadership Success. Your leadership principles are your foundational beliefs about leading people. Early in your leadership journey, you define your principles to make small and big decisions. Give 10x more is very much aligned with principle #4.

Leaders Create Value. A leader is both a creator and a multiplier. Good leaders find opportunities to transform people from zero to hero. They find ways how to give 10x more. The good news is that no one is really a zero. Leaders look around and find ways to make a difference.

Be a Creative Leader. In the olden days, leaders wage war against its others because they are victims of scarcity. There is not enough land, not enough food, not enough power, not enough money for everyone. Unfortunately, many leaders until now live in that paradigm. But some find ways to multiply our resources and 10x our results for minimal efforts. Those are the creative leaders.

7 Steps to Become an Effective Leader. If you want to know how to become an effective leader, you will find many ways to achieve your goals. 

How to Overdeliver to Your Customers. CXI offers 5 tips that can help you overdeliver to your customers. You can consider leadership as a service. Explore how can this help you give 10x more.

Why Good Leaders Are Good Followers. Some leaders believe that they don’t answer to anyone. But, just like many megalomaniacs, they die hated. Good leaders are good followers. Understand what it means and find out how you can spread this principle in your organization.

Develop Competencies. Good leaders are competent people. They were never complacent. They are always on the lookout for better ways to lead. Competencies are performance enablers. Find out what will make you perform at your best.

The Relentless Leadership of Leni Robredo. The supporters of the President mock her at every turn. She was accused of saying things she never said and of doing things she never did. All of these are done to make people doubt her leadership skills and sincerity to serve. However, she continues to get the support of people who see what she’s been doing to help Filipinos bounce forward during these tough times. She’s relentless.

Appreciative Leadership. There are leaders whose excuse for failure is scarcity. They lack people, resources, time, and others. And some pay more attention to what they have.