Do you have that one friend who challenges you, or commands you to think differently? Me too.

He is brilliant, kind, and direct — his words are often timely, and even though I often don’t agree with him, he’s often right.

So there you are sitting at the gorgeous, brand-new-recently-opened-stunning, Omni PGA Frisco, as the CEO of ALHI, Mike Dominguez thanks you after keynoting on the Luxury Mindsets at their legendary event, IFLE (an exclusive event for insurance and financial meeting professionals and selected hoteliers), and he says:

“One of the things I love about Neen is that she makes us think differently.”

This is a huge compliment, especially coming from him, because I admire the way he thinks too!

We both think fast, and when we connect we talk fast, listening to each other’s perspectives and lessons, sharing insights and challenging narratives.

I LOVE our conversations and every time I come away from our podcast interviews, catch ups, dinners, or even travel conversations, I always feel smarter. He has that effect on his audiences too.

Mike is renowned globally for his data-driven approach, and he uses that approach to challenge common narratives, surprise people with contrarian ideas, and is constantly asked for copies of his presentations on the future of the hospitality industry — everyone pays attention when he speaks!

During the IFLE event, he hosted Dr Michael Sorrell from Paul Quinn College to share his story, and he challenged us to Lead with Love. The stories he shared of how he has transformed the college and created future leaders by helping them to think differently was very powerful.

One of the privileges of being a keynote speaker at events around the globe is learning from the best of the best. It was lovely to be reminded of that in a very real way during my time with ILFE.

The Importance of Mentors in Growth

If you have been reading Notes from Neen for a while you will see my faves include Adam Grant, Brene Brown, Tamsen Webster, and Matt Church. (Here are a few fave TED talks you might enjoy too.)

In our Luxury Mindset Research study we asked the participant leaders what has been the most influential on their growth (you can get a copy of the Executive Summary here.)

• 43% say vacations have influenced their growth and development
• 37% said books
• 21% said conferences

And those in the study also shared the importance of having a mentor.

Our research shows leaders who have been mentored by other leaders are significantly more likely to mentor others. 73% of those who are currently mentored, 60% go on to mentor others
​
​Even busy leaders know the importance of investing in the luxury of time. They are willing to invest their time and attention in others. Great leaders constantly pay it forward

The Importance of Mindset

A friend recently reminded me that all work is important. He commented that nothing has meaning except the meaning we bring to it. This got me thinking. What meaning do we give to the work we do and helping others achieve their greatest potential too?

Giving your time to someone else is precious, even if others may not appreciate or recognize that. He reminded me when you give the gift of your time, attention, energy, and the work you do you are giving of your most precious resource. Your time, life, energy, spirit, your full self. He’s so right and so smart, yep he is one of my influencers. Take some time today to think about how you can shift your mindset.

Like this content? Be the first to read Notes from Neen, my bi-weekly newsletter, where I share this content as well as practical recommendations and more bonus content! Sign up here.