“Epic Mindset” keynote to +1000 Googlers
Within my first year at Google I noticed something strange. Many of my colleagues were describing their job by saying “all I do is sell ads”. I remember thinking to myself: how is it that at one of the world’s best companies, where people have access to so many incredible resources and talent, so many of people carry such a disempowering narrative about their work? If this was happening at Google, it was happening everywhere. I came across a statistic from Gallup that highlighted that only 13% of people are actively engaged at work - in other words, feeling a genuine sense of enthusiasm about what they do. No wonder we complain about Mondays. This said, I couldn’t help but wonder: what if it’s less about the work, and more about the way we think about work? What if we are carrying limiting beliefs about what it means to experience a sense of purpose within our careers, and these beliefs are limiting our creativity and sense of fulfilment?
This was roughly what I said during my 2-minute video application to be keynote speaker at Google’s Sales Kickoff event in 2021 - which I recorded from my hotel quarantine room after returning to Ireland from a trip home to South Africa.
I had seen the email, asking for speakers to apply, and one of the topics to speak to was “Epic mindsets” . My curiosity spiked. The opportunity to speak to an audience of over +1000 talented, ambitious people about something I felt so passionately about was something that inspired me.
To help reduce the cringe of recording a video-application in my hotel quarantine room, I told Stru (my fiance) to wear his noise-cancelling headphones while I sat on the other side of the room, next to the window overlooking the beautiful Dublin mountains. I hit record and for the next 2-minutes I spoke about the importance of feeling inspired at work and the need to address the limiting beliefs which prevent us from doing so.
Less than 24-hours later I received an email back saying that I had been selected as one of the keynote speakers for the Sales Kickoff event. I remember being so stoked that Stru and I danced in our hotel quarantine room to celebrate (something which became a daily habit during hotel quarantine to keep us sane!). It was to be my first formal public speaking gig (!), and so I spent the next 6 days writing and finessing my talk, which would be recorded the following week (this was during COVID times, and the kickoff event was going to be 100% virtual).
After a few edits and some valuable feedback from my colleagues, it was time to record. I joined the Google Meets link, with a belly full of nerves, ready to give it my best! And over the next 15-minutes I spoke about the topic of purpose at work - exploring 3 limiting beliefs which keep us “stuck” in a state of disengagement:
“Purpose is a cause”. People think that purpose is a noun, rather than a verb. A destination to arrive at, rather than the journey. They focus on the “what” rather than the “why” and the “how”. The truth is - purpose is not about what you do, purpose is about expressing who you are in what you do. It’s about bringing awareness to your values, passions and talents and finding meaningful and creative ways to express them in your work - regardless of what that work is.
“Purpose is a revelation”. People often speak about “finding” their purpose - as if it were lost. They think that purpose is something to search for, rather than something to create. In believing that purpose is “out there”, they neglect the inner-qualities that make them unique, and whose creative expression would bring meaning and fulfillment to their life.
“Purpose is easy”. Many people think that when you connect to what brings you a sense of purpose, work becomes a breeze. Feeling connected to your sense of purpose will change the way you relate towards the difficulties and resistance you encounter. You are most able to meet them with resilience - inspired by the vision of that ‘something larger’ that you are working towards.
The Sales Kickoff event took place the following week. I dialled in from my couch and watched my keynote presentation, alongside my 1,100 colleagues. This was such a pivotal moment me - over and above it being the start of my public speaking career, it was the moment I truly learnt that passion gets noticed.
- Kristin
