Opening – The Invitation
I didn’t come here to impress you. I came to ask a question that’s been living in my bones: What does it mean to be better to each other—when no one’s watching, when it’s inconvenient, when it costs us something?
I’ve reinvented myself many times. From tech nerd to tennis player, from mentor to coach. None of it was planned. Each shift came like a whisper, a nudge, a moment of magic. And through it all, one truth kept rising: We become better when we stop performing and start witnessing.
I once coached a 22-year-old from Kenya back into pro tennis. Not because I had a plan—but because I saw her Janet pushed me into coaching. I didn’t ask for it. But sometimes, leadership chooses you before you’re ready.
>We live in a world that rewards speed, noise, and certainty. But real connection? Real growth?
> It happens in the quiet. In the listening. In the moments we choose to stay present instead of proving ourselves.
> Being better to each other isn’t a slogan.
> It’s a practice.
> It’s asking someone how they’re really doing—and staying long enough to hear the answer.
> It’s choosing truth over comfort.
> It’s rising above our own ego—not to dominate, but to serve.
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🌿 **Closing – The Emergence**
> I’ve written six speeches. Each one taught me something.
> But this one? This one is about becoming someone I hadn’t met yet.
> The version of me who leads with grace, not just grit.
> Who listens more than he speaks.
> Who believes that being better to each other is not just possible—it’s necessary.
> So I ask you—not to applaud, but to reflect:
> What would shift if we chose to be better to each other, even when it’s hard?
> That’s the kind of leadership the world is starving for.
> And that’s the kind I’m learning to live.
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