The Power of Empowerment
The first time Cameo Gore got her first taste of the motivational speaking bug was during a staff meeting she was leading as Director of Surgical Services at a top-ranked children’s hospital.
First, she noticed the new energy moving inside her staff afterward that led to more positivity, take-charge attitudes, and outside-of-the-box approaches to challenges in the OR. Then people began coming into her office to personally thank her for believing in them and offering a new perspective on how they can achieve a goal or solve a problem.
“Those moments offered proof that something good is happening here,” Gore says. “People need to be believed in. All that they need is that little nugget that boils over and leads to reformation and change. That really lit me up, getting feedback from employees that felt like my staff meetings empowered them, not just for their jobs, but as humans.”
Several years later, Gore has established herself as a motivational speaker and coach hosting events and creating workshops and programs for corporations of all sizes and needs. Last year, she did her first TEDx Talk in Chicago. Gore sees motivational and public speaking as communication skills that leaders can’t afford to see as optional.
“I noticed that certain speaking styles would impact people in different ways,” Gore says. “When you can effectively communicate to groups, it empowers you as a leader. As perioperative leaders, we are often trying to convince people of certain ideas and push for change in organizations. Motivational speaking is a tool to help convey, communicate, and impact.”
Gore highlights three empowerment tools every leader should try to employ:
- Use empowering language. Have people realize that they are more in control of creating change and that positive things can result from it.
- Their voice matters. Encourage people to speak up and share ideas.
- They can make a difference. Inspire them with stories and examples of people that took action and solved a problem.
“Most people in healthcare have chosen that path because they want to help people and sometimes, because of how stressful it can be, they forget,” Gore says. “So, you have to help people shift their mindset to perceive their job and their life differently. When they do that, they become happier, more empowered, and more adapted to their professional and personal goals.”
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Carisa Brewster
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