From Parrot to Practitioner
Welcome to the 116th edition of “In Touch”. As always, I would love to continue the conversation so please hit reply and let me know what you think.
Story of the Week: “From Parrot to Practitioner"
I will never forget what one of my first mentors told me at the start of my career.
Chris Yallourides was wise, cultured and exceptionally well-read. It was he who introduced me to Aristo Developers, my very first customer, over 20 years ago.
After I had delivered that initial workshop, I took Chris out to lunch and asked him, “So, how did I do?”
“Michael,” he said with a smile, “you’re gifted and passionate but you’re just reading off your slides. You need to tell more stories.”
My next question, of course, was, “But where do I find the stories?”
His reply? “Wait 10 years.”
It took me quite a while to understand that particular piece of advice but with time, through experience and by recognising my own failures, I understood the truth of his words.
Recently, Alex Hormozi, the well-known entrepreneur, was a guest on Steven Bartlett’s The Diary of a CEO podcast and I was struck by something he said: “You can be a parrot or a practitioner. Parrots repeat. Practitioners do – they fail, they learn and they build.”
In my early years, I was undoubtedly a parrot – albeit one with passion, as Chris had told me – but as I gained experience, my impact on my audiences deepened. People began to listen differently, my sessions resonated more and the invitations to speak came from further afield. Most importantly, I wasn't just sharing slides. I was sharing substance: lessons learned personally, not simply memorized from other sources.
As Hormozi noted, “Most people parrot the vast majority of the things they say” and, of course, he’s right. After all, that’s how we all learn as children: we hear something and, like a parrot, we repeat it as if it’s our own. But as we grow, especially as professionals and leaders, we must move beyond repetition. We need to speak from conviction, not just memory. From lived moments, not borrowed lines.
So, the message to all you leaders (and speakers) out there is this. It’s OK to start as a parrot but it’s essential that you evolve. You need to do the work, gain the experience, tell the stories and become a practitioner. Then people will listen to you.
Words of Wisdom
“Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world today.” Robert McKee
A Question to Ponder, dear friend.
How easy is it to tell the difference between a parrot and a practitioner?
My dear friend... it takes time to realize that wisdom is not a product..! please allow me to quote
this in Greek language.
Καλώς επλάσθηκες άνθρωπε, χωρίς κανένα λόγο. Ή μάλλον:
«Ο λόγος που επλάσθηκες, άνθρωπε, είναι ακριβώς αυτός: ν’ αποδεικνύεις κι εσύ με τη ζωή σου και το έργο σου ότι τα πάντα μπορούν και πρέπει να γίνονται χωρίς κανένα λόγο.
Να συντελούνται έτσι όπως συντελείται ολόκληρη η δημιουργία».
Μόνο που για να το καταλάβεις αυτό, πρέπει να πας μακριά. Οδυσσέας Ελύτης