Inbound Marketing Insights

HubSpot’s annual inbound marketing conference was a reinvigorating 3 days of extraordinary content and enlightening speakers.

While all the speakers and keynotes were fabulous, there was one that I was particularly looking forward to…Arianna Huffington.  We all know Arianna Huffington as the founder and president of the Huffington Post Media Group.  She spoke about leadership, and leading in today's all too busy, and interconnected world. 

Below are the 3 takeaways that I found most valuable from her keynote:

The Fear of Silence:

While I’m sure most of us can relate to this…we are always “on.”  There isn’t really ever a time when you are truly disconnected from interruptions, even on the weekends, in the evenings, or on vacation.  In this truly connected world with smart phones at our fingertips and the constant bombardment of information, people are afraid of seeing things around them, and are afraid of the silence.  Arianna mentioned in her keynote, “Walk the streets with your iPhone in your pocket every once in a while and take the world in.  And furthermore, give yourself to the world.  This is the way to have a full life.”  I have to say, I agree.  And, I am all too guilty of this myself.  It’s important to take time for yourself, and disconnect.  Without disconnecting, you don’t have time when you can recharge, and really work at your full potential.

Be Introspective & Know Yourself: 

Companies are constantly trying to cultivate great leaders.  A distinct sign of a great leader is, “seeing the iceberg before the Titanic hits it,” as Arianna Huffington mentioned in her keynote.  Great leaders, not just good leaders, are connected to their own wisdom, their own life, their own families, and their own thoughts.  Be “inbound” in the sense that you are introspective, and you know yourself.  This will set you on the path to becoming a great leader by understanding yourself, your team, and your objectives.

There’s Never Enough Time So…Walk Away from Tasks:

Yes, she said it, just walk away from tasks.  Not the tasks that are crucial to your job or your every day activities, but the tasks that continue to take your mind away from the things that you should be doing.  Sometimes you have to complete a task simply by dropping it. 

An example she gave was skiing.  If you want to learn to ski, but haven’t had time, and it’s not crucial, maybe it’s just time to take it off the list, and not have it take your mental energy away from something more important.  Make time for the things that are important now.  This was my favorite part of her speech and really resonated with me.  Give a message to your subconscious that the task is done.  If it’s something you know you’re not going to get to, and it’s not a priority, it’s time to take it off the list.  Don’t be afraid to walk away from that task because when one door closes, another one is sure to open (and it’s usually the better door).

There were many other great moments in her keynote, but these three takeaways really made an impression on me.  If you were at Inbound, what part of this keynote, or any other session made the greatest impact on you?  I look forward to hearing your thoughts.