The Connection Magazine The Connection Magazine Spring 2017 | Page 18

and financial institutions. Emerald,
along with his wife, Donna Zajonc, now
heads the Bainbridge Leadership Center,
coaching companies on leadership
issues. He is also a business facilitator,
public speaker, and author.
TED in the Workplace
“People bring a
certain amount
of energy to
their work
each day, and
as leaders, we
have very little
influence over
that. But what
we do have
influence on is
how they direct
their energy.”
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The beauty of bringing TED into
the workplace, says client Steve Hall,
CEO of driversselect.com, is that it
can transform both your personal and
professional life simultaneously into
models of excellence. Sure enough, upon
landing at the driversselect website,
one is immediately struck by an A+
rating by the Better Business Bureau
as well as a “Best Places to Work 2016”
citation by the Dallas Business Journal,
both of which symbolize a commitment
to fostering the type of positivity that
TED embodies. The company touts its
purpose is “to infect the world with
highly contagious C.A.R.E. (Caring Acts
Randomly Expressed).”
Hall first met Emerald at a business
event some years ago and grew to
embrace the TED model which, he says,
has become part of his company’s very
DNA. “People bring a certain amount of
energy to their work each day, and as
leaders, we have very little influence
over that. But what we do have influence
on is how they direct their energy,”
says Hall. “Do they choose to show
up as victims, creators, persecutors,
challengers, rescuers, or coaches? If they
choose to become a coach, a challenger,
or a creator, their confidence will rise
and they will be a better performer and
better person all around.”
Hall has parlayed his strong belief
in Emerald’s leadership philosophy
into a boon for his company, growing
revenue from $38 million to $140 million
since implementing TED two and a half
years ago. Nearly 60 percent of his
100-person workforce have completed
some sort of TED training, and he
raves about the transformation. The
Power of TED website quotes Hall: “A
big part is [that] the mental, physical,
emotional, and spiritual energy people
bring