The Voice of Greatness: How Les Brown Shaped Motivational Speaking
One of the legendary Maya Angelou’s infamous quotes states, “People may forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” A conversation with Les Brown or listening to one of his countless speeches will inspire you to see yourself differently. Brown’s world renown impact has less to do with the million dollar stages he’s graced, or the celebrities in his rolodex, but instead is rooted in the many lives he’s touched with his words and example. Without Les Brown there would be no Tony Robbins, no Eric “the hip hop preacher” Thomas, no Daymond John, or perhaps even no T.D. Jakes. All the above-mentioned names are recognized for their undeniable ability to leverage words and examples to energize and palpably push their listeners towards their dreams. Les opened the doors and created a platform for today’s voices that are celebrated by their ability to instigate and inspire others to chase the greatness within themselves. Like many exceptional examples of success, Les was born with insurmountable obstacles to overcome. He and his twin brother Wes were given up for adoption by their birth mother. Les shares the story of how his birth mother left her two babies heartbroken over not being able to give them the life she believed they deserved. The boys were adopted by a single woman named Mamie Brown, who worked in a local cafeteria in Liberty City, Florida. Mamie didn’t have much by today’s standard of materialism, but she gave her boys unconditional love. As Les’s career exposed him to more and more people, he would often be asked about his background. He is known for proudly referring to himself as “Mamie Brownโs boy”. He has never shied away from sharing his humble past, but leans into it, allowing his audience to see their weaknesses and shortcomings and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they can accomplish their wildest
Unfortunately having a loving adopted mother isnโt enough to ensure a young Black manโs success. As a young man Les was labeled โeducable mentally retardedโ and struggled in school. He was by no means the traditional intellectual student, but for what he lacked in standard he made up for in tenacity and grit. Storytelling is a big part of the method to Lesโs magic. Using stories of his ability to overcome what looked like insurmountable odds and use those examples to inspire and empower others is the secret to Les multimillion-dollar motivational speaker career.
Les’s career began in communication and would ultimately end with him teaching and mentoring others to be effective communicators. He spent four years as a member of the Ohio Hose of Representatives in the 29th district before transitioning into a world renown public speaker. One of the first public speakers to command an audience of over 80,000 people and to be contracted by some of the biggest corporate giants in the country to motivate their employees. Les realized that many times he was hired for company morale or to increase workplace productivity, but his personal goal was always to inspire each and every person his voice touched to find the greatness within themselves.
His span continued to increase over time and in 1993, Les premiered, ‘The Les Brown Show’ on PBS. After the show ended, he developed a syndicated radio show on KWFB in California. Brown is a repeat NY Bestselling author with countless books and award-winning speeches. What’s most inspirational about him is his refusal to accept what society would assign to him even now. As he prepares to celebrate his 80th birthday, Les is looking forward to returning to a weekly conversation as a member of the Daymond John’s ‘Shark Speakers’. He is also embracing AI and encouraging others to do the same.
“It’s important to always be a part of what’s next. We have to embrace technology and be willing to pivot, when necessary,” he explains.
As we look to celebrate forms of Black History during February most of us realize that 28 days is not nearly enough time to encapsulate the brilliance and beauty emanating from Black culture. We are also aware that the living legends among us are often not celebrated until their earthly presence is gone and we are left with their words, books, speeches and bittersweet memories. As we prepare to celebrate Les Brown, a man who has lived to witness several generations, everchanging cultural landscapes and civil /social norms, we are reminded of the tremendous impact he has made with his first 80 years and is planning to continue doing God’s work in the years ahead.
Today there are countless influencers reciting regurgitated messages of inspiration and pushing listeners toward curated goals and financial success. Les’s message has always extended beyond economics and includes self-identity. The pride shown in his eyes when he greets strangers as Mamie Brown’s baby boy shows that Les uncovered the true meaning of success. His formula includes self-actualization and learning to overcome one’s fears or doubts. He believes in the power of everyone’s story and encourages anyone that crosses his path to believe in him/herself.
We honor Les Brown as a living legend and salute him as one of the giants walking among us, reminding us of the greatness within us and the greatness that has coursed through our lineage for centuries and centuries past.