Monday’s Power Keynote was a moving experience for audience members—moved to laugh, to appreciate one another and even moved to tears. Dr. Rick Rigsby, author and speaker, drew on the wisdom of past generations in his session, “Making An Impact,” to motivate and inspire his audience to leave more than an impression as they move through the world. Dr. Rigsby is also a former professor at Texas A&M University, and both PPAI Board President Brittany David, MAS, and PPAI Director of Professional Development Jennifer Crowfoot count him as a favorite instructor.

Dr. Rigsby was upfront with his audience, saying that he’d only learned about the promotional products industry a few months ago, but, during that time, had come to realize how much the industry impacts his own life. He said, “You folks touch every life in the world, you should be proud of that!”

In his session, a fast-moving 90 minutes, Dr. Rigsby asked “How many of you all want to be better this year than you were last year?” And drawing from the insights and wisdom of a third-grade dropout—his father and the subject of the book Lessons from a Third Grade Dropout—he walked the audience through how to make more of an impact on the world in a lesson often peppered with moving and insightful personal stories and anecdotes.

“You want to be great for one reason,” Dr. Rigsby said, “to lift up those around you. The goal is to die empty; to exhaust yourself uplifting someone else. To make an impact every single day.”

To Dr. Rigsby, greatness, when it comes down to it, is about executing the basics better than anyone else. He believes that in today’s society there’s a reluctance to execute the basics. His father encouraged him to raise his own standards, and he asked the audience, “What would happen if we put a greater demand on ourselves?”

This industry has great products that can change the world and influence lives, Dr. Rigsby said. And it doesn’t matter the business; it’s all about building fundamental relationships. If you want to connect, execute the basics. If people aren’t listening to you, don’t blame them. It’s your duty, as an effective communicator, to give people a reason to listen to you.

As his time on the Expo stage drew to an end, Dr. Rigsby gave his audience four tenets of greatness: Don’t Judge, Be Early, Be Kind and Be A Servant. “Good enough isn’t good enough if you can be better. Better isn’t better if it can be best.”