World renowned speaker says “Leaders do not fit in — they lead”

The National Society of Leadership and Success gathered on the first floor of the Fulton Library last Wednesday, Feb. 20 to video conference into the speaker Bertice Berry, a world renowned keynote speaker.

Bertice Berry is well-known for her engaging lectures and humorous lessons of life as she speaks around country about overcoming difficulty and reaching goals. She has been listed as a top 25 keynote speaker in the world for 25 years, according to her website, bertriceberrynow.com

“I know,” she says, “when you walk with purpose, you collide with destiny.”

Recounting her own personal difficulties when graduating from high school and pursuing a higher education, Berry stated that while in high school her counselors had given up hope of her attending college and would no longer help with her filling out applications.

“I had an attitude, and they knew my family didn’t have the money to attend college,” said Berry.

Her life changed, however, when a teacher took an interest in Berry and insisted on the help of a counselor from a different school to help Berry apply for college. According to Berry, she was accepted to only one college, and she was fortunate enough to be accepted at a time when a anonymous millionaire donated funds to help students in situations like Berry’s.

“What does a leader do?,” she asked. “[They] enable a person to believe in themselves enough to enable themselves to do something they previously thought they could not do,” answered Berry.

Berry’s main message involved the importance of critical thinking and acknowledging the reality that leaders do not always fit with the status quo.

“Simply put,” she said, “leaders do not fit in — they lead.”

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