Motivational speaker Imad Ghennouni, who lives in Detroit, Michigan, encourages and inspires people to take action to move towards their aspirations and goals. In his speeches, Imad aims to help people overcome the challenges and obstacles that may stand in their path, using his own insights, experience, and expertise to offer a new perspective and empower his listeners to achieve their full potential.
Imad El Atiki El Ghennouni Mohammed, who formerly worked in the corporate sector, now regularly delivers speeches at conferences, workshops, corporate events, and seminars, offering advice relating to goal setting and how to maintain resilience in the face of adversity. With every speech, he hopes to give individuals the tools they need to take control of their lives, take positive action, and pursue their personal and professional aspirations with enthusiasm.
Imad moved with his family to Detroit from Bahrain in 1972 when he was three years old. Along with his parents, wife, and children, he regularly makes the trip back to Bahrain to visit family. He loves to travel and appreciates the opportunity his job gives him to do so, across both the United States and Europe. When his children were younger, Imad and his wife took annual vacations to explore different parts of the United States, South America, and Canada.
To relax, Imad El Ghennouni enjoys playing guitar, gardening, reading, writing, playing chess, exercising, cycling, walking, and cooking. His favorite dishes to prepare are those of traditional Bahrani cuisine, which he was taught to cook by his mother, such as the national dish of machboos.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
I’m always more productive in the mornings, so I like to get up early, go for a run, take a shower, and then eat breakfast. I always aim to start work by 8am. My first task is checking my diary, emails, and voicemails so that I can prioritize my daily tasks. Those are fundamentals – things I like to do every day – but in my line of work, the rest is pretty fluid. If I’m on a work trip, that will generally entail a lot of meetings, visiting the venues I’ll be speaking at and giving interviews. While at home, I spend a lot of time preparing my material and spending hours holed up, poring over research. I suppose I don’t really have a typical day!
How do you bring ideas to life?
I’m quite analytical, so I’m a stickler for research. I also use other people as a sounding board to help me gauge whether I’m on the right track. Sometimes it’s good to get an outside perspective to gain clarity on a particular issue.
What’s one trend that excites you?
I’m blown away by the impact of AI today, revolutionizing virtually every industry. It’s staggering.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
Starting every day by writing a to-do list.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Don’t get so wrapped up in a particular problem you lose sight of the bigger picture. Looking back, I spent a lot of time worrying about issues that really weren’t important in the grand scheme of things.
Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you on?
I have never liked The Beatles. There, I said it!
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
Exercise. Keeping in good physical shape helps me to maintain a positive mindset too.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
I think when people are facing a particular challenge a common approach is throwing everything at it, but that can actually be counteractive. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned the value of taking a step back – taking a break or even a trip to gain perspective on whatever’s bothering me.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
I think actively listening rather than just waiting to speak has helped me get to where I am today. You learn a lot by just listening to other people and putting yourself in their shoes; then you can figure out their wants and needs, what motivates them, and use those insights to build stronger connections.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
After graduating, I had my heart set on becoming a stockbroker. Unfortunately, when I ventured into the market it was incredibly volatile, and I made some bad trades. Looking back, I’m not sure I’d class it as a failure because I’m very happy with where I am today. However, at the time, it felt like the end of the world.
What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?
With the mindfulness and meditation industry booming in the way it is, I think there is a huge demand for holistic wellness apps that tackle all aspects of mental and physical health. I mean there are weight-loss apps, exercise apps, meditation apps etc., but I think a more joined-up approach could go down well.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
I’m a big fan of Microsoft OneNote. I’m constantly taking notes and this allows me to capture information to review later in seconds.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
I’m a big fan of the Stuff You Should Know podcast. It fills me in on random topics – you really do learn something new every day.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
Kaos with Jeff Goldblum. So many twists and turns and then it throws the audience off a cliff edge. I can’t remember enjoying a series quite so much in a long time.
Key learnings
• The importance of exercise to maintain physical and mental health and wellbeing.
• Utilizing time effectively, prioritizing work with to-do lists to ensure the most important tasks are tackled first.
• Embracing AI and its huge potential to revolutionize working practices and daily lives.
• Maintaining an ability to step back from even the most overwhelming challenges to gain a sense of perspective rather than being swallowed up by problems.