---
title: "From the Stage: 10 Great Words for a High-Velocity Economy"
canonical: https://jimcarroll.com/2026/10/from-the-stage-10-great-words-for-a-high-velocity-economy/
updated: 2026-10-13T20:00:00+00:00
---

# From the Stage: 10 Great Words for a High-Velocity Economy

### From the stage

I’ve closed hundreds of keynotes the same way: by leaving the audience with ten words. On stage in Australia, I set it up simply:

“I’ll leave you 10 great words as to how to get in an innovative frame of mind in a high-velocity economy.”

Observe. Change. Dare. Banish. Try. Question. Growth. Do. And so on, through to the tenth. On “banish,” I didn’t soften it:

“You can’t permit a culture to exist in your organization in which people use phrases like it can’t be done because we’ve always done it this way.”

### Why it matters

Most people leave a conference with a notebook full of ideas and a Monday morning full of email. The ideas die by Wednesday. The ten words are a filter: a quick way to take what you just heard and ask, *what am I actually going to do with it?* They work just as well for a leadership offsite, a strategy session or a new year as they do for a keynote.

The most important one is the simplest. Innovation doesn’t happen in the notebook. It happens when somebody decides to *do* something they haven’t done before.

### The takeaway

- Before you leave any event, write down three ideas you’ll try, and one phrase you’ll banish.

- Question one assumption your team treats as a law of nature.

- Don’t wait for a perfect plan. Do one thing.

**Related:** Earlier: [Daily Inspiration: "It's better to spend time creating ideas that might lead to success instead of seeking excuses for actions that led to failure!" (2022)](https://jimcarroll.com/2022/04/daily-inspiration-its-better-to-spend-time-creating-ideas-that-might-lead-to-success-instead-of-seeking-excuses-for-actions-that-led-to-failure/) · Earlier: ["10 Phrases That Define 2022!" (2021)](https://jimcarroll.com/2021/12/10-phrases-that-define-2022/)

*From the Stage is a weekday series of short clips from more than 30 years of keynotes, and the leadership lessons that still matter.*