“How can I get my people to be just as passionate as I am?” If every manager actively tried to think this way, the world would be a much different place. Chester Elton, a motivational speaker and author, writes and speaks about how to promote a strong and positive culture in the workplace through thought processes like this one.

DifferenceMaker LLC students were fortunate enough to attend last night’s Young Professionals of Lowell event that featured Elton as the keynote speaker. Elton inspired students and other audience members by engaging them with interactive prompts and questions with rewards such as carrot stuffed animals, wristbands, and a copy of his new book, All In. Elton explained to the crowd how being active in creating a thoughtful, positive, and fun environment in the workplace can make a difference to the overall happiness and productivity of employees.

The most inspiring aspect of Elton’s presentation was how clear it was that he applies these theories and beliefs toward his own life. Upon doing so, Elton’s success in his professional and personal life is due largely to his positive mental attitude and the supportive culture he creates amongst himself and his network of friends, family, coworkers, etc. He is living proof that attitude toward yourself and those around you truly makes a difference in quality of life, the culture of the workplace, and the likelihood of reaching goals and maintaining success.

Here, Elton posed with DifferenceMaker LLC students, MSB LLC students, and Honors LLC students at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium.

To see photos from the event, and to stay in tune with future DifferenceMaker events, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram @DifferenceMakerUML.

Last night the second DifferenceMaker LLC event was held on the third floor of Fox Hall. DifferenceMaker LLC students, faculty, and team, Hive, met to discuss how to get involved in the Program, and the benefits of doing so.

Hive, previously named Notoja, was the team that presented at the event. The team created a school enrichment collaboration application, which provides modules for student note-taking, book trading, and discussion groups. They won second place in Innovative Technology at the 2013 Idea Challenge.

Hive presented their pitch to the LLC students and explained how the DifferenceMaker Program has helped them reach their goals as entrepreneurs. They then left room for questions and discussion. Many of the questions that followed were from the LLC students who were wondering how challenging being a DifferenceMaker is. They asked about time commitment, idea generation, team building, and potential for success.

Overall, both Hive and the LLC students benefited from the evening through networking and the in depth discussion of the Program.

Tonight is the next DifferenceMaker LLC event at the 9th Annual Business Leadership Forum hosted by the Young Professionals of Greater Lowell. The event will take place at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium from 5:30 to 8:00pm. The keynote speaker for the event is Chester Elton who is an author, motivational speaker, trainer, and employee engagement expert. To learn more about the event contact Project Manager, Ha Pho at Ha_Pho@uml.edu or connect with us through social media, as listed below.

To see photos from the event, and to stay in tune with future DifferenceMaker events, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram @DifferenceMakerUML.

Classes, work, friends, family, homework, clubs… Welcome to college! College is the place where the list of to-do’s never ends, and you are always pulled in multiple directions.

The DifferenceMaker Team understands that. We want to welcome the UMass Lowell Class of 2018 to the DifferenceMaker Program with open arms. Our team recognizes that you are new to college and that there is a world of opportunity ahead of you. We want to share with you the opportunities that the Program has to offer, while at the same time, allowing you to decide your direction over the next four years.

As an introduction to the DifferenceMaker Program, we held an event last night to welcome DifferenceMaker LLC students to UMass Lowell. Students met on the third floor of Fox Hall where they chatted with members of the DifferenceMaker Team about themselves, their experiences, and their views on leadership and what “success” means to them.

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