What Are You Know For?

People come for interactions that they consider remarkable.  They want to hear/see/interact with your greatest hits along with the new project that you are working on.  Sometimes it feels routine to use your super power to fuel your journey.  But we can only make sense of something new when we start from a place we understand.  When in Swiss Alps, one expects to here mountain folk music before a new piece is introduced.  It provides a point of connection.  This is why instructors inquire about our prior experiences before starting their instruction.  They wish to create a foundation from where we are, not from some abstract platform that we cannot access.  What you are known for may be the very best place to start a new relationship.

Searchlights and Fireworks

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Anyone can hire a pair of searchlights to illuminate the night sky and draw the curious.  Same with fireworks.   Swirling and screaming beams of light and loud unexpected explosions call attention to your location.  The real questions is what do you have to offer once everyone assembles.  Too often we look for followers without thinking about what we can give.  Be remarkable for your service and the value you add to other people’s journey.  The followers will come if the work you do matters.  Otherwise, make it known that you are in the entertainment business.

How You Enter Matters

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Ever accidentally slide into an event with no intention of avoiding the price of admission?  You find yourself encountering a form of entertainment for which everyone else purchased access.  A year ago at the Hermitage Museum in Amsterdam, my wife and I paid for one exhibit and as we exited we accidently entered the second paid exhibit through a side door.  We walked through without delay and we exited properly.  Technically, we had received a bonus exhibit for the price of our admission.  It was not one we desired to pay for even after our unintentional preview.

As social sector organizations, we rely on advocates, ambassadors, donors, volunteers, and members, yet we forget to check how people encountered our cause.  Just because someone is standing in our facility or attending our event does not mean they are seeking our services.  How people enter our organization matters.  Consider a few possibilities:

  • New to the area and getting oriented
  • Invited by a friend or business associated
  • Looking for a place to hangout
  • Heard good things about a past program or event
  • Ready to be fully engaged and just need to be asked
  • Attending to be seen by others
  • Repaying a favor
  • Had a personal experience that transformed their life

Each one of the aforementioned scenarios requires a different interaction. If we try to connect using one approach we have a 1 in 8 chance of meaningful engagement (just from the list above).  We think we know why we like a newcomer but do we know why they like us?

Be brave and foster an individual connection with each person your enterprise encounters.  Then you will know not only how they arrived but why they might stay.

Resources for BSU Leadership Class

Problem solving + Problem Finding = Well Designed Life

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Characteristics of Servant Leadership

  1. See the future.
  2. Engage and develop others.
  3. Reinvent continuously.
  4. Value results and relationships.
  5. Embody the values.
  6. Hunger for wisdom.
  7. Expect the best.
  8. Accept responsibility.
  9. Respond with courage.
  10. Think of others first.

Deciding on the work that matters

  1. What do you want to do?
  2. Who do you want to change?
  3. How much risk do you want to take?
  4. How much work is required?
  5. Does the work matter?
  6. Is it even possible?

Goal Setting

  1. Choose a goal that matters, not just an easy win.
  2. Focus on the process, not the outcome.
  3. Frame your goals positively.
  4. Prepare for failure (in a good way).

Resources and visuals for Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle

Thank you for the opportunity to share ideas.  Your questions and stories were tremendous.  Please follow-up with questions.