Loyalty

Straw Man’s Opposite

Straw men are convenient to build and easy to destroy when trying to make a point that is far removed from the facts. They are an unfaithful way to summarize a debate. A steal man takes commitment. It is suggested that a good steal man conversation included the following: 1. A re-expression of the other sides point of view that is truthful to their mindset. 2. An accounting of the ways in which you and the other side agree. 3. A listing of the ways the other side has taught you something new. 4. Finally, a rebuttal with an expression of the points on which you disagree with the other sides point of view.

Straw men can be assembled and obliterated with almost no care. Steal men take an investment of time and thought. A steal man conversation build trust and care. How would you respond if a person with a different view took the time to launch a steal man conversation?

Sorry, We Choose Us

I tried to unsubscribe from a vendor’s emails, but none of my attempts were accepted. I called the company and was told updates could only be conducted online. The organization claims the issue I am experiencing is abnormal. The new splash page message should read, “We care more about our company’s subscriber numbers than a client’s preference. Therefore, we failed to honor any updates to your account that will impact our metrics.“

Honesty would be less frustrating than non-compliance.

How might we be honest with our clients, even if the truth is not the message they prefer to hear?

Reach vs. Influence

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An acquaintance of mine was upset by a decision made by an event organizer.  They desired a different outcome.  The board of the event held a meeting to confirm the decision made by the event organizer.  The acquaintance threatened the solid standing of the event by leveraging his significant social media presence to suggest a boycott of future iterations of the event.  It was an emotional decision, and clearly, this individual felt strongly about righting a perceived wrong.  What they failed to understand was the difference between reach and influence.  Their message would reach a large number of people.  Nearly all of those individuals did not participate in the event nor did they influence future versions of the event.  He could publish a sensational headline, but few people would read the article or more importantly take action.

Mistaking reach and influence is common.  There are a vast number of channels through which we can contact our affinity group (Seth Godin would suggest ‘tribe’).   The essential question is how many people will act on our behalf.  I empathize with numerous challenges faced by individuals.  Less frequently do I take measurable steps to help them solve a problem.  People must believe what we believe and then see themselves as uniquely positioned to influence the outcome before they take significant action.

Growing Trust from Broken Promises

John Oliver’s, Last Week Tonight on HBO produced a piece on the Miss America Pageant and Miss America Foundation that could carry ramifications and opportunities for the social sector.  His team investigated and revealed that the actual value of the scholarships awarded compared to the stated ‘provided’ value of the scholarships represent during the pageant’s telecast equate to an eye-opening difference.  John stated the pageant “gives out way less than the 45 million dollars in scholarships (he claims less than $4-million) and yet two, whatever the number is one thing does still seem to be troubling true…because even their lowest number is more than any other woman-only scholarship we could find.”  Instead shining the spotlight completely on the semantics and mathematical formulas employed by the Miss America Pageant and Miss America Foundation he challenged the audience to consider support woman-only scholarship organizations, such as: 

Society of Woman Engineers                              Patsy Mink Foundation                                    Rankin Foundation

I am not sure of the impact of this news story for the Miss America Pageant and Miss America Foundation.  It does not appear to immediately enhance the public’s trust in the social sector.   Perhaps the greatest opportunity for growth is that woman-only scholarship funds can use the conversation to share their purpose and offer a call to action.  When others break loyalty and trust, there is an opportunity to re-enforce the relationship each of us fosters with our own tribes.