The Brandbuilder (Olivier Blanchard) posted another solid entry on his blog again today. (I read his blog most of the time, but especially over the past few days, since he, Chris Brogan and I will be heading to England to speak at the Like Minds Conference next week). He titled the post “The answer to most of your business problems is simply this: Be helpful.” It reminded me of the long running “Be” series written by Warren Weirsbe of the last century.
With the world continuing to change so quickly (new technology, new media, new publishers and more), maybe it’s time to refocus on helpful stuff that doesn’t change—principles and admonition that have stood the proverbial test-of-time. Here’s a start:
The Be-Attitudes for a New Millenium
shhh…be still, be quiet, listen: experience the sensation of new life. And, yes, I'll be a grandfather this year. As soon as my grandson arrives, I'll post pix of him!
- Be alert.
- Be quiet.
- Be available.
- Be visible.
- Be responsive.
- Be generous.
- Be helpful.
- Be quiet.
Be alert: there’s an inherent conflict implied. You may either be self-centered or alert. (Being alert to one’s own self doesn’t quite fit.) Companies, politicians, and people who are alert are focused outwardly, which sets them up for success.
Be quiet: so much of the world is consumed with “getting the message out.” (Please, if you catch yourself saying, “we just need to get our message out,” rest assured your message probably just isn’t worth getting out. Whenever you hear those words, picture Saint Jude and hear the words as, “I am confessing I am a failure.”) When you’re quiet, you can listen. When you listen, you increase your chances of getting a message IN. The rest of the world needs you to get the message IN; they’ll probably be okay even if they don’t hear your message. If they know you heard theirs, you both win.
Be available: yep, this is a 24/7 world. Banker’s hours went away as an acceptable measure of availability a long time ago. Being available means having enough media options available for your customers to express themselves to you when and where they want to. Being available also means responding through those same channels. For instance, if you’re a politician who has made the choice to dive into social media, you have chosen to make yourself available to your constituents through social media. Yes, you do indeed have a moral obligation to be responsive to them there. If you do not want to pay attention to them and respond to them then you simply should not be there in the first place. This far into the social media product life cycle, if you don’t have the knowledge and the decency to follow your constituents back on Twitter, for instance, you have no business saying you represent them. It really is just that simple.
Be visible: don’t breathe a sigh of relief yet. Being visible probably doesn’t mean what you think it means. It doesn’t mean non-stop self-promotion. Instead, it means having a sufficient presence wherever “your people” might be hanging out they know you’re there when they need you. If they’re on Twitter, be on Twitter. If they’re congregating on Ning, congregate with them. (But stay out of their way. You’re there for when they need you, not to get them to do something for you.)
Be responsive: blinding flash of the obvious, or as Grandpa would say, “a healthy dose of just plain common sense.” If “your people” ask you a question, give them an answer. (See, it would probably be cool for you to be visible wherever they’re getting together to ask these questions, huh?)
Be generous: the days of protecting your turf are long gone. Just watch what’s happening to the dinosaurs grasping at DRM. Take a look at how well John Piper’s books SELL. He also gives away a PDF of every one of them for free. (More, much more, on this in Spitball Marketing. Also in Napoleon Hill’s work, Zig Ziglar’s, Bob Burg’s, The Bible, etc.)
Be helpful: see Olivier’s post and Chris Brogan’s post. Help people solve their problems; good things will happen.
Be quiet: do a little research on how quietness is linked to humility is linked to greatness. It’s amazing to think through the names of the great ones who radically changed the world quietly. (Yes, the loud ones changed the world, too, but it often took the following three or four generations to clean it up, too.)
The world is changing. If Einstein’s famous quote was appropriate when he first uttered it, it is surely appropriate today: “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking as when we created them.” Maybe even a little twist on his expression would fit for today’s world, too: “We cannot solve our problems or seize upon our opportunities with the same way of being we enjoyed last year.”
Maybe you have an even better twist?
{ 25 comments }
It’s time for an awakening of attitudes for social media (and beyond), as I frequently push for bringing the social back to social media. I see that people keep on forgetting on what is important… other people.
I think the more that we learn to pay it forward and use a sense of “smart kindness” in social media that this will bring a new mindset on our daily personal relationships and interactions with other.
I think that social change on social media will bring change upon the world. One step at a time and one person at a time we can start a new era of enlightenment.
Thank you Amber. If folks would embrace others as you and Mr. D do, the world would indeed be a better place. (Of that, I YAM certain!)
You are so right: one step, one person = launch a new era of enlightenment. We need it.
Great post Trey! You’ll be a grandfather this year!?!
Thank you James. Yep, my eldest will have a baby this year. I am really not old enough to have a married child. Definitely not old enough to be called “grandpa”! Still, it’s going to be fun.
Truly, this is one of your finest posts. Inspired. This is one to keep, Trey. And I will be excited to see pics of a grandson! It’s still a ways off for me, but I can’t wait for that time of my life!! Pax, Mark
Thank you Mark. That means a lot to me.
I’m looking forward to the pictures, too! Of course, I am obviously way, way too young for this. Life is grand.
Wow – you nailed it, Trey. I need to post this list somewhere I’ll see it every day. I needed this right now. I know (unfortunately) that I haven’t been following some of these to the best of my ability lately.
Although I’ve certainly been aware of all the points mentioned (and agree wholeheartedly), it’s indicative of the amount of thought I know that you put into what you do to see them enumerated and explained so clearly.
Moving beyond myself, the 2 points I find most interesting in relation to my experience with our own Infusiasts (you know we don’t have “clients”
, are “Be Generous” and “Be Helpful”. It seems directly related to what we try to convey with the people we’ve worked with as the idea of educating (for free, and as much as possible, without limitation) people about whatever their expertise happens to be. Some understand and believe in the power of this approach (many actually only sort of believe, but then see the results of being generous and helpful, and then they start to really believe), but others – not so much.
My big question is – is it worth trying to convince them (the “non-believers”)? Or is it better to take a “let the seeker find the truth” approach? I’m a bit torn as part of being generous (and educating) makes me want to push a little bit (since I know this will help them), but then again I don’t want to push anyone away – and at times it feels a bit like proselytizing, which seems to me to be an obvious mistake – and a good way to push people away from you (and of course, your ideas, which is the really important part).
Perhaps the answer is just putting as much of your thinking out there in a public forum, ready to defend (like your blog, for instance)? Spreading ideas into more places and connecting with more like-minded people so that, perhaps, those you truly want to convince will eventually be “surrounded” in a sense, with ideas that may make some impact?
Sorry for the kind of rambling nature of my comments here – a lot of thinking->typing equivalent of “thinking out loud” – but I’ve had some direct recent experiences that have made me think a lot about this.
By the way, if this is indicative of the kind of thing we’ll be reading in Spitball Marketing, I really can’t wait to get my copy!
Thanks for that endorsement. Yep, I’m pouring my heart out into Spitball Marketing. Final edits this weekend. Whew.
Thanks for commenting.
A former pastor and still a good friend, John Vaughn, had a solid philosophy of ministry: “reach the reachable and teach the teachable.” He’d also encourage leaders to stay teachable, too, even while they were doing the reaching and teaching!
It’s a simply philosophy, but it’s hard, too. For instance, I keep trying to help politicians whom I believe to be good people in the offline world. Their “goodness” is obscured by their abject failure to be human online. It’s obvious that they are not listening. It’s obvious that they are not reachable and don’t seem to be teachable. Yet I persist.
I tenaciously pursue them because I truly believe they and their constituents will be better off. Maybe I should leave them alone. Pastor Vaughn’s philosophy would suggest I’m on a fool’s errand.
Even so, I’m driven to help them even though they probably just wish I’d leave them alone. (On the other hand, I get enough back channel confirmation to encourage me to stay after them, at least for their constituents’ sake. I am also hearing enough back channel chatter to feel fairly confident we’ll see a major upset in the SC primaries.)
So, long answer to your question boils down to this: seems good to reach the reachable and teach the teachable unless your soul compels you to pursue a lost cause. I shudder to think what would have happened if folks hadn’t pursued the lost causes they couldn’t let go!
You’re doing a great job with the Infusiast concept. Not only have I heard you using that term, I’ve heard your clients saying it too. More importantly, they say it with a sense of membership, like it’s something valuable as a component of their own identity. That’s remarkable.
Back to the generosity thought: somewhere along the way, maybe it was in Cluetrain or maybe Gonzo Marketing, I heard, “ideas propogate well on the web.” Getting ideas onto the web gives them air to breathe. Premies need extra oxygen; maybe half-baked ideas need extra web exposure?
This is both simple and brilliant, Trey. I am printing this and keeping it at work.
I especially liked, ”… rest assured your message probably just isn’t worth getting out.”
So many today (or maybe it’s more noticeable with the advent of social media) seem to think if they scream the loudest people will take notice. In the end you’re not getting your message out, you’re just yelling at people.
I have nothing further to say. You said everything much better than I could anyway.
Thank you Andrew.
Agreed…WAY too young.
Congrats, though. When is she due? Too many of my friends’ kids having babies..eeek.
I agree w/all the verbal accolades already posted. Bookmarked!!
Agreed…WAY too young.
Congrats, though. When is she due? Too many of my friends’ kids having babies..eeek. I agree w/all the verbal accolades already posted. Bookmarked!!
Another powerful push for us to keep it simple and focus on the in and not the out of social media. The power of listening is transformational. It can change everything, plans – strategy – focus – and understanding. Really enjoyed the post. Heading to read Olivier and Chris’ blogs next
Loved the bible reference on generous by the way ! 
Thanks Amy. I like your twist—”focus on the in and not the out.” That’s beautiful.
A wonderfully positive post. It’s the kind of list a lot of businesses could do with printing out and tacking to the side of their monitor screens to remind themselves of them.
Business is no longer just business: it’s personal. And companies need to tweak their attitudes, especially those exploring the online space.
I love this!!
You could also add:
Be Genuine
Too many people are still out for themselves and are often not genuine in their approach. You have to stick to your core values and beliefs in life and just be genuine in your dealings with other people. If you don’t it will be obvious to others.
Be Yourself
The most important aspect I think is to just be yourself and treat people how you would want to be treated.
Trey, you are the perfect example of all these things!
See you next week my friend
I might add one more: be valuable. Always strive to be relevant, to reward, and to enrich those who engage with you. Value creation is the key to deep, rich relationships that make a difference – and make you different.
Great (and valuable) post, Trey. You’re a rare bird: a doer and a thinker who succeeds at both.
Thanks Dickie! You commented on your birthday. That’s cool.
With your additional 2, it’s a solid 10 point plan!
Be real.
Be yourself.
Absolutely cannot wait to see you and our mutual friends at Like Minds in Exeter next week!
Awesome. I’ll add it to the 2 Dickie gave me. Now I need 1 more to complete the 12 step program!
Thank you. You and Bill came up with much better headlines.
If you’re still looking for one more, be inspiring. Encouragement is so easy to give and so hard to come by sometimes. Another insightful post, Trey. Thanks for being an encourager!
I think the best book I have read in a long while on the concept of giving is The Go-Giver by Messrs Burg and Mann. Easily as good as Who Moved my Cheese or How to Win Friends ….; you can get through it in 2 hours easy.
Thanks Trey for a great time at LaunchGVL… Was nice talking with you this morning and listening to your presentation!