GarthBox

Being asked your opinion (in my opinion) is one of the greatest privileges we have in this economy, in our tribes and in our relationships.

So many, however, fail to elevate an idea, to inspire the one who asked for their help and to…well, help.

The one asking for help doesn’t want to know who you think they should be switching their target to. They don’t want to know why they should open up on the other side of town instead of where they have in mind. They don’t want to know what you would do if you were in their shoes (even if that’s how they ask).

What they want to know is how they can make their idea work.

There’s an ol’ improv practice called “yes, and.” The premise is you listen and agree with whatever the person before you said and you build from it.

You don’t say they were wrong, you don’t change the subject and you definitely don’t kill the idea.

You run with it, you can elevate it, you share a perception of how the idea can improve without changing anything that has already been decided.

Sure, you’re asked for your help, but you’re not asked to share a right and wrong way of doing something; you’re asked to share how this way could be better or how it could work.

 

Stay Positive & Making A U-Turn Is Dangerous, Anyway

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Not what do you do.

Not what do you sell.

Not how larger your distribution network is.

How do you help me.

Not everyone.

Not the person before me.

Not the people four months from now.

Me.

When you look at your work through the lens of helping one person at a time, your return on investment is infinite (or at least exponential to the number of those you serve).

The moment you start to calculate who is worth your time, act as if it’s a game, set aside your values for the sale, lie, cheat and look at the work you do through the lens of how every person can help you–that’s when you find yourself in a downward spiral to oblivion.

So I’ll ask once more, how do you help me?

 

Stay Positive & One. Person. At. A. Time.

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Don’t fall into the process trap.

The idea that once you create a process, the work will be easier next time you’re to use it.

There are too many environmental factors that will change. Too many personalities. Industries are moving too quickly and innovations happening too swiftly.

The paradox, of course, is that you need to build a process even if you know it’ll have to change next time.

 

Stay Positive & Hard To Keep Up, Easy To Fall Behind (Better Not Risk It)

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Scenario planning is often used as a crisis management tool.

Say road construction happens on your business’s street, do you have funds to make it through? What do you do?

If you’re a bar and get a shipment of beer that’s spoiled and you have nothing to serve for the next 24 hours, what’s your course of action?

You need a crisis management plan. We can agree on that. But what if you spun scenario planning on its head and applied it to the values you think you stand for?

When Google says you’re open on a Sunday and someone wants to rent out your venue on Sunday, do you agree even though you’d be lying to everyone who Googles you on Sunday to see if you’re open?

Or, say, you’re an airline with an overbooked flight. Do the actionable responses you have to choose from align with your values?

For most brands, they’re stuck in survival/crisis management mode and blind/ignorant to the fact they’re not upholding their values.

 

Stay Positive & Start Planning Now

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…are curious enough to where you hear them say “I learn something new everyday,” everyday.

…care about their tribe, deeply and empathetically.

…see themselves doing what they are doing for a long time.

…learn more than those who job hop.

…find a way to connect with others beyond work.

 

Stay Positive & You Can Be That Person (If You Choose)

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Starting right now, what can you give?

Set aside your big idea you want to launch a year from now and stop hording your skill, your knowledge, your stuff.

The problem with most startups is they are more like buildups; they focus on holding onto everything and creating a big launch.

If you have something people want, why wait to give it?

Also consider this a subtle reminder that you do have something to give right now.

You’ve got passion. You’ve got knowledge. You’ve got time.

Unsurprisingly, that’s the stuff people really want.

 

Stay Positive & Start Now

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Appeals to a category, not a single person.

Remains distinctive first, differentiated second.

Stays consistent when everyone says to “rebrand.”

 

Stay Positive & You Know What Worse Marketing Is Now, Too

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