“I don’t mind looking stupid. I don’t know everything.”
Those were the words of a well-seasoned PR pro after asking what “lossless images” were during a meeting.
While she thought she was making a fool of herself, I was thankful she asked because I had no clue what lossless images were either. In fact, it sounded like they were saying lostless images, which made it even more confusing.
It’s a fairly natural situation that if you have a question about something, someone else in the room has the same question, but so follows the tragedy of relying on someone else to ask the question.
Please learn that asking questions that help you discover or learn something new — essentially asking questions that make you feel you’re making a fool of yourself, have the exact opposite effect.
It shows you care. It shows you’re humble and can embrace humility. It shows you believe you can still grow.
Stay Positive & We Get Better When We Continuously Feel Like We’re Making Fools Of Ourselves
It’s easy to turn short writing into fanciful long form. A lot of books can be written in 100 fewer pages. A lot of speeches can be cut by 5, 10, 20 minutes. A lot of podcasts can say what they are saying in a five-minute personal video than a 50 minute scripted podcast.
That being said, it’s still easy to turn short writing into pretty, short writing. I call it glamorous writing, but what it needs to be is gumptive writing; writing that’s honest, transparent, and human. It gets the point of the emotional labor needing to be done and shows that you’re in whatever you’re writing about for the long run.
Glamorous long form: Through innovate endeavors we can seek and conquer the path of least resistance that winds us into a less competitive market allowing us to facilitate well-thought-out marketing strategies that will rope in the plurality of the masses and satisfy our unwavering desire for a consistently increasing profit, which in turn we can build bigger facilities and add to our paid advertising budget.
Glamorous short form: We’ll market to a niche group, increase profits and grow our company.
The long form is pretty, isn’t it? Full of buzz words, passive voice, and a lot of empty promises. As for the short form, it’s quick and to the point, almost like a bullet point on a slide with too many other bullet points. But what about the Gumptive form?
Gumptive form: We’ve found the people seeking the solution we offer and know they have friends sharing the same problem. By adding some design and marketing to this tribe, we can leverage the power of word-of-mouth because we’ve shown we care and we know the tribe is full of influencers. With profits, we can hire additional designers to increase the remarkability of our solution thus always giving people something new to talk to others about.
It’s a bit longer than the glamorous long form, but it’s more honest, transparent, and full of care. You can tell they meant every word they wrote and would be happy to talk about any part of it in depth. As for the glamorous writing, ask the writer of it any question regarding what they wrote and they’ll, well, either choke or give you another glamorous non-answer.
The reality is we don’t need to find artful ways to say very little or artful ways to say a lot. We don’t need to thesaurus every second word and overuse the rule of three. We need to be definitive about our passions and how they can benefit others on an emotional level, on a human level.
By being real we become trusted and by becoming trusted we can do work that matters for people who care about doing work that matters. And in the end, it’s really about the forwardness of intentions for all parties. As ol’ Zig said, “You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want.”
People are turned off by opportunities they feel others will have to work hard to make work. They’re willing to put in the effort, but they assume (wrongly assume) the other party isn’t willing to work either, thus they pass the opportunity up.
If I avoided every opportunity, If I didn’t send in every application knowing it would take effort on their end to work it out, If I didn’t ask for what I wanted even knowing the other party would have to make a sacrifice too, I wouldn’t be where I am today. (And I love where I am today.)
Not so surprisingly, when you’re human, you show you care, when you work to make things work – in other words, when you give the other party a reason to put in the effort to make an opportunity work for you – they put in the effort too.
I’m not sure why I still get amazed by it, but I do. I get amazed by the friendships I have with people who, one day long ago, I reached out to on a whim, with no expectations for what might come from it. They were strangers at the time. Just names.
An email has connected me with people all around the world and people who travel around the world (see above). My response rate to emails is 92 percent and 90 percent of the strangers became friends.
On top of that, every job offer and all freelance work has come from me reaching out to someone. No applications, no resumes, no formal letters. Just a considerate email. (Or tweets. The freelance work I’m doing now came from tweeting to a business letting them know I would be happy to work with them if they wanted to expand their PR team. Yup, it’s that simple.)
If there’s one thing to take from this, it’s care.
Care is why the response, rather, connection rate is what it is. You show someone you care about them, they’ll be happy to connect with you.
Not only do people love knowing they are cared about, they also love caring. Every person I’ve reached out to has helped me in a way because they cared that I cared about them. It’s a crazy spiral of success (and, corny as it may be, of friendship).
Just wanted to let you know how worth it it is to reach out to… anyone, really.
Reach out, connect, care.
Stay Positive & Go Send An Email To Someone You Think Is Interesting
Almost forgot. My email is thegarthbox@gmail.com in case you didn’t click the “connect” tab at the top of this page
You can correctly assume an action some will take based on what you know about them. They have a routine, a personalized search engine, and a tight group of actual friends on Facebook that you can discover simply by looking at their activity.
[Likes, shares, and wall posts occur because one person’s status shows up on another’s feed because that person has visited the other’s profile to see what they have been up to. The system recognizes this and gives you more of what you want.]
The trouble is that it’s difficult to become part of someone’s clockwork. You have to tell a story that involves them, that excites them, and get’s them to participate in the long tale [pun intended]. You have to have something original to offer. You have to care, deeply. In fact, there’s so much you have to do to become part of someones clockwork, that I actually don’t suggest it.
People ask how many views I get on my blog, who my audience is, and if I get hurt when someone close to me doesn’t read what I write. My response is that I write to be here when they want to know something, when they need a push, when they finally have a question that their clockwork friends can’t answer. When someone interacts with a single post of mine. That’s a story that resonates more than the one I would be forcing them to want to hear.
It’s difficult analyzing and incepting people to accept you as part of their clockwork. It’s more socially profitable to keep working on your art and being available for those who are searching for you. [Just one more reason why I can’t stand when people hold back their art.]
Stay Positive & Tick Tock, What Have You Created Lately?
A of couple months ago I was freewriting and an odd thought popped in my mind. True to the nature of the writing I was doing, I wrote it down.
A lot of people dont’ care about you, they just feel if they get enough people to just like them, that they are set for life.
I think I may have been upset that so many girls in high school led guys on, or that you can spend one wonderful day with someone, but never catch up again. The instances in life where you feel a connection with someone, but nothing happens after it are endless.
It’s a trick, whether conscious of it or not, and a very successful trick at that.
Its success is based solely on the precept that if they ever talked to you again, ever ran into you on the subway, or bus, or bike path, that you two could pick up conversation like you were long-time friends and can play catch-up.
I am no psychologist, although at times I like to think I am, but there is some psychological barrier that prevents you from despising the person that left you hanging, prevents you from completely ignoring that person when you see them again, and prevents you from acting like they screwed you over.
Want to be successful? Get a billion people to like you. It’s not hard; meeting someone once will do. While you may not “benefit” as much from leaving (not cutting) a connection you made than if you were to do the upkeep on the friendship, the connection is still there.
The way it ends up benefiting you is when you do run into that person who you shared a great experience with (get your mind out of the gutter), when you play catch-up and you find out that they had started a similar business to yours, or write on your beat in the features section of a well-known magazine, or are part of some influential group, you can pick up the connection you left as if it were just waiting for you.
So No. The majority of people, when they meet you, don’t care about you, no matter how great of a time you share or how connected you may feel to them. When they leave that connection, they don’t mean to insult you, they don’t even mean to use you (that comes later). Their focus is making connections and as many as possible.
As should your goal be. After all, the thing about these people is that they are set for life. They have all the connections they will ever need, whether they utilize them or not, they are there. Where are yours?
Stay Positive & Make, Leave, Then Leverage Your Connections
Before I even share the letter in which Howard Schultz has written to all of America, and before it is posted even more main stream this weekend, you need to understand the simplicity of judging a person like Howard. I have studied many of Starbucks marketing strategies as well as background info on the company and Howard. I have seen a few negative comments about Howard and I’d like to point out two simple details that will eleviate any negativie feelings.
First, Howard spoke at the Aspen Ideas Festival.
Taken from the Aspen Ideas Festival website, “For over 60 years, the Aspen Institute has been the nation’s premier gathering place for leaders from around the globe and across many disciplines to engage in deep and inquisitive discussion of the ideas and issues that both shape our lives and challenge our times. […] Imagine some of the most inspired and provocative thinkers, writers, artists, business people, teachers, and other leaders drawn from myriad fields and from across the country and around the world – all gathered in a single place, ready to teach, speak, lead, question and answer – all interacting with an audience of thoughtful people who have stepped back from their day-to-day routines to delve deeply into a world of ideas, thought and discussion. The week promises to be thought-provoking, meaningful and fun – true to Aspen tradition.”
Would a multimillionaire who is full of greed, who is evil or a terrible person attend this event, give a presentation and seek improvement in the world using this large of a platform? A platform that is centered on growth, on productivity and on trust.
The second minor detail which I hope no longer stays minor is the effort Howard has put towards employing Americans. Along with establishing the Create Jobs for USA organization, Howard has made America-focused choices such as creating a “new roasting plant in Augusta, Georgia that we could have located in Central America or Asia for 15% to 20% less, but we felt that creating 200 or so jobs domestically was more important.” [source]
Howard You Make A Difference
Before I share with you the letter Howard has written, it’s serendipitous that he has written this letter during a time period that I am doing an Unlocking Potential interview series with people who I know will make a different in their passion. It may also be coincidence that he shared the letter while I am in the final editing stage of my book Start Schooling Dreams (to be released at the beginning of August).
In Howard’s closing, he advocates for innovation and making a difference in the community to promote citizenship over partisanship. This is a major center of why I write. Everything I write is innovation, it’s to make a difference, it’s about unlocking potential in others, promoting people who care, really do care about learning, about coffee, about fashion about anything. These are the people who make the difference, these are the people who are like Howard Schultz, who are willing to stand up, speak out and try to create positive change, no matter how much resistance there is.
*More power to you Howard and even more power to those who have similar worldviews for change, whether it’s employment, civility, and politics or education, art and music.
Without further ado, you can read the full letter Howard Schultz has written to all of America below or click here to open it in a new window.
An Open Letter: How Can America Win This Election?
Friday, June 29, 2012
Posted by Howard S., Starbucks chairman, president and chief executive officer
On Independence Day, our country celebrates the promise of America.
It’s a day to remember that the principles that bind us together vastly outweigh what keeps us apart. The freedom to dream and the opportunity to create a better life – not just for ourselves, but for each other – has always defined our great nation.
I am a product of that American Dream. As a kid who grew up in public housing, went on to get an education at a state university and build a business, I am grateful for what this country has made possible for me. In turn, at Starbucks, we have always tried our best to honor our responsibility to the communities we serve.
And on this Fourth of July, our communities need all of us.
Across the country, millions of Americans are out of work. Many more are working tirelessly yet still unable to adequately care for their families. Our veterans are not being welcomed home with the level of support they deserve. Meanwhile, in our nation’s capital, our elected leaders are continuing to put ideology over real solutions. I love America, but we all know there is something wrong. The deficits this country must reconcile are much more than financial, and our inability to solve our own problems is sapping our national spirit. We are better than this. America’s history has showed that we have accomplished extraordinary things when we act collectively, with courage, creativity, and generosity of spirit—especially during trying times.
As we celebrate all that is great about our country, let’s come together and amplify our voices.
Let’s tell our government leaders to put partisanship aside and to speak truthfully about the challenges we face. Let’s ask our business leaders to create more job opportunities for the American economy. And as citizens, let’s all get more involved. Please, don’t be a bystander. Understand that we have a shared responsibility in solving our nation’s problems. We can’t wait for Washington.
At Starbucks, we are trying to live up to our responsibility by increasing our local community service and helping to finance small-business job creation with Create Jobs for USA. Our company is far from perfect, and we know we can do more for America. But we need your help. We need your voice.
Join the national conversation with #INDIVISIBLE. Starting today, I invite you to share your view of America, and how we can all put citizenship over partisanship. On Instagram, post a photo of the America we all need to see. On Twitter, provide a link to an innovative idea. Blog about who’s making a difference in your community; or on YouTube, share how you made your American Dream come true. No matter where you post, if you use the tag #indivisible, Starbucks will do its part to collect and amplify your voices.
Together, we can set a new tone in America. We hope you agree that doing so is a powerful way to celebrate our nation’s birthday.
In 2012, America needs to win the election more than either party does. It is time now to join together as Americans. It is time, whatever our differences, for us to strive and succeed as one nation – indivisible.
