Intimacy Lost
Send Out Card reps, be prepared – I’m going to stir up the pot.
Yesterday, I received this in an email – it’s the third such email I’ve received in two weeks:
“Hi Preston – I just got your card in the mail and thank you so much! What a personal way of connecting.”
You’ve got to be kidding. I’m not sure which is more disconcerting: a) that someone acknowledged a hand-written note with an email, or b) that many of these comments have come from people who are in the same business as me – a business whose foundation is built on intimacy.
In a culture that increasingly promotes “efficiency”, we are rapidly losing touch with intimacy. You know, that close, familiar, and caring relationship we have with people.
As a technology consultant or professional, you understand the benefit of being more efficient – who wouldn’t want to move through one task more quickly to get to another you’re more interested in? Plus, you’re perfectly positioned to help folks leverage technology to be more efficient.
Technology consultants – what’s working and what’s not?
Running a business can be one of the most interesting experiences of our lives. It can also be one of the most confronting and challenging.
I’ve realized one of my biggest opportunities (i.e. started out as a challenge) is ensuring my target audience understands what I do clearly. In other words, in 10 words or fewer, my audience understands exactly what I do and how I might help.
If you’re a technology consultant, IT, or computer services business owner, I’d greatly appreciate it if you’d share your thoughts on the following survey – click here to participate in survey.
For those who are not in the technology field, you are welcome to complete the survey as well.
Thanks so much,
-Preston
Alternative to Fixing
I discovered Pema Chodron a few years ago. She’s an American Buddhist nun and author. Quite a combination. In her book, Comfortable with Uncertainty , one of the chapters really struck me. It talks about three strategies we use that, however much we believe they work, really sabotage us:
Attacking
We’ve all been with that colleague who’s typical response to the familiar “how was your weekend” question on Monday morning is, “Why didn’t you get that report done on Friday?” Kind of like the sucker punch your older cousin would give you at family gatherings – doesn’t really do any long-term damage, but it sure hurts in the moment. Ever wonder what that colleague has left unfinished? Think about it.
Indulging
Comfort, is what Chodron points to directly. Comfort with the how many clients you have. Comfort with how sales have gone or how your engineering team only had to delay the project one day. Comfort that tomorrow will be the same as yesterday. The moment you say “I know” or “The economy is having an impact” is the moment you’ve completely embraced your indulgence.
Ignoring
I have a friend who, no matter where we are, stops to pick up trash. My clear and unconscious action is to simply walk by it. What’s the difference? My friend sees that every action he takes has an impact. I ignore trash on the street largely because I feel it won’t make a difference. In those moments I’m ignoring the difference I make. If we take the conversation beyond trash, where else do I ignore making a difference?