Friends of Dave #166: Checking In
I'm giving you back some time this week, but I'm asking a favor...
Happy Leap Day everyone! I've been on a tear lately with these preambles so I decided that this week I would make it short. But in return, I am asking you to do something:
Open the contacts on your phone, find 5 people with whom you have not connected in at least 6 months, and check in with them via text.
No agenda. No asks. No business or fake pleasantries. No judging or apologizing. Just a simple kind text checking in and seeing how they are doing.
I'll make it even more simple for you -- copy and paste this:
Hey! It's been a while and I just thought I'd let you know I was thinking about you. How are you doing?
In the time you would usually use to read this intro, you can copy, paste and send 5 texts EASY. And then go about your day. Maybe you get an immediate response. Maybe you don't. Maybe you get no response at all. It really doesn't matter.
We all have things going on in our lives and in our bubbles -- much more than others know or we share on social media. These things can create distance between us, our personal relationships, and even our own feelings. But what ultimately connects us is our humanity.
Hearing that someone else is simply thinking about them, particularly at a time when they may not necessarily be thinking about themselves, makes people feel good! And, equally as important, reaching out to someone to check in also reminds us of our own humanity -- which is inherently good for us too. The cost to do so really is minimal -- but the ROI on that empathetic gesture is enormous.
Try it. Keep it simple. Have no expectations. Life is too short for us to forget what connects us. Let me know how it works out.
Some great stuff below -- I found the Last Word article to be particularly interesting on a number of levels. Have a good weekend everyone!
XOXO
Dave
Think on This...
This Is How To Change Someone’s Mind
The world is so polarized these days that civil conversation seems impossible. Here are 6 simple strategies that can help you change someone's mind.
NOTE: while it is worth reading the entire thing, if you lose steam you can skip down to the "Sum Up" section to get some high level bullets.
For Your Day Job...
Why Do Corporations Speak the Way They Do?
When Megan spoke about “business-critical asks” and “high-level integrated decks,” I heard “I am using meaningless words and forcing you to act like you understand them.” When an intern said the same thing, I heard someone heroically struggling to communicate in the local dialect.
"Corporate speak" permeates the ways we think of our jobs and shapes our identities as workers. If people who regularly rely on corporate jargon to make them seem intelligent seriously get under your skin, you are going to like this one.
7 Surprising Industries Turning To Subscription Business Models
You've heard of subscriptions to meal kits and wine-of-the-month clubs — but what about to your annual physical, or access to overhead bins? From gaming to education, interesting look at service-focused industries that are embracing subscription business models.
Why Your B2B Marketing Leads Don’t Respond to Sales
It isn’t as simple as “these leads aren’t any good” like many salespeople profess but the struggle is real.
As I have previously talked about here, everyone seems to hate marketing. This is a good, quick companion read on why this happens (particularly around lead gen) and how marketing can start to take steps to help sales make the most of the leads they generate.
Your Weekly Dose of Randomness...
9 Quirky Leap Year Facts You Probably Didn't Know
FUN FACT: The world would not have had the Fyre Festival had it not been for Leap Day in 1976....
The wine industry is changing its approach with millennials
I have the fool proof solution to the decline in wine consumption: wine sippy cups. Seems appropriate, don't you think?
This Man Created Traffic Jams on Google Maps Using a Red Wagon Full of Phones
People just love to mess with Google Maps....
Why Did Married Couples Used to Sleep in Twin Beds? Not for the Reason You Think
Wait, it wasn't the corona virus?
And The Last Word....
McDonald’s candles smell like the future of marketing — www.fastcompany.com In the Twitter era—from Supreme Oreos to an engagement ring made from Crystal Pepsi—no brand extension is too weird if it breaks through the noise.