Tag: generosity

Jabs and right hooks

Posted on by philipdodson

OK, I’ll get it straight out now, I am not a huge fan of Gary Vaynerchuk, I am more James Altucher, Cal Newport, Seth Godin, Brene Brown, Simon Sinek, Brain Clark, and a few more.

That’s the thing we are not here for everyone, not everyone is going to like us and we don’t have to like all the same things. There is, after all, no right or wrong in any of this.

My mate Doug, if you sat him next to Seth Godin on a long flight, he’d be met by law enforcement officials at the destination! The same would happen if you put me next to Gary.

I just used the ‘Jabs and right hooks’ as a title based on Gary V’s ‘Jab, Jab, right hook’ book. His book is based on give, give, give and then ‘boom’ ‘bash’ wallop’ you ‘sock it’ to ’em, or something like that.

For me, that feels like an intentional strategy, whereby you’re giving with the sole purpose of expecting something in return. That is not generosity that is manipulation and a revamped take on the kind of selling you’d see and laugh at, well I did, in classic films like ‘Tin Men’ and ‘Glengarry, Glen Ross’.

Being generous is something you do without any expectation, you do simply because it makes you feel good, that is OK by the way.

The moment you start to envision future invoices that you can send that person, then it turns from being a generous act to a manipulation.

There is a huge difference though from giving someone that ‘right hook’ after giving and asking for help or now and again putting your message out in a direct way.

The problem with all this expectant giving is it leads to disappointment when nothing comes back in return. Give because you want to, give because it makes you happy and lessens disappointment, manipulation and stress in your life.

Being authentic is exactly what it means, not latching on to a fashionable strategy to get more business.

When you do need help or you need to push something you are doing, then you will never have an issue. But don’t give to ‘bank it’ for the future, just give.

We notice the little things

Posted on by philipdodson

Creating momentum and achieving our dreams in our life is all about the little steps, doing things regularly that are easy to start and do, creating a sustainable habit, that over time adds up to the big thing.

It’s also funny that most of what really matters to me, you, our partners, our friends, our customers, our voters, our supporters, and so on are the little things we do and, so important to remember, the little things we don’t do.

The moment we say ‘I love you’, ‘thanks’, ‘well done’.

The time that we let the other person go first. The moment we give someone a hug.

The time we give to others, whether to listen empathetically to someone or to do something that the other person can’t, to teach someone.

Whatever it is we will notice and often be hurt more by the small things that we miss for each other than bigger things we do.

Our customers will appreciate the little things we do or don’t. When the waiter comes by the table and genuinely checks that you’ve got everything and you’re enjoying your meal. When you take your car to the garage for works, they clean it after. When you go that extra step and do something small and unexpected, a genuine moment of kindness that has nothing attached to it.

Whatever you can do that is a small something for someone else, do it, do it genuinely, and do it every day. It will bring joy to you and others. Do it with no expectation of reciprocation.

That’s all and that’s all we need.