Are you scrolling through feeds waiting for something to catch your eye? Do you have a special criteria for deciding whether to read more or read less? Is it the headline or the first sentence?
I am pondering this myself, because of this article on Seth Godin’s blog today. He is talking about paying attention to those whom we have GRANTED permission. This one caught my eye only after I had read quite some way in … after all, I have already given Seth my permission to appear in my RSS reader.
But then, about halfway through I started to like the surprising direction of this post. I liked the way that it turned around to put the onus on the person who accepts the meeting. Sure, it can be boring and tiring (sometimes) in meetings, but if you are there … why not get something out of it! After all, as Seth says, "everyone’s an expert", and it just may be that the person you are meeting knows a lot about something that you don’t. Perhaps there is a meeting technique that they use well, or use badly, perhaps it is the stain on their lapel or the way their mobile phone keeps ringing. Or maybe it is even the firmness of their handshake and their sense of purpose.
But if you are going to be in the meeting, then BE there. Challenge the person you are meeting — ask questions, request ideas and so on.
Similarly, when you are reading a blog, drop in a comment. If you have your own blog, add a trackback or a link. Part of the fun of writing online is this sense of engagement and community. Don’t forget, you get out what you put in!
S.
Damn right. I often find myself getting annoyed by the obviousness of Seth’s blogs but this one took me by surprise, struck me as true and useful, and made me behave better in a meeting this morning.
So have some love.
The Debate Continues
Seth Godin had additional thoughts on my disagreement with him regarding how to approach sales presentations if you’re in the group being presented to. You can read Seth’s original post here, and then my response on the Seth Godin Post-Game…