I used a quote from the renowned sales and motivational guru Zig Ziglar in a blog last week: “They don’t care about what you know until they know you care.”
It was October of this year, when I was lying in bed, trying to fall asleep in the United Kingdom. It was 11:30 pm BST (British Summer Time) and I was still getting my North American body clock on track. I was exhausted and my mind was swirling. Then suddenly I realized it was Canadian Thanksgiving the next day and I’d forgotten to send a Happy Canadian Thanksgiving email out to our Canadian team. I lay there for a moment more and of course I knew what I had to do.
I got out of bed, grabbed my blackberry and lugged myself upstairs so I could get a decent signal and sent off a best Canadian Thanksgiving wish to Team Canada. As the CEO of a company with people in Europe, the U.S. and Canada, it was clearly the right thing to do. I’m no hero for getting myself out of bed to send that message. I should have had it on my calendar so I could have sent it out earlier. But my point is that to be a leader, regardless of title or position, is to demonstrate with sincerity that you and I care. Sometimes it’s inconvenient. Sometimes we might not be sure it even matters. But I think Ziglar is right; they need to know we care. And often the little demonstration of care rolls into an act of major importance and reference later.
Being abundant means being generous of spirit. That means dragging ourselves out of bed to send a message and much more. We have to generously and sincerely show we care. Be a leader. Act with abundance by being generous in giving of ourselves (and by the way don’t expect anything back in return).
Just Do It!
Live the Triangle,
Lorne