Wednesday is a trip to London with the primary purpose of attending the marketing presentation offered by Dan Sullivan of The Strategic Coach programme.
I have written in this week’s ezine about the £311 first-class return rail ticket (and why I was happy to pay it) and I’ll probably jot down some notes about the event in due course. For now, let’s just say that Dan was as inspirational as the first time I heard him (in 1993!) – and that I have signed up to join the London group from October this year. That should be evidence enough that I value the material and the man.
The highlight of his presentation was clarification that, in business, we either deliver commodities (which get cheaper over time as technology improves) or create communities. And then offer those communities:
- Leadership = direction
- Relationship – confidence
- Creativity = capability
Fantastic stuff that – and if you don’t know why, you need to review all of his material.
When thinking about today’s blog, I was moved to comment on the personal relationships I renewed today.
My financial services career ended over 10 years ago but I was a well known speaker and writer even back then.
Today I bumped into a lot of old faces and a few old friends – that was lovely.
What intrigued me, as the afternoon unfolded, was the language that these individuals used to answer my question “how are you?”
Example 1- “I’m fine and I just wanted you to know that I earned £1.36 million in commissions last year, my shares have quadrupled in value and my passive income is now £750,000 per annum.”
Example 2 – “I’m fine – I now have 9 children, 5 grandchildren and 2 grandchildren on the way.”
Example 3 – “I’m fine – I left the company and in so doing discovered that you were right all those years ago – the owner was a liar, a cheat and an absolute bxxxxxd.”
Example 4 – “I’m fine – the wife works now but I don’t work anymore – I sold my shares and invested in property at the right time.”
Example 5 – “I’m fine thanks – more importantly, how are you?”
Needless to say, it was the last of these that resulted in a meaningful conversation.
As I reflected on this aboard my Virgin train this evening, I pondered on how people feel it necessary to measure themselves and what they choose to measure.
