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Postcards from Rethink Central

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Next live call is October 10, 2023 - Noon Eastern / 6pm UK.
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Prefer to read? Here’s the transcript:

My name is Liz Scully. I’m a business strategist. And for many years I lived in London. I realise it sounds from my accent as though I’m English but I’m actually Irish.

When I lived in London, I had a lot of friends who worked in the banking and finance world. And one particular year we were going out testing cocktail bars for one of my big birthday bashes.

I used to have a huge cocktail party that lasted three days. This was now a few years back – and there was that trend for cocktail bars that were inside 1950s bowling Americana-type places. A very odd trend.

So, I was at this bar with my banking chums.

And the gentleman who came over to take our order was wearing a kind of sort of faux ‘50s thing. With braces or, as they call them in the US, suspenders and lots of little badges and pins all over him. But when you got close, the pins were not sort of happy cheerful things. They were very nihilistic punk stuff.

And as he was taking the order, I looked at him and said “Do they make you wear those?” [he nodded yes] ”Do you have to wear them?” [he nodded yes] I’m like, ”I’m so sorry.” He’s like “I know.” I was like “Do you have to be happy all the time?” And he is like “Yes. It’s a nightmare.”I was like “I’m so sorry.”

So, he took our order and I’m like “Just take your time. However that comes. I don’t want to make any more stress for you.” He’s like “No. I’ll do this as quickly as possible.” I’m like, “Well, I appreciate that.” And off he goes.

And one of my banking chums turns to his then new girlfriend and says “Liz has this fantastic technique to get great service.” And I look at him: “What?”

He went like “Yes! She always gets amazing service. She always does that.” And by ‘that’ he meant

speak to the servers like they were human.

True enough, within seconds our drinks were back, beautifully made, ahead of everyone else’s that he was dealing with. Because that barman felt seen.

And this, I believe, is the essence…

This is years before I was a coach but this is the essence of good coaching.

In fact, as a human, this is one of the kindest things we can do.

To see another person and to spend a second feeling that empathy for what it’s like to be them. To understand, to have to dress up in a stupid costume and have to be happy to people like my friend who was a lovely human but apparently considers niceness a tactic. To be able to see just for a moment what his life was like.

That man felt seen. He felt heard. He felt held. And that’s why I get good service and presumably why people in banking don’t.

But, this is the essence of what we do.

And I believe very strongly this is why story and positioning are important.

Because when you can make your marketing so that people feel heard everything relaxes.

When we know that we’re not alone in the vast whistling vacuum of space, when other people see us everything is easier. Whether that’s getting a quick drink from a bar or writing great copy. This matters.

Being seen is really important.

In fact, I believe it’s fundamentally the kindest thing that we can do for other humans.

And if you have questions about your own business come along to one of my regular Q&A sessions. There’s a box below, just drop your email in there. And it would be lovely to see you.

Next live call is October 10, 2023 - Noon Eastern / 6pm UK.
Come along to ask your questions about launches, strategies for marketing, Masterminds or whatever you're stuck on in your business.

Add your email below and I'll send you the zoom info for the calls. See you there!

Or come say hello on Instagram here.  I microblog daily.