It’s near Valentine’s Day and we’re being bombarded by images of love.  How do you show love and keep love alive?   Here is where we can take a page from Captain America’s book.  Check out this quick clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uqpnjf3NKDo .

Most of the time, a shield is just used for defense, but Captain America uses his shield for a defensive AND an offensive weapon.  If you stop a moment and think about people who make you feel loved, I’m sure that you’ll notice a neat pattern.  They tend to use their understanding of you the same way that Captain America uses his shield, BOTH reactively and proactively.

Non-work example

• Reactive-I know that the dishwasher is full, and I wait until my wife asks me to empty the dishwasher. I do it.  She is content.
• Proactive- If I know the dishwasher is full, I could empty before she ever asks.  Later she sees that I did this without being asked to, and instead of just feeling content, she thinks I’m the best husband in the year.  The difference is that I showed initiative which demonstrates that I pay attention to situations, understand how they apply to her, and I take action.  (I know, romantic situation right?  That’s real when you have kids.  That act right there is better than a dozen long stem red roses).

Our Work

Have you ever been asked by a colleague or a customer to do something?  You tell them that you’ll have to go work on it/think about it.  You go do it and tell them it’s done.  The person leaves the situation feeling content.  This is using knowledge in a reactive way.

Now, think about the same situation.  The colleague or customer asks you to do something.  Imagine how different everything becomes if you’re able to respond by saying, “Actually, based on what I learned in past conversations and some of the the things going on, I thought we might run into this.  Here’s what I think we can do.”  Better yet, you take care of the issue before it even really happens.  How do you think that person would feel?  I know that when I have seen people who are proactive I walk away super impressed and feeling that they care about the cause I care about.  I start having more faith and trust in them.

How cool would it be if we could deliver that type of experience to our customers and each other more often?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry