Hey SCG,
greetings from my remote shipping office (not my parent’s house anymore, but now it is one public place), which means there are possibilities to interact with other people, too -> which is great for me and you as well -> how come? It is thanks to a chance confront opinions with other folks and then getting food for thought.
Today was one of those days, when I have articulated one very important lesson for everyone who truly want to do stuff and make things happen -> so, if you are a doer, (no, you don’t need to own iPad or Ray Ban shades for that!) -> I want you to work on getting kick ass answers for this question….
Why?
Why should anyone bother to listen to you ?
Why should anyone find time to meet you?
Why should anyone cross the street or hop on a train/plane to attend your gig?
Why should anyone collaborate with you or hire you?
Why should anyone do what you are asking them to do?
Why are you indispensable?
Why?
That is all…Pull up your sleeves and start working on your answers for these questions, NOW! Working on answers? -> Yes! Because if you want to have proper, honest, authentic and inspiring answers for these ‘why’ questions, so their spirit and depth will move and touch people -> you need to have tangible results of your art, where your love is made visible, where your sweat and sacrifice and faith in your art are making our world a better place.
Here are some hints for you, where you can start building your why answers:
What is your story? Where can I see your work? What is the impact you have done with your art? Who is in your tribe? How many tribes have you built? How many tribes do you run? Which tribes are you part of?
Simply, why should I bother to give you my attention?
Got it?
***
SCG,
tell me what is your why, which you tell others about yourself -> which gets others minds and hearts excited about your art, your start up idea, your vision, your ‘one – and – only-ness’ etc.?
See you in comments.
i.
P.S.: Why should you bother to leave a comment here? -> because you can be part of the one and only Super Cool Gang.
Inspiring Shipments (#IS) by Ivana Sendecka 
Last week I was in a survival simulation stranded in the desert. We had to figure out how to make it out alive and work as a team to pull it off. The surprise for me was how quickly people were willing to other people once they knew their background and experience.
The irony is, I very seldom share my experience. I’m a fan of action speaks louder than words, and evaluating on merit, not medals. What I didn’t realize is just how much others might need these little signs to give you their precious attention.
For the longest time on my blog, I didn’t share that I was a published author of several books. I didn’t share that during my day job I lead distributed teams around the world, at Microsoft, to change the game. I didn’t share that I have patents for information spaces in complex domains. I didn’t share the little things that apparently mean a lot.
After the wake up call, now I’ll be a bit more thoughtful, and I might share a bit more from my background and experience, when it’s relevant.
I am a serious fan of leading with my *Why.* I’m a “Why” guy and ultimately, I want to unleashe the best in everyone, and crack the nut on human potential. I shared my “Golden Circle” on Sources of Insight, which is a detailed report about my “Why.”
I will say that sometimes my “Why” is simply because I can … I want to give my best where I have my best to give, and I’m a fan of excellence, growth, and empowerment.
Whoa, J.D.!
what a comment…thank you for elaborating so much and sharing with us your whys.
I knew you were extraordinary doer, but I certainly did not know all the things which you have shipped and created impact with!!
Tell the world about it especially on your blog, I remember that some time ago you were very brief with intro about you and you have obviously hidden all the great things which you have done.
I love your tag line: “I want to give my best where I have my best to give, and I’m a fan of excellence, growth, and empowerment.”
What about putting it on a very visible place on Sources of Insight?
i.
Am I unique? Yep, but then again, who isn’t.
Am I original? Nope, I’m a remix and I’m perfectly aware of that… and well, I’m proud to be one. As Isaac Newton once said, “If I have seen farther, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” But this is not THE why.
Am I better than someone? I believe there are people who do things way better than I do and in certain cases, I could even be considered mediocre when compared to the others…
Wait, what the heck am I good at?
After some thinking, I realized this: if I’m really good at something, it must be seeing possibilities that are visible, yet unseen.
That’s my why. Good enough? 🙂
Loving it, loving it, loving it, Franz!
Keep on inventing unseen and showing us the way.
😉
Why should anyone bother to listen to me ?
It is quite simple, I frankly don’t care too much if someone bothers to listen to me. People who know me learned, it is wise to give the space and give a thought to things I say.
Why should anyone find time to meet you?
Don’t really know. It is hard to get me interested to meet someone new. And if I already want to, I find the time to meet that person. It is quite logical, that if someone finds me enough interesting to meet, he should find the time.
Why should anyone cross the street or hop on a train/plane to attend your gig?
Nobody should. I do no gigs :).
Why should anyone collaborate with you or hire you?
Because I can see problems. I can see problems in the future plans, which people usually don’t see. I can help in preparation for this problems, because if I see a problem, I usually can propose a solution to that. Yes, looks like I am total negativist, and search for the problem. Truth is, I think too fast and can get to various ends sooner than most people. So if You need most bulletproof plan, you should think of collaborating with someone like me :).
Why should anyone do what you are asking them to do?
Nobody should do what I ask them to do. Not before he/she thinks it over and is sure that is what he/she wants to do. I am not someone who gives orders (I can be, but I learned that I don’t want to be). I can provide possible solutions. Maybe the best from my point of view, but still, anybody should do what he/she thinks is best for him/her.
Why are you indispensable?
There is not so many people with my way of thinking. Cannot be easily replaced by anyone :).
Why?
Why not?
Yay, Richard! Thank you for such insightful entry to SCG with your frist comment on IS!
I love your solution seeking spirit.
I totally agree, that it is very easy to become a commander, but it is much more interesting to inspire others to act.
I cannot wait yet another indispensable Slovak person.
See you around!
i.
Hi Ivana,
I just wrote down my follow-up to your post, hope you will enjoy it.
http://viktororavec.wordpress.com/2011/10/03/why
Viktor
Hey Viktor!
‘Long time no see!’ 😉
I hope you are doing well.
Thanks for your comment and thoughts.
i.
fantastic.
“Why” is the hard part because is the story of something interesting you did.
And have done something means you invested time and energy on it.
Most people will be revolted when you demand a decent why to pay attention to them but is the way you create an incentive for them to really do their best.
The alternative is their comfort zone expanding.
With the current state of the world?
A bad business for everybody.
Yeah, these days people don’t hesitate to invest in hedge funds, commodities or stocks and they are missing the point, that the most precious asset, which they should invest in are they, their story, their skills, their relationships, their health and mind -> as you said, that doing means investing time and energy on it.
We crazy nuts, always talking about ‘why’ may seem to be in ‘bad’ shape for ‘ireal nvestors’, however we know we are building the best business model ever -> our name, credibility and know-how based on experiences.