Toronto, Sunday, June 21 2009, 12.20pm
Watch Mike’s recipe for personal presence
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With everything on your plate, it’s amazing that you found the time to read this. And with all the voices in your head, It’s even more amazing that you can actually focus on what you’re reading. The ultimate prize for me is to keep your attention long enough to share my gifts with you. That means this blog better be remarkable. So here goes…
Your hopes, dreams, goals, desires depend on one factor above all else: Presence. That means your ability to capture others attention long enough to give them what they want. It’s that simple. And it’s that impossible. But impossible is temporary. Today’s impossible is tomorrow’s no brainer. Today is a good time to take on the challenge.
Whose attention do you need to capture? What do they want? How can you give it to them? And why you, rather than anyone else who is desperate for the attention of the people whose attention you’re desperate for? It’s a dogfight. It’s a struggle. It’s the new defining moment, one moment after another.
It gets even more interesting: your competitors are becoming more interesting. They’re becoming more charismatic by the day. They’re inventing better, cheaper ways to give your customers what they want. What’s more, your customers know it. They’re comparing your offering even as you read these words. It’s a beauty contest and it’s getting ugly, unless you’re winning. Are you? Do you own their imagination? Are you the segue to their hopes and aspirations? Are you their edge, their secret sauce, their silver bullet? Or not?
Are you even trying? And I don’t mean just doing your job well. That’s so not enough. I mean consciously turning your promise into something breathtaking. I mean designing a pitch that brands you as a special talent with the wherewithal to make your clients famous? And by the way, this blog isn’t just for sales or marketing folk. It’s for anyone who serves or lives with anyone else. That’s right. You have to bring this level of Presence to the people with whom you live, work and play. Because if you don’t, someone else is guaranteed to fill the gap.
So what does it take? How do you become your own idol of the silver screen? How do you unleash your star within? How do you shine brighter so others are attracted to your glow? A lot of things. Things you’re already doing. Things you need to begin doing. Things you need to stop doing. I’m literally writing a book on this subject. This blog is an exclusive preview of what’s to come. But here are the first four things for you to contemplate as you pursue your own preeminence:
Be damn good at what you do. Without raw competence, nothing else matters. In extreme times, damn good is the new acceptable. Anything south of that standard makes you vulnerable. It means your survival is a function of your clients’ ignorance. When they find someone better, you’ll be history in a heartbeat. What’s more, they’ll tell hundreds of other people how you duped them. Your reputation may never recover. Am I exaggerating just a little bit? Maybe, and maybe not. But act as if what I’m saying is the truth. Paranoia can be a powerful driver of success.
Believe in yourself and what you do. Without intense self-belief, Presence will escape you. Others will believe you if they believe that you believe. Doubt, hesitation, self-deprecation will block out your light. The current realities conspire to make us all question our worth. Engage in the question, but find the answers that support your passion. Confidence is attractive. Uncertainty is not. Tell yourself whatever story you need to believe. Become your own best coach because the alternative is an opponent who will crush you. It’s self-destruction. I see it every day. I battle with it every day. This blog is one of the ways I use to immunize myself against it. In fact, of all the blogs, I’ve written, this may be the best. To me, my words seem more muscular and masterful. And that belief inspires to me to write even more words. The fact that you’re still with me means that I’m not entirely delusional.
Help others believe in themselves and be damn good at what they do. Everyone needs a champion to help them win. We’re all looking for the Yoda, the Gandalf or the Lombardi to transform us. We crave the wisdom that delivers the perspective that sets us free. Every breakthrough moment is preceded by something another person has said or done with us or to us. So be the bearer of empowering news. Don’t go spewing your advice indiscriminately. But offer it with sensitivity and discretion. Even more importantly, take the actions that lead to others success. Build a reputation as a force-multiplier and others will be attracted to your cause.
Always be communicating. Seize every opportunity to talk, write, share, broadcast, call, present, blog, tweet, or upload. Before others are drawn to you, they have to know about you. Then, they have to know you. Then they have to trust you. Then they have to believe in you. Then, they have be re-recruited every day with insights and messages that inspire them. It’s a tall order. It’s an unreasonable standard to live up to. But thousands of people are living it. They’re the vanguard. The rest will follow. Where are you? At the vanguard? Or buried in the mass of people who follow.
Hmm, that’s it for now. Let me know your response. I need your reciprocation. Help me help you live at the vanguard. Until the next time, do something remarkable that excites someone else to do something remarkable. Every act is a cause set in motion. And the chain of consequences never ends.
