One of the benefits of working from home is having CNN on in the background. It has afforded me the ability to watch the way Obama 
has conducted his tour of Europe. Whenever he speaks to a country, he always starts off talking about the positive political impacts that country has made in recent years. He then speaks to their history, then follows up their history with an outline of how their country falls in place with the world today. They key wants and needs of that country are always outlined with the goals of America. Obama then sums up each speech with the sacrifices of the country throughout history and offers a hand in partnership where America will listen with a humble ear.
In recent months I have watched the Social Media space evolve. As “social” and business become old hat for many of us, I am finding that some have lost what the true value of being social is….listening! With success comes ego! It is human nature! But keep in mind that being social in business is at least 50/50, if not 40/60.
Whether it is a meeting with a client, a service provider, a partner or a peer- I am finding that I am learning more by nodding my head instead of incessantly talking at face to face events and on calls. In turn, the lessons learned from keeping my mouth zipped affords me the opportunity to later relay what I learned to others who will benefit. Pay it forward if you will!
Many times if you have a degree of success, or a robust following, your ego will tell you that your opinions matter more than others. Again, it is only natural for the subconscious to think that way. Therefore sometimes taking a bite of humble pie will allow you to listen and you just might learn something. Like in life, it is all about balance!
Obama speaks when he has to. You will notice when he is meeting with folks he is spending a great deal of time nodding his head and asking pointed questions. It is a great reminder for those of us who work in the Social Media world to:
1. Be humble and listen!
2. Remember that everyone has a voice
3. No matter how successful you are (or how many followers you have), you need to remember that you are not always right!
Everyone has an ego. Ego is why Social Media works. When you engage and help your constituents feel included, or see value from your work/product, it can mean everything to you and your business. However, your ego can also be your own worst enemy. Remember to temper it every now and then for the greater good of everyone…including yourself! Perhaps there is a reason humans have two ears to listen and one mouth to communicate?
A very good post and always something that could stand some reminding from time to time. When I first stumbled into this world of marketing research (almost 20 years ago egad!) I started as a videographer, employing my fine documentary camera skills to this work. And for much of my formative years, I was very busy – and taped a lot, A LOT of focus groups, IDIs, man on the streets, in homes.
I quickly realized that the moderators who listened far more than they spoke were those whose work I found most interesting. Their role was to moderate the discussion, not “lead” it. They were at once inside the conversation and outside it, engaged and disengaged. And their styles, while different, yielded tremendous results.
Now, as a moderator myself, I try to mirror that fine work and remember what I was told early on “There are 10 or 13 people in the room, remember your percentage of talk time” “But I thought you were the boss?” “No, my clients pay to hear the respondents speak candidly; they pay me for my analysis after the fact”
Point well taken – thank you to all those who taught me my craft today in ways you’ll never know.
Derek:
Like your post. Sales 101. The best possible meetings are the ones when clients or prospects talk at least 60% of the time. As you know well, I have always believed that. We all like to be talked with vs. talked to. Otherwise it is not social.
Derek, this was a great blog that makes some really good points. I think people at the top of the ladder or on any step of the ladder, seem to forget we’re all human. That we all breathe, live, die and that no one is better than anyone else in this world. It’s nice to be reminded that we really are all equal no matter who we are and what country we govern.