Thanks for Just Runnin' With Me!
Editor’s Note: This newsletter was originally published on December 27th, 2021.
For those who’ve read my previous newsletters, I pick out moments (in movies, books, stories, etc) that are really poignant to me and try to take away some meaning. In some cases, it might have been intentional from the writer/producer; in others, I am possibly reading way more into it.
That’s just me.
One of my favorites comes from the movie Forrest Gump, but it’s a segment of the movie that sometimes seems to be seen more for the visuals than an underlying message. (Note: If you’ve not seen the movie, I’d recommend it.)
Forrest, after his love interest Jenny leaves again, just decides to “run”. It is not surprising since running has been something he has done throughout the movie. Whether it be running from bullies as a kid, running the ball at Alabama (winning a National Championship), or running fellow soldiers from a jungle battlefield in Vietnam (earning a Medal of Honor), it was something he enjoyed.
In this case, instead of running for some other goal, he was simply running “to run”. Over the next period of time in the movie, he gained renown again as “The Running Man”.
The next set of scenes was intriguing to me (and what I’m most thankful for as it relates to you).
Slowly, as Forrest was just “running to run”, others came along to run with him. Regardless of what might have been their reasons, something about what he was doing clicked with them and they joined in the journey.
There’s a really good message there for all of us especially in our “follower” dominated world.
I am thankful that you’re here with me as I write and share! I don’t see this as a “following” thing. I truly appreciate that you’re here along for the ride – “running with me”.
Feel free to shoot me an email as I love hearing how things are going in your journey as we’re traveling along.
As we’re coming to the close of 2021 & preparing for the New Year, I would love to hear your perspective!
- What are you most looking forward to in 2022?
- Are there things that I can do that’d help you get there?
Self-absorbed Sports Mention
My Atlanta Falcons beat the Detroit Lions 20-16 this week. It was not a “pretty” win, but as Billy-Ho would say “I’d rather win ugly than look good and lose!” Kyle Pitts had another good day and needs just over 125 receiving yards to break Mike Ditka’s Rookie TE receiving record.
With two more games to go, they’d have to win both to finish this season above .500 (which would be a major accomplishment with this team in this year). This has definitely been one of those seasons where you enjoy the wins and move on from the losses.
On the college front, Georgia prepares to face Michigan on New Year’s Eve in the College Football Playoff. We’ll see soon enough what these teams are made of as they are all preparing for each other at the same time they are fighting to field teams in the midst of the latest Covid-19 outbreaks. Interestingly, success at the highest levels on the field continues to be as much about execution off the field as much as on it!
As always, we are now to the point of seasons where you have to finish well! Here’s to them being able to do it!
How about we have a #TwelveAndAHalfDaysOfChristmas? Today, we can start w/ #Gratitude!
— David Adams (@SwamiDaveSays) December 13, 2021
If you've not heard of @12andahalfbook, get a copy & read it!
Who's in?? 😀👍 pic.twitter.com/dh9nfkIvkl
For those who have read Twelve And A Half (affiliate), you are familiar with GaryVee’s emotional attributes that he feels are required of leaders. You also know that #13 – Kind Candor is the one that he feels is his “half” (or lesser-developed).
Interestingly, I think it is one of my weaker traits as well and have been trying to think of ways that I can work to improve it.
In thinking of how I am weaker, I saw two different scenarios where it manifested and where I have an opportunity to improve.
When we think of Kind Candor, it is really about giving effective feedback that provides value and helps the recipient identify areas where they can improve.
At least for me, I find myself holding back which creates an absence of Candor or carelessly saying my piece missing the Kindness. I don’t think I’m alone and, for me, it seems to come from fear of the relationship itself.
It is frankly easy to “give feedback” to those with whom I do not have a relationship. That is definitely an area that I have got to get better because it is a carelessness when interacting with another human! Whether we have a personal relationship or not, they are a person. We need to be sure that we are starting from a place that treats them as such with respect and kindness.
We have all seen how this manifests with the treatment of servers and waitstaff in restaurants! You can truly learn a lot about people by seeing how they treat others who are serving them!
Likewise, I find it much easier to be kind than honestly direct with those with whom I have a personal relationship. In the striving to be nice and well-liked, there are things that are not right and have to improve. We have got to be able to call them out if they are to be fixed.
I do not know if this is Gary’s “half” for the same reasons that I’ve shared above, but this is why I sometimes struggle with this one.
What about you?
Note: Check out my more detailed review of the book if you are interested in these 13 attributes of leadership. They have been a real help to me after reading and thinking about them. If you’ve got some year-end strategy & reading time over the next week or so, I’d definitely recommend you check it out!
For those checking out the book reviews, I reviewed Twelve And A Half (Amazon affiliate link) by Gary Vaynerchuk. You can check out my notes at this link.
Keep a lookout as I have finished reading the following books and will be posting my notes for those very soon!
- E-Myth Revisited (Amazon affiliate link) by Michael Gerber [review notes link]
- One Million Followers (Amazon affiliate link) by Brendan Kane
- Content Inc. (Amazon affiliate link) by Joe Pulizzi
- Twelve And A Half (Amazon affiliate link) by Gary Vaynerchuk
A documented content marketing strategy is a big differentiator between the most and least successful. Imagine what a documented workflow could do for your content marketing operations. Here’s how to do it in four stages. https://t.co/9cPuD1VTex
— Content Marketing Institute (@CMIContent) December 27, 2021
Other Links
10 Content Marketing Articles from 2021
Our friends at the Content Marketing Institute (CMI) have curated ten content marketing articles that readers loved in 2021. These opportunities to check out “roundups” or “best-of” lists are great because they offer quick access points to the best pieces on specific topics.
Note: I’m going to start with #2 on repurposing content. Reusing what you already have in new ways for greater value is something I am going to do more of in 2022!
Online Reputation Tips To Improve Your Brand
As more and more influence comes from the “crowd”, Reputation is a topic that more businesses need to take interest in developing. Word-of-mouth has been a powerful marketing motivator that is again growing.
Whereas it was a requirement to have a good reputation in the past, the internet of Web 1.0 somewhat replaced it when it became so easy to build businesses upon banner ads and emails. As we transitioned to Web 2.0 and the rise of social media, it regained influence but turned into a “follower” game. The objective was to build crowds of “friends” and use that to promote/market building upon each other’s trust.
With our advances in AI & ML, Web 3.0 offers an even wider opportunity as we teach computers to measure trustworthiness (in the form of reputation) and extrapolate that across wider audiences. If you’ve got some time to investigate and be curious about some next steps, this might warrant some time! *wink*
Open-Source Alternative To Calend.ly
When focused on consumers and their needs, I am a fan of open source projects. As a previous user of Calend.ly, this one looks intriguing and I’m going to check it out. I’ll share an update soon on my thoughts and how it’s going!
How might this adapt/adjust your upcoming planning exercises for 2022?
How to Set up a Content Distribution Strategy
— Raul Tiru 🌎 (@raultiru) December 20, 2021
[Work Sheet Included]https://t.co/oLXeGWFLA1
Content is King – Distribution is Queen#ContentMarketing #GrowthHacking #ContentCreation #Content
