Who are you really for?

Because you are not for everyone.

Alienation vs. Galvanization.

I was interviewed for a radio segment that went live this week (more on it below), and I reiterated something I’ve said many, many times: For the past >15 years people have warned me against being quite so open and free with my opinions on touchy subjects. Well, let me correct myself: They didn’t necessarily warn me, rather they asked me if I wasn ‘t afraid I would “alientate half my potential clients/customers/audience by making my stands so public”? (I usually push back on the argument that we are a 50-50 country anyway, but that’s a debate for another time.)

Leaving that aside, I can honestly answer “no” anyway. I’ve never been afraid of that because my stands are as important to me as any other part of my life. They are on equal footing.

But more to the point, I feel like the question is based on a false premise, the premise that somehow 100% of the market is available to me, so I’m losing a bunch of customers or clients or audience members that would otherwise have been mine.

That’s just not realistic. I could hide specific political views, hide my social justice ethos too, hide my veganism, hide hide hide…and yet I would still have a particular way of communicating; I would still have the personality that I have. And that alone is not for everyone. I mean that bi-directionally, meaning as in not everyone is going to love it; it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but also as in I’m not who I am in order to serve everyone; I’m not doing my work for everyone. I don’t have a particular interest in elevating every organization’s mission. Customers are not the only ones who get a choice in a working relationships…I have choice too.

Sure, I could worry about alienating people with whom I would almost assuredly have other basic ideological or ethical conflicts, OR I could have more interest in attracting and galvanizing those people who completely vibe with what I’m saying, who are going to feel like we are on the same ethical page.

There are millions of such people, working at or starting or running millions of organizations, and I don’t know how to reach all of them!!! That’s a much more pressing marketing and communications challenge for me.

So, tell me: Who are you for? Really for? And who are you OK with being not for? Let me know.

Last week-ish

Last week I published episode 58 of The Op-Ed page podcast after taking a couple of weeks off. I decided to eassseeee back in by talking about the totally uncontroversial topic of the minimum wage </sarcasm>. I come at the topic from the perspective of someone who certainly remembers making a barely-living wage, someone who’s been on Unemployment, someone who ended up in management in corporate tech (with all the hiring and heacount budgeting that entails) and finally as someone who owned a business for almost a decade. As I mention on the podcast, the cost associated with employees, not just salary but benefits and more, are almost always the number on expense of many companies…it was for ours…so I absolutely get the desire to find efficiencies. But at what point do you ask yourself as a business owner if you should, simply, not be in business? Also: Part 2 of my #originstory…the liberation of letting go of what you thought was going to be your life’s work at the youthful age of 25. Listen and let me know what you think.

As mentioned above, I was also featured on the KALW show Crosscurrents, interviewed by longtime local friend award-winning Jenee Darden. I really appreciate the job she did editing down a pretty far-reaching conversation into a tight 10 minutes that really gets to the heart of my personal ethos, and how it manifests at the intersection of my career and my values. (Jenee also featured my picks on cool things to do in the Bay Area on the KAWL show Sights and Sounds a couple of weeks ago in case you missed it.)

Out in meatspace, last week seemed momentous, as I hosted my folks in my backyard for a BBQ, met up for a happy hour with some lady-friends, and hosted the first in-person book club meeting my book club had had in 16 months. These were all outside engagements and with fully vaccinated people, but they were masks-off, so it was definitely both awesome and weird. How about you? What have you started to slowly do once fully vaccinated?

Coming this week-ish

Join me this Thursday afternoon/evening (3PM PT) for a robust conversation about the potential #aftertimes #returntooffice (or not), hosted (and moderated) by The FEAT. It’s free, just register at this eventbrite link.

Episode 59 of The Op-Ed Page is going to cover a lot of ground because I’m going to tackle #originstory part #3, my years in the commodities industry (!!) and I’ve been on a pop culture tear, binge-watching Mare of East Town all in one day, Pose, Season 3 (the third and final season), finally seeing Raya and the Last Dragon, so I’m going to pack in a lot!

Finally, turning this into a “Teaseletter,” I’m going to be able to talk about a new advisory gig I have next week and unveil the initial community opportunity they’re rolling out, and I’m a little excited about it! Stay tuned!!! #Teaseletter (and yes, “Teaseletter” is not as satisfying a term as Teasebooking or Tweasing for Facebook and Twitter, so let me know if you’ve got a better portmanteau you recommend!)

And if you think I can help you break through the things that are keeping you stuck you can always set up your first introductory 30-minute consult for free by booking it in my Calendly.

Have a great week-ish