Seth Godin on Taking the time to teach
What we do in the long run, over time, drip by drip, affects the market so much more than an angry reaction or urgent event.Smoking a pack a day for twenty years is a great way to be sure you'll die early. Far more likely, in fact, than getting hit by a car. And yet it's so easy to talk to our kids about cars...
Delivering out of the box remarkability day after day counts for far more than one hit or one misstep. When we teach people about our story or our industry or about making connections, the teaching lasts.
Teaching people not only impacts the market, it changes the world. Teaching about connection and community and science, a little bit at a time, can heal our world in the long run. It doesn't happen as fast as we might like, but it works. Emergencies fade, and in the long run our teaching lasts.
The challenge is in responding with education, not reacting with anger.
Jill here again:
Now consider the application of Seth's comments in your line of work or specifically in your sphere of influence. Consider applying it in the conversations you have at the intersections where you meet up with your staff, customer or client.
Whether in teaching or administration, whether in a not-for-profit organisation or within a staff or team, slow-drip education, mentoring would be included in this category, would produce long term results that would shape individual perspectives and organisational culture.
Consistent, quality influence that knows the objective, has refined the vocabulary and truly cares about the people involved will get results that will make one-hit-wonders scratch their heads.
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