Social business - Look out the window rather than into the mirror

Imagine that you are sitting in a cafe with your laptop in front of you, sipping hot chocolate , and pondering what it means to be part of a social business.  Perhaps you are in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, for an annual developer's conference. You check Twitter once in a while, chatting with your author friends.

Outside the window, people walk by.  People just like you, except that they have to hurry home or to work. You try to imagine connecting with these people, later of course, when they sit in a cafe with their laptops, sipping hot chocolate, checking Twitter.  What might they want to hear.

That is the problem. Because those people aren't just like you. They may never sip hot chocolate, preferring coffee or tea. They may well never sit in a cafe.  They might have never been to Gelsenkirchen, Germany. They might not even own a laptop, but have an iPad. They might despise Twitter, but live on Facebook or some other social media you don't know. They might not know any authors, but have some great friends who are athletes.

Being a social business means looking out the window at others who aren't just like you, not looking in a mirror and assuming they are are.

In my next post, I'll discuss how to connect with those who aren't just like you.

What has been said:

No documents found