25 Oct Always Lead With This
As leaders, you have to understand that in every interaction and every opportunity, you’ve got to lead with value.
This came up because I get pitches all the time from people who want to be on the podcast, want a promotional post on social media, or want us to just give them free stuff.
It frustrates me when these strangers say, “put me on your podcast because I have an awesome story.” Or, “put me on Instagram so I can promote my product.” It’s always about them.
Recently, someone I knew pitched me. This person has had some success in their business and they were like, “Hey we should do a podcast episode about how my company got this big deal.”
I chewed on it for a minute because I really do like the individual, but I was really frustrated because I’d already had four or five people that day pitch me an idea of why we should bring them on the show.
It irritated me because their reason for being on the podcast had nothing to do with you. I’m incredibly intentional about who I bring on the podcast because I want to make sure anything I promote is valuable to you.
That means someone who can teach you something or talk about something that would help you.
So I reached back out to that person I knew and said, “Hey, that’s awesome. I’m incredibly excited for you and your group, but what’s the value for my people?”
Lead With Value
After that, I started typing out notes about this idea of leading with value. We have to always start with what’s in it for the other person before we immediately go to, “let me tell you about me.”
A lot of people that want to be speakers tell me they have incredible stories. My response is always, “That’s great, I’d love to hear it sometime, but tell me what value is that going to bring others?”
How are you going to encourage them? How are you going to help them be better at their jobs? How are you going to help them save their marriage? How are you going to help them be more consistent?
It’s not about telling your own story; it’s about helping others. That could be through your story or through others.
If you’re in sales, start asking questions about your prospect’s problems and then earn the right to share how you might have a solution to solve that pain point.
Want to be on a podcast? Don’t send a cold email talking about your great story or product. Start by sharing how you want to add value to the audience instead of just promoting yourself.
Do you want to get booked on stages and start speaking in front of audiences? Share how you can help solve an audience’s specific pain point. People don’t just need an inspirational story, they want help solving their problems.
Create Ripple Effects, Not Sinkholes
Leadership isn’t about getting followers, applause, or attention. Leadership is about adding value to others and then helping others become leaders too.
Leadership looks like a ripple effect. You help someone solve their problem then they can start helping and leading others. Elevating ourselves starts with focusing on other people instead of just opportunities to promote our own stories.
As leaders, our focus should only be on ourselves when we’re competing with ourselves. For the most part, leaders should be focused on other people and opportunities to help them make their lives better and get them where they want to go.
Go make an impact today, Competitor. Be the leader that other people want to follow because they know you’re going to make them better and turn them into leaders.
I’m cheering for you!
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