relationships Archives - Page 32 of 54

Thanks to Week 104 SOBs

October 20, 2007 by Liz

Successful and Outstanding Bloggers

Let me introduce the bloggers
who have earned this official badge of achievement,

and the right to call themselves
Successful Blog SOBs.

I invite them to take a badge home to display on their blogs.

They take the conversation to their readers,
contribute great ideas, challenge us, make us better, and make our businesses stronger.

I thank all of our SOBs for thinking what we say is worth passing on.
Good conversation shared can only improve the blogging community.

Should anyone question this SOB button’s validity, send him or her directly to me. This award comes with a full “Liz said so” guarantee. It is endorsed by Kings of the Hemispheres, Martin and Michael, and backed by my brothers, Angelo and Pasquale.

Want to become an SOB?

If you’re an SO-Wanna-B, you can see the whole list of SOBs and learn how to be one by visiting the SOB Hall of Fame– A-Z Directory . Click the link or visit the What IS an SOB?! page in the sidebar.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

A Question of Conflict

October 18, 2007 by Liz

In Business and in Life

When I find myself in a conflict, it’s easy for me to see both sides — my own and the other guy’s. My natural response is to be biased to the benefit of the other side. I still seem to have this a natural instinct to want to fix things in their favor.

My mind knows that’s not a great idea. To set my own position aside for theirs is wrong for me, wrong for the other guy, and wrong for the relationship.

Still my heart says, “Have some forgiveness. Take the hit. Help the guy. You know how to make things right.”

Is that generosity, arrogance, or self-defeating behavior? I’m beginning to think it might be as simple as wanting to have the conflict quickly resolved and put away.

The problem is some folks learn to rely on that response and then, I’m caught in my own bind. Every teacher knows it’s not a good thing to reinforce bad behavior. Yet, my sense of fairness says, “Why should this person act otherwise when I’ve basically taught him or her this is who I am?”

When is the “giveness” of forgiveness too valuable to “give away”?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

Thanks to Week 103 SOBs

October 13, 2007 by Liz

Successful and Outstanding Bloggers

Let me introduce the bloggers
who have earned this official badge of achievement,

and the right to call themselves
Successful Blog SOBs.

I invite them to take a badge home to display on their blogs.

They take the conversation to their readers,
contribute great ideas, challenge us, make us better, and make our businesses stronger.

I thank all of our SOBs for thinking what we say is worth passing on.
Good conversation shared can only improve the blogging community.

Want to become an SOB?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Thanks to Week 102 SOBs!

October 6, 2007 by Liz

Successful and Outstanding Bloggers

Let me introduce the bloggers
who have earned this official badge of achievement,

and the right to call themselves
Successful Blog SOBs.

I invite them to take a badge home to display on their blogs.

They take the conversation to their readers,
contribute great ideas, challenge us, make us better, and make our businesses stronger.

I thank all of our SOBs for thinking what we say is worth passing on.
Good conversation shared can only improve the blogging community.

Want to become an SOB?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

121: We Met, But Did I Ever Say Hello? [blush]

October 4, 2007 by Liz

A Meeting of the Minds

This cross-blog conversation that I’m having with Dawud is taking some windy turns and travels. Have you been riding with us? My last question to him was Do you see a difference between your online relationships and those offline â€” beyond the obvious physical differences?
Dawud didn’t take a breath before he answered. “Without a doubt!” He remarked on how easily he’s been getting to know virtual strangers in this virtual land. . . .

Then he asked me, Whatâ€™s the oddest beginning to a relationship that youâ€™ve developed through your blog?

I guess it would have to be the odd start to how I met Chris Brogan. I knew about Chris from the wonderful and insightful, people-person Ms. Becky McCray. One day, I read a post in which Chris talked about how we should extend the conversation to people outside our circle.

That struck a chord.

I picked up the phone to tell him . . . punched his number and waited. I got a message that said something like, “Hi, I often don’t get these messages. If you want to be sure to reach me, send a text message.” I thought it was ironic. The guy who said, “Reach out.” Was out of reach.

I didn’t realize that, he was at a conference at the time.

I figured I should be doing my real work and got back to it. It was April 26. SOBCon 07 was only 16 days away.

In June, Jeff Pulver came to town for a conference and a party. We met in the afternoon for a conversation. He graciously invited me to join his group for dinner. I waited at the restaurant. Jeff came in with another man. The man turned and smiled across the room It was a sharp, clever smile filled with playful mischief.

While Jeff checked on the reservation, the man came over to introduce himself.

“I’m Chris Brogan. You must be Liz.”

“Ah! Chris Brogan! You don’t pick up your voice mail.”

I’m not sure that I ever said a proper “hello.” [blush]

I’ll blame the smile . . . it’s killer.

Who’s the person that you’d like to meet?

Since this is a conversation, if youâ€™re reading this, I’m not just asking Dawud the question, Iâ€™d love to hear your answer too, in the comment box below.

PS To Chris Brogan and to everyone, I’ll offer this song, “Hello, I love you. Won’t you tell me your name?”

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

One2One is a cross-blog conversation. Find the answer at dawud miracle on Monday. You can see the entire One-2-One Conversation series on the Successful Series page.
In Case You Missed It: Writing 06-13-07

Personal Identity: ROI of Behavior in Business and Life

October 2, 2007 by Liz

Identity and Relationships

I read this on John Henry Clippinger’s blog for his book, A Crowd of One. Clippinger was quoting David Brooks.

Even David Brooks – conservative U of Chicago grad -in a recent editorial in the New York Times – acknowledges – begrudgingly that a new narrative is in the making..

â€œThe logic of evolution explains why people vie for status, form groups, fall in love and cherish their young. It holds that most everything that exists does so for a purpose. If some trait, like emotion, can cause big problems, then it must also provide bigger benefits, because nature will not expend energy on things that donâ€™t enhance the chance of survival.

Nature doesn’t do things that don’t pay off.

People don’t either.

Yet the payoffs we go for don’t always enhance our chance of survival. Think of these people

Stevie who stays in a bad job because she thinks that no one else will hire her.

Tyrone who shuns a formal resume when going for a job he needs

Wally who tweaks the blog all day rather than trying to contact potential clients.

Gerald who is cranky and complaining and treats most people — those who work for him, those who sell to him, and his customers — as if they are stupid

Dot who says “I’m too ____ to learn how to do that” though she is brilliant.

All of these “example people” seem involved in behaviors that are keeping them stuck in less than ideal situations. Yet, in every human action we realize some return on how we invest ourselves and our time.

What payoffs do you see in these situations? How might you convince one to look for a stronger investment — one that will give them a positive return?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Check out the Work with Liz!! page in the sidebar.