Now that I have gotten that off my chest, I want you to know that after reading a book called “Hug Your Customers” I am on the road to recovery. “Hug Your Customers” author Jack Mitchell shares his journey of developing lifelong customers by creating caring and lasting relationships. He consistently went above and beyond to connect with each and every person he met. Jack used the metaphor “hugging” to describe these acts of kindness. Since reading this book, I also have been on a quest to find a way to become a better hugger, and most importantly to do so in an authentic way that provides great value to the recipient.
One of the ways that I do this is by developing and continuing to spend energy on a hug book. My hug book is a list of people that I have identified as being great friends and it is my responsibility to bring value back to our friendship. I track milestones in these people’s lives and enter them into Outlook; this means birthdays, anniversaries, children’s names, wife or husband’s hobbies, etc. Facebook and LinkedIn are great ways to initially get most of this information.These social channels can tie directly into your outlook account and remind you of a milestone event. At the start of every week, I look at my calendar and make sure that I send birthday cards or a note of remembrance about a loss. This is a simple thing that doesn’t take much time but can make a huge impact in the lives of your friends. I also try to start the first 30 minutes of each day with Internet research about politics, business stories and tech innovations. While I am consuming this information I stay keyed into thinking about who else might find value in these articles. It takes me minutes to read a blog about the 10 tips to successfully crowdfunding your next idea and forward the article to a friend that has attempted a Kickstarter campaign in the past.
By continuing to think about how I can add value to the lives of the people around me, I am not only living my purpose but also becoming a better person along the way. I saved a quote on my computer’s desktop last week that I think speaks to this post.
“The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.”
Samuel Johnson
Remember that it only takes a little thought to be a good person and a great friend,
