Do you remember the moment that someone really catches your attention? I think it’s really interesting to examine the moment in time that another human being caused you to pause and listen. A moment in time that you said to yourself, “I want to learn more about this person.” Sometimes it’s so fleeting that you can’t really put your finger on it. Sometimes it’s like a baseball bat to the face.
What I find even more interesting is that it isn’t always for the obvious reasons. Sometimes it’s the nuances that make impact. A few months ago, I had the pleasure of speaking at the Ungeeked Elite Conference in Milwaukee. Of the many interesting people I met there, one of them had a definite impact on me, and I didn’t even get to meet her formally.
Liz Strauss, social web strategist and community builder is a veritable force of nature. Before Ungeeked Elite, I had heard of her, followed the SOBCON twitter hashtag, and read her blog from time to time. In my quest to try to figure out why some people “get” social media (read: relationships) and why some don’t, I found her blog to be a great resource. But it wasn’t the thing that made me sit up and pay attention. It was a story. A story and a matchbook.
Liz came to Ungeeked Elite to express congratulations and show true respect for the conference’s founder and organizer, CD Vann. She told a story about her father, a tavern owner who understood relationships at a level that “strategists” today may never achieve. His patrons considered him “a personal friend”. Liz recalls a few stories here: My Father’s Saloon — A Blogging Story. These are the stories that resonated with me. It was her connection to her father and the way that she has used what she learned from him to become who she is today. Her business card today looks like the matchbook from her father’s tavern. The matchbook read, “You are only a stranger but once.” I love that. I love even more that her father didn’t just convey that message to his patrons in word. He showed them by his actions.
Liz coming to Milwaukee, in person, was what I imagine her father would have done, what I know my father would do. It’s the kind of thing I wish I saw more of these days. Real, actual effort to support others in your network. It’s a little harder, a little more time consuming. It’s an investment of time and effort. It’s the kind of thing that earns my admiration.
I truly believe that if we stop for a minute and think back to earlier generations of truly great businessmen and women, and examine what they did that made them successful in work and in life, I think we’d find that the common thread is that they actually gave a crap about their customers, friends, and community. They put forth the extra effort. They were truly invested in their relationships.
It’s so easy to talk the talk on social networks. It takes more effort to walk the walk. It takes more than just a retweet or a pat on the back to support a community. Dive in. Become part of, well, something, anything. Make an impact. Make an investment in relationships. Help someone succeed. You may find that the returns you get are more than you may have expected. It’s not new. But clearly, some people seem to have forgotten. Liz hasn’t.
That moment when Liz spoke about her father was the moment of impact. More than a successful blogger, strategist, and SOBCON founder, she was the kind of person for whom I’d like to buy a drink, and listen to her story. With a story and a matchbook, she made me want to shut my big mouth and learn something.
Later Gators.
6 comments
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July 11, 2010 at 4:46 pm
Liz Strauss
Hi Sara!
Thank you so much.
My dad means a lot to me as you just pointed out so well.
Your post here means a lot too ….
It underscores so many things I believe in. I believe in the importance of history and writing down where we’re from to understand where we’re going. I believe that getting to know those who raised us — parents, family, friends, and teachers — as people and learning their stories makes our own richer and teaches us just by the knowing.
I’ve learned so much long after my Dad left the planet by thinking about who he was, what he did, and what part of that I wanted to make part of my life.
Thank you for noticing.
Liz
July 12, 2010 at 9:57 am
Sara
Your story and the way you told it really resonated with me. It inspired me and validated so much of the way I try to live my life and the way I choose to do business. Sometimes I feel like I’m channeling my father and my grandparents in so much of what I do and say. They had so much to teach me, and I am so grateful that I listened to their stories, watched how they treated others, and how they lived. They also inspired me to to live my life in a way that will give my daughters the opportunity to continue to learn from them.
Thank you so much for sharing your story with all of us. When next we meet, I’d like to buy you that drink. š
July 11, 2010 at 4:52 pm
Cate.TV
“That moment when Liz spoke about her father was the moment of impact. More than a successful blogger, strategist, and SOBCON founder, she was the kind of person for whom Iād like to buy a drink, and listen to her story. With a story and a matchbook, she made me want to shut my big mouth and learn something.”
Thank you Sara for so eloquently capturing the exact same reason why I STOPPED what I was doing and #PaidAttention to what the woman (Liz) on the stage was saying – I was attending IZEA Fest in Orlando, Florida last year ’09 and everyone kept pestering me to go inside and listen to Liz Strauss…..they kept saying…. don’t you know who she is?! …. quite frankly I think I did hear of her but…… whatever! ….. I was busy meeting new friends (the real ones who weren’t the speakers!) but then I hear her #FatherStory – and alas! – I met my new friend/neighbor š
and now….. I meet you Sara! – Hi, and …..later gator right back at ya š look forward to meeting you irl soon š SOBcon Colorado for you? š
Cate
July 12, 2010 at 9:58 am
Sara
Cate,
It doesn’t surprise me that you were as blown away as I was! Liz is a remarkable woman.
Sara
July 11, 2010 at 6:42 pm
Joe Sorge
Great post Sara, you’ve captured what so many of us at UnGeeked felt that day, we felt – Liz. That’s right, I too believe her to be an actual force, a force that brings people together for a common goal and then can be the glue that binds them together as well. I was more than pleased to have met her in Milwaukee and am fortunate to be able to confide in her now as a friend and coach.
Funny thing, that UnGeeked Retreat, because it’s also when I noticed some of these exact same traits in you, Sara. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts this way now, and then.
Joe
July 12, 2010 at 9:59 am
Sara
Joe,
I feel a lot of the same energy I felt from Liz in you. The two of you are kindred spirits. š
Thank you for such kind words. Coming from you, it means more than you know.
Sara