No doubt you know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Here is a story from my past that will illustrate how little things can make a big difference when raising your visibility and connecting with people. This one comes courtesy of a group of students who completed a marketing class with me during a particularly difficult time in my life. It is short, but poignant.
I finished a class that was conducted in a hybrid modality – the first and last classes were held face to face with students on ground at the campus and the classes in between were held online. This particular class was somewhat difficult because the night before I was to meet the students for the first time I learned that I had breast cancer. After virtually no sleep the previous night I arrived early Saturday morning, April 29th, and needless to say, was not on top of my game.
In a posting in the online classroom several weeks later I shared what had been transpiring in my life and as might be expected, several students made it a point to continually connect with me to ask how I was doing. There was never any doubt in my mind that their concerns were sincere, so clearly they were accomplished students of the L.S.Teza Brown-nosing method – i.e. show sincere concern for others before you think about what might be in it for you (visit www.brownnosingonline.com to learn more).
The final class meeting was again on a Saturday where we met face to face in the classroom and each of the learning teams made a presentation about their final assignment.
Much to my surprise and delight, as the first group of students stood up to head to the podium one of the group members pulled out a bag of pink breast cancer awareness bracelets and offered them to the rest of the team.
I kept a cool demeanor at that moment but I am not ashamed to tell you that inside I was emotionally overwhelmed. I can't think of a more fitting way to make a connection and show your support – and to you Wayne, and the rest of you in the class who were so kind – I send my sincere thanks and appreciation, again. Over three years later and still a 'cancer patient," I remember that moment of support as if it were yesterday.
Not only did you send a message to me but you made a difference in your own, significant way to many others who have been and will be touched by this disease.
To those of you reading this – I hope you will use this as a lesson in how taking initiative to show your support for others can go a long way in making a lasting impression. Brown-nosing, according to Linda, is all about making connections with people, becoming visible to others, using the power of others via networking to grow your reach and positioning yourself and your ideas in terms of how they help others, first. This example pretty much covers all of this, brilliantly.
Do you doubt this? Spend some time objectively analyzing how brown-nosers in your organization conduct themselves. You will see some surprising similarities.
Until we eradicate this disease, many of you will be touched by it in one way or another over the course of your lives. You or someone you know will be diagnosed and your lives will be changed forever. If that day comes, reach out to others when and where you can. Your support will mean a great deal to them, and their support will mean a great deal to you, too.
Think about it —
Later, Linda
P.S. For more tales of my breast cancer journey, please visit I Am Linda.
