Remembering Who We’ve Been Over the Last Year

Wow – it’s hard to believe one year ago today we were launching Remember Who YOU Are. It’s incredibly humbling to think of the year we’ve had! Who would have believed we’d be best-selling authors six months into our journey? Not us!

It’s because of you! To our friends at SAS, Oracle, GSK, Lenovo, Stewart Engineering, and numerous Chamber of Commerce organizations, we say a huge THANKS for your support during our launch year. And to our friends who’ve been with us for the whole ride – when Remember Who YOU Are was something we talked about on occasion – we also shout a huge THANKS to you too!

Writing a book like this, speaking about it and allowing all questions to be asked permits – no, actually gives – permission for people to inquire and see deep into who YOU are. Which means you need to be comfortable with what’s there. And let’s face it, we don’t actually know of anyone who is totally comfortable with what’s there because we know we are not perfect.  Who doesn’t have something they’d like to tweak? So we thought we’d share a few things here that you’ve helped us learn – and hopefully improve – about ourselves. Maybe these learnings will spark something in you too.

First, while we thought we were a lot alike, we’ve discovered we have differences too. And that’s okay. Our values are nearly identical but our behaviors (via DISC and in practice) are not. We’re learning to discuss these differences, giving preference to the other when it’s not a “sword we want to die on” type of thing. And most things aren’t. We’ve learned to not sweep these differences under the rug, but get them out on the table…most of the time in a calm manner…even if we agree to disagree, but usually that’s not the case.

We’ve also learned to have thicker skin. Not everyone who comes to hear you speak is going to agree with what you’re saying. Sometimes they’re all too eager to let you know. What have we learned here? To listen to each person, consider their input, reflect on it to see if there’s something we need to change – and if so, work on changing it. If not, then politely sticking with our views, because after all, we’re speaking from our experiences, so they’re not right or wrong – they’re ours. Just like yours are yours. We think we’ve become better positive (note, not as defensive) listeners through our journey.

The power of collaboration has continued to be proven. As Helen Keller said, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” Together we can move mountains. And it requires give-and-take from both of us. When we listen, we learn. And we’ve been blessed to learn some important lessons this year.

Take the time to have fun. While it’s great to be friends with your business partner (and we are the best of friends), don’t always work when you’re together. The two of us can cover a lot of territory in a couple of hours – in work and leisure. We often hatch some our best ideas while we’re walking a few miles. Sometimes we walk and just talk about friend things and not work topics. It keeps the relationship functioning better on all levels.

We’ve found that challenging each other to grow in a new area is beneficial. Life’s not all about competition. It’s often more about sharing what you know. And why not share it with those around you – who want it, of course. Maybe you have a knack for serving or cooking or decorating or baking or public speaking or organizing or whatever it is that you’re particularly good at. Have you thought about helping a friend or colleague who might have a desire to learn something about your knack?

 

Many of you have asked if there will be a ‘book #2’ and we’re thinking and talking about it, so stay tuned. There might be more to come…