Be a Raving Fan

This past weekend, my wife, Jamie, and I went to a concert at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN. If you are familiar with the Ryman, you know it is a special place. Unlike a large stadium filled with tens of thousands of people, the Ryman is an intimate setting. It also has a long and exciting history. 

The performer was Anderson East. He put on a great show. I enjoyed his performance. At an equal level, I enjoyed watching him interact with his fans. 

During the show, Anderson explained that the performance was a homecoming for him and that it was a dream to stand on the stage at the historic Ryman Auditorium. 

Like most musical performers and audiences, there was a good give-and-take between them. If Anderson asked the audience to clap, they clapped. If he said to sing, they sang. But their give-and-take was different. I could tell that they were not only enjoying the performance, but the audience was rooting for him. 

Fans are important to musical artists, but I would suggest that fans are important to you and your career as well. This week’s tool is designed to help you to think about the fans in your life, those people who cheer for you, those who have your back and encourage you. 

Think about the fans in your life and your work and how those fans, by their actions, make you feel. Then consider how those feelings have led you to become a better version of yourself because of their support. 

More important than those supporting you as a leader, I encourage you to think about who you are supporting? Who are you a fan of at work and in life, and how do they know it? What do you do to help them? How do you pull them forward when they’re struggling or open up your network to help them succeed? 

Use the tool and video this week to think about the fans in your life and how they make you feel and identify some people you are a fan of and how you can support them. 

To help you in your efforts, I want to reshare my podcast interview with bestselling author and speaker Chester Elton. Chester Elton is an influential New York Times bestselling author, described as the “apostle of appreciation” whose work aims to add gratitude to the everyday work environment to bolster morale, gain efficiency, and increase profitability. His books have been translated into 30 languages and have sold more than 1.5 million copies. Listen to my conversation with Chester and walk away inspired.