September 15th is RUOK Day, the one day of the year where we acknowledge the importance of reaching out to help others. In light of the challenging economic times that we have been experiencing, there are bound to be a lot of people out there who are not OK.
For many business owners the big issue is that they are too embarrassed to talk about their problems, especially financial problems. If they are struggling to pay the bills, they tend to hide from it rather than talk about it openly. This fear is based on the perception that if people find out they are doing it tough they will stop buying from the business altogether and they will go bust. From my experience the exact opposite is true. People have a genuine desire to try and support good businesses and if it is in need, they will do what they can to help.
To me success is measured in many ways. To quote the wonderful Henry Ford, “a business that makes nothing but money is a poor business”. In other words, our value as a corporate citizen is becoming more important every day. We need to be sincere, we need to be consistent and we need to understand that being a great corporate citizen is about a lot more than writing a cheque (even though this is important).
So, if you think you might have a staff member or two who needs some help, or a friend in another business who is doing it tough, or a neighbor, or anyone else you suspect is struggling in some way, September 15 is the day to reach out and ask them “RUOK?”. You might be surprised to see the responses you get when you actually ask this question.
You can follow this link to a Hugh Jackman video, where he talks about the concept behind RUOK Day and how to actually reach out to those who you think may be in need. It’s only a short video and worth passing onto others.
ONE DAY PROFESSIONAL PRESENTERS BOOTCAMP – 13th of October, Cairns
My next one day Professional Presenters Bootcamp is coming up in October. We now have sales people, teachers, lawyers, travel agents, managers, trainers, real estate professionals, business owners, personal trainers, chiropractors, engineers, photographers, clergy and IT people who have done this programme, just to list a few. Check out the testimonials on my website and if you are ready to take your presenting skills to the next level, come along on the 13th of October. FOR MORE INFORMATION CLICK HERE.
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