In business, as in parenting, benign neglect can be your friend.
A superpower of intentional non-doing.
One of my favourite quotes of all time is, “If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.” (Neil Pert, apparently, though I know it from Martin Tielli.)
Benign neglect is something like that non-chosen choice.
As a parent, it’s how you can give your children space to learn, to fail, and to sort things out. It’s critical to their development as resilient, empowered beings.
As a business owner, it’s how you can give your customers and clients space to orient themselves. Let them learn how to be within your sphere. It’s critical to their development as resourceful, empowered members of your community, platform, or business ecology.
In both cases, you provide guidance. You are there to help when a problem truly requires your hands-on help.
You provide a generous set of parameters, or documentation, and clear organization. They provide the gumption to figure out how to solve their unique problems.
And the result?
You spend a lot less time handholding, freeing you up to improve and expand the experience. They become a better, stronger, more capable version of themselves for having met you.
Neglectfully yours,
James
P.S. Alternate sign-off:
Just don’t do it,
James.
|
Wrote this the old-fashioned way, in the car, during Young James’ dance class. |
Recent Comments