It feels great to receive a compliment.
Everyone, no matter their position, wants to be appreciated. If you don’t already do so, show some appreciation to a coworker, a service provider or simply someone doing a good job when you have your next retail transaction.
A few words of appreciation can have a ripple effect, generating positive results you never imagined.
Recently, a new partner of The Creative Coast was overwhelmed after learning about all the programs we conduct, the people we serve and the practicalities of managing our new innovation hub, the Creators’ Foundry.
After soaking it all in, he summed up his feelings with a simple “Wow!” Then he added, “You’re doing a great job.”
I had to reflect and ask myself,
“Why are we doing a good job?”
Personally, I have no experience running a nonprofit, building a supporter base, organizing events or managing commercial real estate. I do, however, have experience creating and running successful companies, raising equity capital and building community.
More importantly, I am passionate about Savannah’s future. I am painfully aware of the cost of poverty and how low-wage jobs can actually drain — not build — the economy.
As a result, I am convinced that a vibrant startup and diverse creative economy is the only way to a bright economic future for Savannah.
Perhaps I am successful in my job because I am delusional. Let me explain.
I have spent most of my career in high-tech communities in San Francisco, Boston and Munich. When it comes to business, I have seen the “impossible” happen and have the joy of knowing many people who make impossible happen over and over again. So, yes indeed, I believe in the impossible.
Second, I have a long history in Savannah. Both of my parents attended Savannah High School, so as a child I visited Savannah many times each year, traveling from various locations across the United States as my father’s career took us from Atlanta to St. Louis to forgotten cities in Ohio, California and New Jersey.
My grandfather was a deacon at Calvary Baptist Church. So when attending church on Sundays in Savannah, my blonde pigtails were always greeted with a loving welcome from friends and strangers alike. Working here now transports me to that childhood comfort of “everybody loves me.”
“Anything is possible” and “everybody loves me” are delusional for sure. But these are powerful perspectives.
For example, I actually believe when I tell you that attending FastPitch on March 5 to hear more than 20 creative business ideas and meet amazing people is the best use of $10 you can possibly imagine. And I believe you will come.
Similarly, when I reach out to potential corporate supporters such as Gulfstream or Georgia Power, I believe they will want to talk with me. Further, when I explain that supporting FastPitch or TEDxCreativeCoast will help them, I truly believe it.
And as you may have guessed, it does help them. More than a dozen new Gulfstream recruits contacted us last year to say they were considering a job offer, but they were not interested in coming to what they had previously thought of as “sleepy Savannah” until they saw The Creative Coast website and tapped into some of our activities such as Geekend and TEDx.
In this case, believing became seeing.
The same is true with entrepreneurship. In 2014 when Gallop identified the “Top 10 Talents of Successful Entrepreneurs,” confidence was second only to business focus. I was happy to see creative thinking was third.
I encourage you to meet or read about 10 great entrepreneurs. I guarantee most, if not all, will attribute their success to believing they could succeed.
Whether it’s confidence, a positive outlook or simply a delusional view of the world around us, your perspective is a powerful tool. Start believing in yourself and those around you and watch successful things happen.
Bea Wray is the executive director of The Creative Coast, a not-for-profit organization that promotes the creative and entrepreneurial community within the region. Bea can be reached at 912-447-8457 or bea@thecreativecoast.org