#165 - Serving is Identity

It's this.

Serving needs to be an identity, not an activity.

It's a big difference between those two things because an activity is something you do.

An identity is who you are.

And I think sometimes, especially in this business, we confuse the two.

We schedule acts of service, which is great.

We create customer appreciation campaigns, which is fine.

We send gifts and make introductions.

We check in with referral partners.

Obviously we volunteer, we give to charity and listen, these are all good things, but here's the uncomfortable question.

Would you still do those things if you knew there was absolutely nothing coming back to you? No referral, no sale, no social media recognition, no tax deduction, not even a thank you.

Would you still do it? Because I think the answer tells us whether serving is something we do or or whether serving is part of who we become.

And I've talked about this before on this podcast, you know, and I spent a lot of time in the book, you know, hammering home the idea of the servant's heart.

But the more I think about it, the more I believe there's an important distinction because service can't just be another business development strategy.

Because people can feel that.

And you've probably experienced that.

You know, someone takes you to lunch or they're incredibly interested in you.

They're asking great questions.

They're being helpful.

And somewhere around minute 42, you realize why you're there.

Here comes the pitch or the ask or by the way, who do you know? Or, you know, hey, wondering if you can help me.

And suddenly everything that happened before that moment feels different.

Was the person actually interested in you or were they investing 42 minutes hoping for a return? Because obviously that's transactional.

And look, business involves transactions.

I get it.