Client Case Study #2 - Part 2: The Ripple Effect

**Please note, this is part two of the 2nd article in the Case Study series. Part one Case Study #2: Ear Hair should be read first.

John called a couple of weeks later to tell me what the ripple effect of our ear hair trimming experience had been. After our meeting, he stopped to get gas. When he left the gas station he was amazed at how good the customer service was. The representative at the counter was cheerful and personable. A couple of days later while buying a new tie, he made the same observation and was surprised at the interaction with the woman behind the counter, vaguely recalling what flirtation and banter felt like. Then, after a third similar, positive exchange with the waitress at a restaurant . . . like the sun coming up in the morning . . . it dawned on him.

He explained, “For as long as I can remember, I’ve complained about how society had become a disgrace. How people, especially the younger generation was rude and no one would make eye contact. I was carrying a chip around on my shoulder. Then, all of a sudden, I realized something.

It wasn’t that people were ruder - they were just weirded out by my ear hair.

That was the reason no one would make eye contact. It was a revelation!" I was overcome with his exuberance and positivity - this was not demoralized, dejected and despaired person I met 2 weeks earlier.

The immediate and noticeable change that came from John addressing his liability of ear hair was his more positive demeanor and the starkly different way people were reacting to him.

But there is a more profound thing that happens (and that did happen to John) when he (we) address our liabilities. It's the same thing that the principle of "compounding interest" does to an investment.

The longer we act or show the 2.0 version of ourselves to the world, the more positive and far-reaching the effects will be. Something to remember is that these are the positive benefits he would have had and could have been receiving, had he not had the liability in the first place – or addressed the issue much earlier.

John said, "it makes me sick to think back now and realize why I was regularly passed over for opportunities to do public presentations or present information to the board. I was always perplexed at the reasons given for me not to sit in on important client meetings." I reminded him it didn't do any good to look backward with regret and lost time - “if I could have known then, what I know now” won’t help. Instead, get psyched about the possibilities that will come with this new sense of self-awareness.

Truly, a new world of happiness and opportunity was unlocked in his personal and professional interactions. His clean ears, positive outlook on life and happier demeanor made him more enjoyable to be around - which made his wife more affectionate and his daughter want to spend more time with him.

The next company John interviewed with eventually made him a job offer (32 days after our first meeting). He called me 6-months later to let me know his boss had just given him a raise (6-months before his scheduled performance review), and that they wanted him to be the "Keynote speaker" at the industry convention in Vegas later that year.

The ripple is real my friends!

Things to consider:

1. What are the probable negative ripple effects currently being generated because you haven't addressed your metaphorical ear hair?
2. Can you see how it's the likely culprit, not "bad luck" or someone or something else?
3. What would the direct and ripple benefits be if you began today, in earnest, to address your most problematic liability? 

Rhett Kasparian is a Performance Coach and the Highest Recommended Career Coach on LinkedIn. If you need help identifying your ear hair and or creating an action plan to address/eliminate it - book a no-cost consultation to begin the conversation.

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