How to Communicate without Burning a Bridge

It's been a couple of weeks since we've my last Newsletter. One of Reason being that I hit a bit of a wall after running hard for Q1 and was in need of some R&R.

I went completely off the grid, even deleting both LinkedIn, Tik Tok, Facebook, and Instagram to ensure that I would not be disrupted from going off the grid. I kept my google calendar free and the only appointment I had was to graduate and celebrate with the first 100 of the LinkedIn Creator Accelerator Cohorts. What an amazing time we had as we reflected on all that we learned and ways that we can continue to collaborate and expand impact as we support one another.

I was also mindful to mute my WhatsApp groups for the duration of my time away. What I didn't know was that I would get an alert from Terry Rice that was going to be sharing some takeaways from his time and was going to feature some of the information sent in his latest article for Entrepreneur Magazine. If you don't know Terry, please make sure you check out his work. If ever there was a subject matter expert that provides high value, he fits the bill.

Since I was on vacation, I decided to talk-text some of my takeaways and observations and sent them onto him. It wasn't until I returned that I saw the article had been posted. Thursday April 7th was my first day back, so I looked through my phone briefly, it wasn't until later in the evening that I had a chance to read all of it and glean from all his takeaways.

However, I had to do a double-take when I got to my section as one line (in particular) was written in a way that landed (for me at least) as if I, I had learned about the about the downside of copying other creators. I saw that the article had gone out to many across LinkedIn including CEO Ryan Roslansky, Callie Schweitzer, and many others in my cohort were re-posting it. I understood my role to clearly communicate to Terry what my takeaways were, so I decided to reach out to him personally.

I shared with him that after reading the article, it didn't think a particular line communicated my takeaways properly and owned that I could potentially have commutated them better in rough draft form. He responded to me and changed the line communicate my heart for other creators

His unique voice and experiences have helped him gain a following of people who appreciate him for who he is, not just what he does.

I was grateful for the change Terry made, as it translates to audiences what my experience has been like. Those of you who have taken this journey for the past 2 years know that I came onto the platform knowing nothing about social media, but also that I haven't copied ANYONE. I have literally taken advice from others and put my own nuances on them and worked hard to build a brand that keeps my faith, values, and community at the center.

So, what's the big deal? It's just one line Jahmaal. To be honest, it's not a big deal, but as for me as one who has diligently built from scratch for 2 years (no engagement pods, gimmicks, or hacks) my brand is important to me. Prior to getting the help my needed for my own mental wellness, I would never have reached out to Terry for fear of being shunned or shutout. I would've held it in and isolated myself while building a case in mind.

From observing Terry during the cohort, I realized that I was dealing with a mature and sensible person. That may not always be the case when it comes to social media, so I was blessed. I can't encourage clients to tackle matters of the mind and heart unless I myself am willing to walk it out.

I reached out to Terry in a manner that was both gentle and professional. We made a course correction and corresponded about collaborating in the near future. Everything I wrote about Terry in the beginning of the article still stands. He is a prolific writer and (more importantly) practices boundaries to ensure that he is better husband and father offline. If you need his services, check out his LinkedIn Profile to see if you are a good fit.

So why did I write this? I wanted to communicate there are times when there may arise a complication, and there are ways to reach out the resolve a matter and keep a bridge intact. Let's be mindful that different personality types will not always respond ideally so assess the situation and examine your motives before broaching a misunderstanding between you and another party.

I leave you with the words of a Proverb that I often meditate on.

"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver." (Proverbs 25:11)

How do you handle miscommunication?

Comment below!