Look for the Helpers

I am a proud graduate of the Crummer School at Rollins College .?Rollins is a small school you may have never heard of, but if you’re my age, you probably recognize its most famous alumni, Fred Rogers.?That’s right, Mr. Rogers graduated from Rollins with a music degree in 1951.?His values around empathy, acceptance, and loving people “just the way they are” ring true for me today both at work and, more importantly, in my most important job as a parent.

One of Rogers’ most famous quotes passed down from his mother was “look for the helpers.”?I had no idea that this quote would become such a central theme in the innovation work we are doing at Ingenity Electric .?My team has heard me say this over and over again as part of how we create change.?What is it about this quote that makes it so relevant over time and across circumstances?

Ignore the naysayers; they can drain you of your energy

You should always look for dissenting opinions, but don’t spend too much time on naysayers.?Naysayers will drain you of your energy, and you need all the energy you can get to motivate your team, update investors, and build relationships with customers.?Most people just want to prove themselves right anyway.?The only outcome of trying to change a naysayer’s mind is your own frustration.?

This doesn’t mean you don’t look for dissent and encourage debate from people you trust.?Talking only to those who agree with you is also dangerous.?We all know how easy it is to live in a vacuum these days, but living in a vacuum is no way to make progress.

Be patient with the masses; they can drain you of your resources

Timing is everything. Trying to pull the future forward too soon can be an expensive mistake.?Placing a big bet assumes you already know it will work or that, because something worked in other circumstances, it is going to work for you. Of course, you should learn everything you can from the mistakes of others, but it may be better to place more, smaller bets. This lets you get your “education” at a discount.

Like Mike Tyson famously said, “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”? After you have been punched in the mouth a few times, you can do more of the things that are working and less of the things that are not.

Know your audience

You will need to quickly assess whether you are talking to a helper, a naysayer, or the masses.?This is more about listening with empathy, not talking.?I try to allow enough space in every conversation to keep the other person from stating a negative position they cannot walk back from.?As soon as this happens, most people cannot avoid defending their position because their pride and their status with others in the conversation are now at stake.

This is even worse online where anonymity and ego come together to permanently memorialize so many pointless and nonsensical arguments.?Nobody’s mind has ever been changed in the comments section.

Be a helper yourself by solving a problem for somebody else

They say everything you need to know in life you learned in kindergarten.?There must be some truth to that because I never thought I would be writing an article about Mr. Rogers at this point in my life.?Big change can be overwhelming.?Do your best to reduce complexity down to solving a problem for someone else who is open to being helped.