How do you make people feel?

What type of impression are you leaving on people? I mean, when you leave the room and you’ve just spent some time with a group or another person, are they filled up by the words you’ve used or the experience you’ve provided?

This is a question I’m pondering as I think about sales and speaking and serving in general.

Our ability to make people feel inspired is important. This can be in a simple interaction. It can even be without you saying a word—just listening—yes, even that can be inspiring to someone.

I’ve been heavily into writing my first book, With Intention, over the last 9 months. I’m onto the editing stage. It’s been a fun and hard process. It’s taking up a lot of time and energy, as I expected. There are times I have doubts about whether or not it will be good enough. A little imposter syndrome definitely comes over me and I know this is part of the process. What keeps me going is the impact I hope a book will have on you (and others).

One of the key pieces of the book is about serving others.

Here’s a little peak at five elements to serving that can set you apart and really help you impact others in a meaningful way:

Sincerity – Be authentic and in the moment when you’re with someone.

Empathy – Think from their perspective and help them feel listened to.

Resourcefulness – Find a way to add value and help them get what they want.

Vision – Help them see their potential or the potential of the situation.

Energy – Bring positive energy and leave them feeling energized.

Our ability and intention around serving is a difference maker. As a once selfish sales rep, I can attest to this. Leading from a selfish point of view might help you in the short-term but it will crush you in the long-term. Focusing on serving others and these five things changed everything for me. I think they can for you as well.

I’m reading Danny Meyer’s best-selling book, “Setting the Table”. My friend Kevin recommended it to me many times and I finally picked it up—I’m so glad I did. Check out this gem – “In the end, what’s most meaningful is creating positive, uplifting outcomes for human experiences and human relationships. Business, like life, is all about how you make people feel. It’s that simple, and it’s that hard.”

Speaking of service, on the With Intention Podcast, I had a chance to sit down with a friend and former teammate of mine – Dominic Caruso. He’s the CEO of Caruso’s Coffee outside of Cleveland, OH. Dom is a servant leader and embodies what I talked about above very well. You can check out our conversation here.