Small Changes Make a Big Difference

By Ryan T. Sauers

I want us all to take a deep breath and focus on two words: UNTIE and UNITE. At first glance, they seem quite similar. They have the same number of letters and, for that matter, the same exact letters. But at their core, they couldn’t be any more different.

During the speeches I have given in recent months, I have opened my remarks talking about this subject. I ask the audience to reflect upon two words that, again, are not that different in appearance, but quite different in meaning.

The word UNTIE means things are coming apart or undone. It means we are divided and pointing fingers about what is wrong. In contrast, when we move the “I” in front of the “T” we get the word UNITE. This is a great word. This means people and things are coming together. We are finding common ground. And instead of pointing out differences, we are embracing our common humanity.

The printing and promotional product industries epitomize what the word UNITE is all about. We are diverse and we embrace it. It makes us the best at what we do. You see, it is simple. We are all human. We sleep, eat and drink. We all want to be loved, seek peace, like to laugh, desire less stress, want to be encouraged, and wish we had more time. We all want an as good, if not better, life for our kids and grandkids than the life we have.

Going beyond the printing and promotional product community … the people I meet in this country are doing wonderful things. They are not “talking” about making a difference but, rather are “living out” making a difference. I wish you could switch places for one month. (Yeah, one month … after that you will want go back.) In all seriousness, you would be amazed at the number of positive happenings and people doing them that I see all across this country. The “UNITED” States of America. I share (as I am doing here) with as many people as possible, as many do not see this in their daily news cycle of “all negative and depressing—ALL THE TIME.”

We must be careful as, month after month, we are bombarded with such negative news. And it is easy to become “tricked” into believing this is the norm. The mainstream media is clever in grabbing our attention with such negative headlines. Please know this is only a tiny sliver of news. And, it is not representative of the overall positive things going on in our country. So, never buy in… as this negativity does not help us UNITE, but will certainly cause us to UNTIE. I am not saying we don’t have negative things happening; however, there are more great people doing great things than negative people/negative things. We must never settle for good when great is attainable in all of our relationships. And, is that not what life and thus business is all about? Our striving to make the world a better place every step of the way in our own corner of the world—this is our footprint and legacy that we leave long after we are done living on this earth.

I challenge you and I challenge myself. Do not buy into the world of UNTIE… stay focused on UNITE. If we continue to look at ourselves in the proverbial mirror first, it is difficult to focus on what is wrong with others. Let’s continue doing what has made us one of the best industries in this country, and then… stretch some more.

Let’s love more and criticize less. Let’s work to find common ground with others we may not know or understand. If we start with a couple of things we share in common, then relationships can blossom and great things will happen. Together we can and will let everyone we come in contact with (all stakeholders) see we are modeling the humanness we ALL have in common.

People need encouragement, and they are eager to hear a kind word. People need to laugh and they want to smile. So, give them that smile... and make their day. I am so glad you are with me as we continue the upcoming series of blog posts. We will look at our world and realize it goes much deeper than B2B and B2C Communications but is all about the H2H (human to human) communications.

Lastly, if you have a particular topic you would like me to cover in an upcoming blog post, please email me Ryan@RyanSauers.com. Have a great week!

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Ryan T. Sauers Author's page

Ryan T. Sauers has spent nearly 30 years running, leading or consulting with printing, graphics, promotional and visual communications-related organizations. Sauers is CEO of two companies, Sauers Consulting Strategies LLC and End Resultz Inc. that among other things, owns magazines and is a media firm. Key areas of focus of the firms include sales training, marketing strategy, personal branding, leadership development and organizational change.

Sauers is a frequent national speaker and columnist. He has been recognized as one of the top 80 CMOs globally and achieved the top designation of Certified Marketing Executive through Sales and Marketing Executives International.

Sauers is an adjunct university professor teaching leadership and communication courses to current and aspiring leaders. He is a Certified Myers Briggs, DiSC and Emotional Intelligence Practitioner (one of few in the U.S. to achieve all three rigorous certifications related to human communications, personality and behavior).

Sauers has completed his doctoral-level coursework in Organizational Leadership and is now (ABD - All But Dissertation) working on his dissertation on why some entrepreneurs and small businesses achieve initial and long-term success, whereas countless others do not.

Sauers is the host of the Marketing Matters radio show in Atlanta that later becomes a global podcast. He also is the host of the Community Connections TV show that comes out in video and podcast form. Sauers is the author of the best-selling books, Everyone is in Sales, and Would You Buy from You? More info at RyanSauers.com or call (678) 825-2049 or email Ryan@RyanSauers.com