Within a few short months, The United States will choose a new President. And not long after that, the President will choose his Cabinet — close advisers who’ll help him make important decisions.
And that got me to thinking. Who’s in YOUR Cabinet?
- Who have you chosen to help you make decisions?
- What do you expect out of your Cabinet? Facts? Opinions?
- Are Cabinet members acquaintances or do they need to be friends?
- What did each member do to gain your trust? Proven track record? Best out of five?:-)
- And lastly: Is it possible for a vendor, someone who is trying to sell you something, to become a trusted member of your Cabinet?
I believe that every source is credible, if we know where they are coming from. If a company is writing about their products and services, of course their opinion will be biased. But that doesn’t negate everything that they say! Instead, it’s buyer beware. It’s important for a consumer to take transparently-biased information with a grain of salt, and to seek other sources. The onus of credibility falls on me, because ultimately, I am making the decision.
As I think through my list of trusted advisers, I see that my Cabinet is filled with friends, family and acquaintances — some who I only “know” through New Media. For example, I have a presentation coach by the name of Garr Reynolds. Oh, I’ve never met Garr in person, but I’ve bought his book, I read his blog, and I look to him to sharpen my presentations skills. Garr is a member of my Cabinet, and therefore, I take his recommendations just as seriously as I do with my other Cabinet members.
In a blog posting last week, Garr recommended that I purchase a new presentation book called: Slide:ology, by Nancy Duarte. Does it matter that this book was written by his friend? Perhaps. Does it matter that he’s selling it through his affiliate program with Amazon? Possibly. Did I still buy the book? Yup.
As a matter of fact, I bought two — one to give away. Why? Because I’ve found that every time I listen to his advice, my presentations get better. I balanced his biases with the results I’ve gotten in the past from taking his advice and I made a decision.
I’m halfway through Nancy’s book and have found it more amazing than I had imagined. My Cabinet has come through for me once again.
So who’s in your Cabinet?
