It used to be that you could go to a meeting, or a job interview, without having really prepared in advance: without looking up the details of who someone is, what they’ve done, and where they’ve worked; without checking out their organization, the role they play, and who they work with; without skimming their LinkedIn profile, reading a few of their blog posts, and watching a video of them speaking; without seeing who they’ve helped along the way, or checking out the interesting, generous things that they’re involved with in their free time.
Now, skipping those steps is not allowed. Now, it’s a sign that you’re unprepared and care less. Now it’s a missed opportunity to have a conversation that’s more relevant to both of you.
The other side of this coin, lest we forget, is that just like you’re using The Google to figure out who you’re meeting and what their story is, people are doing the same thing before meeting you.
It used to be that them discovering nothing about you other than the boxes you’ve checked was enough. It used to be, but it isn’t any more.
Thank you for this poetically written and convicting post. People research has become the new norm, and I am guilty of it in an effort to be efficient. This also means that my interactions have become too transactional, too self-interested, too mechanical. Time to get back to the joy of discovering someone’s essence and idiosyncracirs on first meeting — and just being.
In support of your blog discussion points, one of our Cafe Impact videos may be informative: http://cafeimpact.com/how-to-interview-for-a-social-justice-career/