In an earlier blog, I referenced this concept that I found on Twitter (through Ted Rubin) about Return on Relationships (#RonR). The theme of that blog post centered on balancing ROI and #RonR. As I mentioned previously, #RonR is a fascinating concept that can fit in almost any context. Followers of this blog know that my thing is all about balance. So, to balance out my thoughts on #RonR, I'd like to shift from measuring it in a business sense, to measuring it as it relates to complete strangers.
My wife shared a fascinating story with me that other day about a DJ in LA who has tapped into a serious stream of #RonR and might not even know it. This guy, DJ Wolfie, found himself in the unfortunate circumstance of having his cell phone number be 1 digit off the number of the Cancer Ward at the local hospital. He told a story of how infuriating it was to get call after call from people trying to reach someone on that ward. He freely admitted that he would lose his cool often and go off on people and challenge them to "learn to dial", "get their numbers right", etc.
One night, he mentioned getting a call about cancer that was not a wrong phone number. A dear friend had been diagnosed with cancer and was reaching out to him for support. This shifted his whole attitude. He reflected back on all those people that had reached him in error, and how they must have felt so bad trying to call into the cancer ward to find out information about a friend or a loved one, who was certainly in some sort of distress.
He felt terrible for being rude to all of those people. The next time he got one of those "wrong number" calls, he handled it much differently. He explained the mix up, and wished the person the best of luck with their loved one. He's made it a habit every time he gets one of those calls now. Now, it's unlikely that he'll ever interact with any of these people ever again, but who cares?
Karma is real, and if anyone out there doesn't believe that, they are kidding themselves. By treating these people differently, and showing some compassion, he is leveraging #RonR to build up GIGANTIC levels of good karma. Go ahead and laugh...cue the music from John Lennon's "Dreamer"...I don't really care. It's true. #RonR is a very powerful concept in any situation...business, familial, social, or otherwise. For me, it's ESPECIALLY powerful when leveraged with complete strangers. There have been terrible news stories this year from elementary schools being shot up, to star athletes (allegedly) committing murder, and a host of others. You have to wonder how much could have been different if any bit positive #RonR was leveraged in those situations.
I love this story of the DJ in LA, and his decision to invest in some #RonR with complete strangers. I went through my own tragedy earlier this year, and wrote a blog about it that got much more attention than I would have thought. Complete strangers reached out to me to tell me how much it helped them. While it did not change my situation, I was immensely happy that it helped someone else. I'm going to continue to make it a habit going forward.
Namaste!
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