“Do you know the only thing that gives me pleasure? It’s to see my dividends coming in.” – John D. Rockefeller

How do you turn people into dividend machines?  Easy, you INVEST in them. 

As silly as it might sound, go ahead and try it for yourself.  Take the time to help out a new employee.  Go ahead and give your long lost friend a call to see how they’re doing.  Have a little more patience with a direct report who is struggling to get up to speed.  Give your boss a break; they’re under a lot of pressure.

It’s the little things…little investments in humanity if you will.

What you reap is what you sow.

By the way, this little tip is NOT about getting something out of someone for all your efforts.  It IS about knowing that you’re quietly working toward making a dent in the universe, one tiny little dent that will grow over time.  Go ahead and start planting those little seeds that will blossom into your LEGACY.

Don’t overthink it, just start doing it (investing in people) one person at a time.

Whose back do you have?  Is this something that you ever think about?  Maybe you say it, but do you really, really “have someone’s back?”  Are you there when they need you or are you just saying the phrase because it’s cliche and commonplace?

Seth had a great post yesterday about the importance of being an artist and having supporters.  He was talking about the real kind of supporters, not the ones who show up only in good times and leave you behind when times are tough.  According to Seth:

“[I've got your back] are the words that entrepreneurs, painters, artists, statesmen, customer service pioneers and writers need to hear.  Not true. They don’t need to hear them, they need to feel them.  No artist needs a fair weather friend, an employee or customer or partner who waits to do the calculus before deciding if they’re going to be there for them.”

If you’re going to utter the phrase “I’ve Got Your Back” then you better make sure that you really, really do.  Become that person others can rely upon to lend a helping hand.  Over time you’ll find that you don’t ever have to worry if people will be there for you because you’ll have a powerful network at your disposable.

Everyone needs a mentor.  If you’ve ever had a mentor, you know how invaluable they can be for providing you with insights into your company (if they’re internal) and helping you work through any issues you might have.  Most importantly, they help you raise your game and get you to the NEXT LEVEL in your career.

They provide advice and act as a support system.  They can be a role model, someone for you to model yourself after.  They’re great as guides, people who can help you navigate through issues, situations, problems and help you discover the answers you’re looking for, faster than you could do it on your own.

They’re also your internal champion within the organization.  Some folks would say that a mentor doesn’t do this, a sponsor or advocate does, but I don’t see it that way.  If you have a mentor, you’ve got an instant champion on your side that is going to want to see you succeed.

I personally use my mentors as sounding boards, people to bounce ideas off of and they help me stay sane as things go crazy on projects (and they always do).

So what about you?  Do you have a mentor?  Great if you do.  Go find one if you don’t.

More importantly, why not become a mentor to someone else?  Why not seek out the “younger you” – someone in the organization who reminds you of well, you.  I’ve done this a few times in my career and it’s highly rewarding.  Taking someone under your wing and sharing your thoughts, strategies and positive encouragement is great not only for the mentee, but for you as well.

You don’t need to formally reach out as a mentor, just invite someone to lunch.  Ask questions about their work and how they’re enjoying the company.  What are their concerns?  Tell them you think they’re hard workers and show promise and you want to help in any way possible.  The next move is on them, but if they don’t take the bait, set up another lunch down the road.  I have a feeling they’ll call you before you reach out again.

Remember, it’s usually up to you to make the first move because most people think everyone’s too busy to be their mentor.  Why not surprise someone today by scheduling a lunch or popping by their cubicle?

Alternate title: Go Ahead and Hit the Publish Button on Your Manifesto

Do you have a book in you?  Do you want to write a book but never got around to doing it?  How about a blog?  Have you ever wanted to share your thoughts with the world, but didn’t know where to start so you do nothing at all?

It’s all about the fear of shipping a half-baked product that Seth talks about in Linchpin.

The reason I got to thinking about shipping products and the fear of doing it is because I was reading a post over at TechCrunch which described a talk that Reid Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn gave.  Reid was talking about competition and the need to be better than your smaller rivals, not the big companies like Google.  What jumped out at me in the article was that Reid was of the “just ship it” mindset.  He understood the importance of putting an end to the endless debate in our heads and with our teams so that you can actually ship the product or ideas that you’re working on.

According to the article: “He subscribes to the ‘fail fast’ mantra — you need to ship your product as soon as you can, and if you’re not embarrassed by the first product you launch, you’ve waiting too long.”

The Cluetrain Manifesto became a movement and a book.  Before that, it was a list of 95 Theses that four guys posted online.  They got their Manifesto out there and it became a movement and then folks approached them about a book.

Is your manifesto still inside of you?  What big idea are you still waiting to take action on?  As I talked about yesterday, go ahead and share your big idea….NOW.  Don’t delay.

Stop waiting for perfection.  Write the first chapter of your long-awaited book and get it online.  Sign up for Twitter and start posting your inspirational tweets.  Go ahead and have your Jerry Maguire moment and write your Manifesto and send it around.  Jerry never got around to writing a book or a blog, but he did jump right into his new agency and life because he “shipped” his The Things We Think And Do Not Say Manifesto.  (Great post on the Manifesto here).

At the time, he wanted to take back the Manifesto from the inboxes of his coworkers but then he would have never went on to redefine his life and his career.  He would have stayed a soulless sports agent in a big agency focused on more profits above everything else.  That would have eaten at him every day, instead he built a new company focused on his mantra of doing right by his clients.

You might have a similar fear of hitting “publish” on your manifesto, but stomp that lizard brain thinking.  Go ahead and allow yourself to have your own Jerry Maguire moment.  Start your blog today or publish your own manifesto on a simple website.  Build from there.