I was having a chat with one of our clients today, giving them feedback on a Why video that he had filmed for himself.
There were a few improvements for the client to take on board for their next attempt but I had huge respect for him ‘having a crack’. Too many people let their fear and obsession with perfection get in the way of actual improvement. Iteration really is the key to awesomeness. But I digress…
The interesting thing here is that besides some general ‘technical’ advice on sound, lighting, framing etc, the core of what was missing from this Why video was the inclusion of a ‘wing-person’ – someone to take him through the Why video process and make sure the camera was recording his ‘authentic self’.
In fact, we believe it is 100% impossible to do a Why video on your own. This was recently highlighted to me when our Founder, Baz tried to record a new version of his own Why video unassisted, and we were all unhappy with the result.
And this got me thinking… why is a wing-person so important? Yes for recording a Why video, but also in general?
Well there are probably a few obvious reasons;
– They provide you with accountability: having someone else help you drive your success on a project or in general will go a long way to making sure you turn up and do what you say you are going to do! That’s why I like to call your wing-person an ‘accountabilibuddy’.
– They offer a different perspective: fresh eyes help you see things that you don’t see (or perhaps can’t possibly see!). It has been said before that your idea of perfection is probably different to someone else’s. Whilst this calls into question the whole concept of whether there is even such a thing as being perfect, the point is that someone else can help you improve your project in ways you never imagined.
– They help you stay focused on the right things: whether they do this through a structured process / methodology or simply by keeping a specific goal in mind, a wing-person can make sure you concentrate on what you need to do, and either remove or take care of the other details which can be distracting to your success.
There are plenty of other reasons too, and I’m sure that for those of you in the profession of Advice many of these also resonate as key components of the value you provide to your clients or customers.
But there is a magic element to all of this as well and it taps into one of my favourite quotes from Personal Development legend, Jim Rohn;
| “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” |
Be careful who you associate with! They may either make you or break you.
That being said, you can never outsource your own success and if you could, life would be very simple, albeit unfulfilling. The ups and downs on the road to achieving your goals are what make it feel so flippin’ awesome when it does happen!
BUT your destiny is always in your own hands so take control of what you want to achieve and at the same time bring the right people on the journey with you.
So what has this idea got to do with having a wing-person / accountabilibuddy?
Well, we are an inherently social species, so having the right people around you just changes something in your brain a bit. It makes you think differently, act differently and achieve things that just weren’t possible on your own. The right person at your side, almost magically provides you with personal energy and insight that feels like it comes from a new place. If this comment doesn’t resonate with you, maybe you haven’t had the right people in your corner!
I believe if you want to change your result, you need to change your stimulus. Ask yourself a question… what’s the product of YOUR environment?
Are you banging your head against a wall with a project you’re working on at the moment?
Is there something you have wanted to achieve for a while but it keeps getting pushed to the bottom of your to-do list?
Do you have a burning desire for tomorrow to be different from today, but there’s just something missing?
It could be that you need the right person or people to help you make it happen.
Never underestimate the power of surrounding yourself with awesome people. Having the right wing-person can really help you fly.
(I make no apologies for the lame pun…!)