(Ryan Patrick is a contributing editor to The Daily Blur. He’s not only handsome but a mighty fine writer. You can check out his growing archive of posts here.)
Baseball is my favorite sport. The St. Louis Cardinals is my favorite team.
Last week, while on vacation, I attended my first-ever, non-Cardinals major league baseball game.
As I sat there watching the Rangers take on the Angels, I was struck by a compelling thought:
I didn’t care who won.
While I naturally sided with the Rangers because a) I was at Rangers Stadium and, b) the Angels lured one of the game’s best-ever players away from St. Louis, I wouldn’t have been terribly disappointed if they’d lost the game.
However, if my beloved Cardinals were playing, I’d be hanging on every pitch.
In business, your company has staunch, dedicated fans who will whoop, holler, and do the wave at your every move.
But, there are also people in your fair city who simply won’t care.
Maybe it’s because they don’t know about you. Perhaps it’s because they DO know about you.
Regardless, you’re not a 100 dollar bill. Not everyone is going to like you.
Some fans are devoted.
Others are apathetic.
Many will cheer for you to win.
Others will wish for you to fail.
Don’t lose sleep about the ones who don’t care about you.
Just keep giving your fans something to cheer about.
Great post, Ryan.
When we don’t have our own dog in the fight, we root for the underdog, the David vs Goliath. We root for the white knight, good conquering evil. We root for the story that touches our heart.
One way to get those other fans on your side is to run your business as the white knight, the good conquering evil, the upstanding citizen, the do-the-right-thing-no-matter-the-cost business. You might not become their go-to dog, but they’ll still be pulling for you.
Absolutely. Just keep doing that voodoo that you do so well. Eventually, some of the ones who don’t care might just come around and become your biggest fans. Then again, some won’t. But that’s okay…
Insight for churches as well. look up and keep moving forward.
Amen.