Feet That Bring Good News
A dear friend of mine changed my life recently without saying a word (well, for him, it wasn’t very many words). I hadn’t seen him in a while, and when we got together for dinner with our wives, it was obvious he was doing well physically. He had lost weight, gained muscle, and looked rested and vibrant. I was curious enough to ask, and he was patient enough to wait until I did before talking about it.
The phrase “feet that bring good news” comes from Isaiah 52:7. I get the sense that there’s something significant about the feet. They represent physical presence, the journey from elsewhere to the person receiving the news, and a grounding that precludes nonsense. In other words, this is news that is practical, embodied in the life and actions of the bearer, and personal.
I spent the first half of my life telling people things: what to do, what to think, what was right, what was wrong. If there was a topic on the table, I had an opinion—and it was the correct one. In retrospect, I don’t believe I ever argued anyone into anything. Whether I was correct or not wasn’t the issue. I didn’t have the right to tell others how to think, act, or live their lives.
While there are some circumstances and positions where we must tell people what to do, those are the exceptions—not the rule. Most of the time, we must earn the right to influence people. We can all recall moments when someone inundated us with data—passionately for sure—but it was still just data. The worst instances involve information that, in your view, seems hypocritical coming from that person.
Feet that bring good news are not just physically present; they are intimately present. I am nearly immune to marketing. I have no interest in what a stranger says I need. However, I am nearly powerless in the face of my granddaughter (or my adult daughter, for that matter). Because I love them, care about their lives, and enjoy making them happy, I tend to be easily swayed by their requests.
If you want to influence people, you need to have a meaningful relationship with them. People will work for money; they just won’t give all of themselves. If you want people engaged, make it about them as much—or more—than it is about you. If people love the result of what they do, they’ll find ways to do it. If people are just clocking time, they’ll give you and your organization about as much attention as I give marketers.
Feet that bring good news have made the journey that makes what they say meaningful. My friend was living the life—not just talking about living the life. His actions and visible results were far more compelling than his opinions. However, once he had demonstrated the willingness to take the journey himself, his thoughts on the subject became much more intriguing.
This is not a call to “be willing to do anything you ask others to do.” That is, at best, impractical—and often, just a terrible idea. Rather, this is a call to stamp out hypocrisy in your life. This is a mandate to NEVER say, imply, believe, or act in a “do as I say, not as I do” manner. If you want people to be influenced by what you believe, you have to actually believe it—and belief results in action. Every. Single. Time.
Finally, feet that bring good news don’t have time for nonsense. There is a myth of the legendary Athenian messenger Pheidippides, who supposedly ran from the battlefield of Marathon to Athens to announce the Greek victory over the Persians. He collapsed and died just after delivering the message, “We have won!”
When what you believe and do actually works, you don’t have time to mess around. If your consistency of action and your relationship have earned you the attention and curiosity of another human being, value them by being concise, clear, and quick. My friend is a bit of a data junkie and a talker. He wanted to tell me lots of things. He didn’t. He just said, “This works for me. I read this book, and I think you might find it compelling too.” That was enough.
Leaders have many opportunities to influence other people. It’s sad when they waste those moments being hypocritical, manipulative, commanding, and arrogant. Great leaders, instead, are authentic, caring, collaborative, and humble. People are hungry for things that actually work—but very suspicious of those talking too loudly about how theirs is the only way. Communities full of connected, curious, and caring people are full of good news. And good news is the Bison way.