If you can’t see this video, click here, or watch on YouTube.

When we had Chris over for the Like Minds Conference in February, I had the pleasure of watching Chris operate and also spending some time with him too. I have no doubt that many cynical Brits were waiting to see if he’d walk the walk and be as social as he tells everyone to be. What I got to see was not only ‘Yes, he does!’, but also how he does this.

I haven’t shared this until now because I didn’t want to a fame monster, and I’m not writing this now for copious retweeting, but because there is one thing that he taught me above all else that has been of life changing value for me these last 4 months since February, and it will help you too. It’s changed my relationships, my business, my church and my marriage.

At the end of Saturday night at the Summit at Bovey Castle, I had been so impressed with how Chris had valued each person so highly, remembered everybody’s names, professions, details, and engaged in such valuable and meaningful discussion with so many people.

Now I’m good with connecting people, but Chris did it at a level that I’ve never seen before. People who he met once on Friday morning, he remembered the names and details of and called them by name Friday evening.

When I asked Chris how he did this, he looked at me and just said “I genuinely just love people.”

In two words, Chris Brogan taught and modeled for me this: love people.

How?

I learned from Chris to love people by valuing the person in front of you over playing on your phone. (He didn’t use his to tweet, not once, and there was kick ass wifi.)

I learned from Chris to love people by closing your laptop when someone walks in the room, and focussing my attention on them. (He did this to every person when he was working.)

I learned from Chris to love people by remembering their names and life details without fail. (He didn’t get a name wrong.)

I learned from Chris to love people by giving them your attention – all of it – no matter who is in the room. (He never excused himself from a conversation)

And finally, I learned from Chris to love people by valuing people equalling and forgetting about the power plays and games that stroke our egos. (He never ended a conversation so he could speak with someone else.)

Your Leading Thoughts

• I’m sure you’ve learned similar things from someone in your life – who? How did they model this to you?

This thought comes from Scott Gould's thinking blog for thinking people. Scott is also on Twitter and Facebook.

What I Learned From Chris Brogan

I wrote this over 6 years ago, when I was deeply in love with her but hadn’t told her. On August 28th, 2003, at 00:05am, I quoted this to her and finally told her I loved her. Enjoy.

Finding Heart by Scott Gould

I’ve always sought to find my heart,
To see it alive, as flesh or art;
But I, after I’ve seen or heard,
Find emotion is all too briefly stirred,
And further, what art can compare
To the suns set in clouds so fair?
Though, the sun’s all too short in height
‘Gainst stars that sing in darkest night,
And they’re a dream, till soon some cloud
Should come veil those eyes as a shroud.

But there are some eyes that I know
That into the night, they do not go;
And I know of hair, and oh a face,
To make the sun set in disgrace.
I know a smile that can’t be written,
And beauty, no artist could quicken;
Whose soul is vaster than the sky:
For whom my love will never die;
And a heart, that inside I find
The fullness of my heart defined.

This thought comes from Scott Gould's thinking blog for thinking people. Scott is also on Twitter and Facebook.

For Those Who Asked… And For My Wife

So when I went to sign up for a beta invite, and I was wondering what quirky thing to write to heighten my chances of getting an invite sooner, I saw that “Haikus, sonnets and ASCII art all accepted”… “Wonderful!” Thought I, and after 5 minutes of creativity I had crafted my first piece of internet poetry.

So, here is my sonnet for Google Wave. Note that 1. I am indeed quite sad, and 2. if you watch the (excellent) developer preview video, you’ll actually understand what my sonnet is talking about, otherwise, it really does make no sense at all.

So without further a do, may I introduce you to…

“The Wave”, by Scott Gould.

Shall I compare thee to nineties email?
Thou flows more smoothly and far more pleasant.
What was yesterday, today is a fail,
And bean soup is easier than pheasant.
Some time too light my quick fingers do type,
And often are my words and sites unlinked,
Messy doc revisions, I do not like,
And too many tabs is too much to think.
But thy Yes/No saves a thousand replies,
Where Facebook would save me from none of them,
It’s not an app, it’s HTML 5,
Desktops are drowning cos you’ve out done them.
Now in real time with spellies and linkies,
Wave Dance into the two-thousand-teenies.

Can I get a beta invite now?

This thought comes from Scott Gould's thinking blog for thinking people. Scott is also on Twitter and Facebook.

A Sonnet To Google Wave