Raving Fans

From the desk of Alice…

I read a book called Raving Fans by Kenneth Blanchard when we first opened the doors of ERG in 2004.  With limited background in business at that time, I tried to make the most of the content and have carried it forward through the 10 years of our work.  Recently, I have come across the term again in multiple articles and resources as I continue to educate myself about the world of business.

In my personal life, I am a raving fan of a few products and services.  I swear by Duke’s mayonnaise, always buy gift certificates for my beloved Village Tavern, and I have not gone without Paul Mitchell soft hairspray since 1985.  The reasons why I continue to rave about these things has to do with the dependability of the product or service and the meaning it brings to my ordinary life. I get nothing from endorsing these things besides the sheer happiness of spreading the word about what I believe to be the best in a category.

ERG has the luxury of having raving fans.  We have teachers, principals, assistant superintendents and superintendents who not only support our work but tell others about our services.  These are our raving fans and we are not only thankful, we are humbled by their support and continued cheering for us as a leader in providing quality professional development.

At the heart of the “raving fan” relationship is mutual respect.  Somehow, these people find the work of ERG so meaningful that they begin to own it and share it with others.  This is a gift to a small company like ERG.

If we take that idea and flip it into schools and classrooms, I wonder who are your raving fans?  Who, in the course of your daily work, has owned the vision you have and are telling others about it?  Who have you impacted so deeply that they will rave about you, unprompted and sing your praises when others are not?   Who will still be talking about you almost 30 years later (like my relationship with Paul Mitchell soft spray)?!?

I challenge you to reflect on the student, the family, the teacher or administrator that continues to be your biggest fan.  How have you gotten to this point?

I also challenge you to dig a little more and consider someone who is not currently your raving fan.  How can you bring more meaningful work to them? Can you take what you have done with your raving fan in the classroom, community or educational setting and replicate it to move more people into your fan club?  By doing this, you not only establish stronger relationships, but you also add more meaning and reach to the important day-to-day work you are doing in education.

“The best minute you spend is the one you invest in people.”
~ Kenneth H. Blanchard