Last week ended up being a couple of lackluster events for the stuck-in-neutral NWiSM project. Sitting at Cornucopia Coffee Company by myself for what I was trying to pass off as a quiet lunch, I was started having reservations about putting any more effort into the project when, lo and behold, Chris Mahlmann came through the door.
Manic yet stoic, rushed yet reserved, Chris came over, shook my hand, took off his sunglasses and sat across the table from me.
I was a little embarrassed when he showed up. So far, of those who were to make a required attendance, one was out of town, one later on claimed sickness, one didn’t realize it was today, one thought there was an official registration involved and the others gave no mention of attending. And given that only two people had fully met their writing requirements, I was afraid Chris was there to help me clean the mud off my face.
He did more than that.
He started off by apologizing for being behind on his portion of the project. Hey, he showed up. That was requirement enough for me at that point.
He suggested that I should see if I could start using the talents of those whose gifts aren’t so much pen-to-paper as they are a handshake and a nice word. The thoughts struck a chord and I pointed out to him that we started working on it but that the thing that got to me was that commitments were made but weren’t even close to met nor was anyone bothering to even make excuses for it anymore.
He smiled, nodded and used polite language to give examples as to his suggestion.
He pointed out that his Region Life Properties – NWIndiana Life, Valpo Life, Portage Life and the one to come has his staff overloaded as it is but to make up for it he said that his corporation’s vast PR resources were at the projects disposal and he suggested to use the other member’s resources in the same fashion.
And It Got Me Thinking
I don’t know the future of the NWiSM project. It’s definitely not going how some of us envisioned it and I really can’t be the one left without a chair when the music starts but Mahlmann’s sprinkled wisdom hit home.
As always, Mahlmann is more than a marketing and PR guru.
And once again he was in the right place at the right time. This time, I happen to be the lucky soul. I hope he takes this as a public, “thank you!”
I guess the question is: What to do with the content writing? Because the project’s intent is still there.
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