To provide a practical example of the MMFI approach (Make Me Feel Important), an Instagram post by singer Alicia Keys caught my attention earlier this week. I had the privilege of meeting her last year in Mannheim. She was with her son Genesis at one of Taylor Swift’s six concerts at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Over these six dates, Taylor Swift performed for an astounding half a million people. Back to Alicia. One of her Instagram videos shows Genesis sitting on his father’s lap at an awards ceremony a few years ago, waving to Taylor Swift, who is seated two places away. And she waves back to Genesis. This seemingly led to a beautiful friendship. On the way back from the concert, Alicia hands her son an envelope from Taylor in the car. Inside is a handwritten card that she proceeds to read to him.
“Gen, Hi my friend! I was so excited when I heard you were coming tonight! I hope you have so much fun at the show. I´ll waving at you. Love, Taylor.” The note is written on a card that has her name as well as her professional designation on top. “Songwriter & Feline Enthusiast.”
Isn’t this a fantastic example of showing appreciation to someone else? You might be thinking, “Norman, that’s Alicia Keys’ son. Of course, she would write a card.” Do you think so? Well, if you believe that, here’s another example. On Tuesday, I came across the following news: “Taylor Swift gifts each of her 50 truck drivers on the current America Tour a bonus check of $100K each. Additionally, she included a handwritten card. ‘John, Thank you for your excellent work on the US leg of The Eras Tour! Your well-deserved bonus is $100K. Love, Taylor.'”
In total, the singer distributes around $55 million as an additional bonus to her dancers, technicians, and tour staff. Make Me Feel Important. What an excellent proof of how individuals with substantial wealth manage to make others feel important and not just see them as cheap and willing workers. Anke and I will be attending her tour in Hamburg next year and will report whether we, as spectators, also felt seen. Now, for you – what can you do today to make another person feel seen? A smile? A sincere “it’s wonderful that you exist”? A handwritten card? A compliment? Choose something and spread as much of it as you can. Not because I’m asking you to, but because you want to.
With that said, warm regards from Cherbourg aboard Mein Schiff 1. Have a wonderful week filled with plenty of MMFI moments that you create.
