‘Throwin’ Some Ass’ Into Reputation Management

Lenny Kravitz was named the celebrity Grand Marshal for the 2004 NASCAR Sprint Cup All-Star Challenge at Charlotte Motor Speedway.  The All-Star event is a no-holds-barred, winner-take-all race among drivers – this race is about the money and bragging rights!

 

I was running Sprint’s marketing communications team for the NASCAR program at the time and was ‘on point’ with Lenny for various media interviews as well as to get him down to the stage where he’d give the most famous command in motorsports, “Gentlemen, start your engines!”

 

After spending most of the day with him, we began to joke around a bit as he got ready for his ‘moment.’  We stood on the infield grass as the drivers were introduced and took in the amazing fly-over and watched the fans go crazy at the sight and sound of the F-15s as they lit up the summer evening sky.

 

A few minutes later, Lenny leans over to me and says, “hey Mike, let me ask you something. You’ve been around this for a while. How do you think I should do this? What do you think they’d like?”

 

It took me a second to realize what he was asking and then realize that this was a Grammy Award-winning artist/performer asking me my opinion about how to say, “Gentlemen, start your engines!”

 

It was all very bizarre at the time and I didn’t give it much, or perhaps I would have answered differently, but in that moment, standing face to face with Lenny Kravitz, this was the professional advice I gave him.

 

“Lenny, you saw how crazy the fans got with the fly-over, right?” He nodded his head, saying, “yeah.” “OK, then, you’ve got to throw some ass into it and just give it to them.”

 

My parents would have been proud.  A decade and a half spent in motorsports PR and my advice to Lenny is to ‘throw some ass into it’.  Brilliant, but it worked.  He laughed, put his arm on my shoulder and said, “I got that.”

 

Reputation Lesson: There will be times in your life when people are honestly looking for your advice.  They are seeking this from you, more than likely, because they value what you will tell them based on your professional position or a personal relationship or recommendation.

 

Regardless, it’s imperative that you understand your impact (positive or negative) on the person that is seeking your counsel as well as the impact (positive or negative) it will have on your reputation.

 

Four Tips To Give Solid Advice And Build Your Reputation:

 1. Slow down and be in the moment :: this is tough in our society these days, but it’s a clear sign of respect to the other person.

 2. Don’t talk, just listen to what is being asked :: your time to talk will come, but actively listen to what the person is asking of you; otherwise your ramblings may have them asking themselves why they sought you out in the first place!

 3. Connect with them through relevant examples :: when giving direction or feedback, abstract examples rarely help.  Instead use examples of something with which they can relate.

 4. Show appreciation :: remember, it’s a privilege for someone to ask you for your thoughts, ideas and perspective.  Thank them for the opportunity and ask if it was helpful.

 

So, the next time you are asked for your opinion, don’t worry – use the steps above and, of course, throw some ass into it!

 

Comments

[Mike]

I LOVE this post, Mike. gonna try to throw some ass into tommorrow's sermon. but dude, what did he do/say when it came time for him to say 'start your engines'?

[Mike Mooney]

I thought you would, Mike! He killed it and did 'his thing' ... just growled it out there and the fans went crazy!