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What does your behavior say about you? That’s the question raised yesterday by Jeffrey Phillips at Innovate on Purpose. Although he speaks in terms of marketing, perhaps there may be other, possibly even bigger issues than at first blush.

(It makes me think of the time we moved from the always-hot climate of Houston, Texas to the somewhat cooler climate of Greenville, South Carolina, and being quite surprised that in a climate more conducive to winter snow, most houses did not have garages at all! But that was many moons ago – we’re back now.)

As I started to think about this (that grinding noise you hear), I began to think in terms of relationships. I live on a short T-shaped street with a cul-de-sac on each end. As such, there is very little traffic that does not belong to people who live there. And everywhere there are little signals like neon signposts that declare to the whole neighborhood hints, or even outright statements for that matter, about who we are. In this way, those of us who live here can get to know each other without even having to meet. (Granted, some conclusions will inevitably wrong, but that’s why, you know, actually meeting each other is necessary for the best relationships - unless, of course, you normally leave a really bad impression! In that case, start a blog.)

Two houses down there’s one of those temporary basketball goals in the driveway (a future Michael Jordan?) Another house has an older model Mercedes with no glass in the driver’s side window parked in the street on a more-or-less permanent basis (a minor irritation) despite having a perfectly good three-car garage (but I’m over it now). Some houses had Christmas lights over the holidays; some didn’t. My neighbor has two dogs which occasionally bark nonstop, day or night (I love animals, but there are times when I’d really like to drop-kick a certain one!) The list goes on.

It’s like leaving a trail of footprints – even when the one who made them is no longer in the picture, there are plenty of telltale clues about who left them.

So - what are people picking up about you when you may not even be around? Do you have a desk where every item lines up with an edge, or one that says “a pile for everything, and everything in its pile”? Is your car filled with used coffee cups, little slips of paper notes, or bits of flotsam and jetsam, or is it spotless, inside and out?

The thing about footprints – some are more enduring than others, depending on where they were left. Most times, they are there because the surface was soft – but those will disappear quickly as (Warning: metaphor alert!) the waves of time wash across them. But occasionally, they get fossilized and may seem to be there for all time. You never know.

In our everyday relationships, we must take care that the footprints we leave behind say what we want them to say. This can translate into everything from business cards to front yards; from our cell phone ring tones to the state of our desks.

We may as well face up to the fact that we’re likely to leave at least some impression with whoever we meet. But it’s up to us to manage it.
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On another note (F-sharp, I think), don’t forget to mark your calendars! On Monday, January 15th, I will unveil the first-ever MZM Group Writing Project. This will be your chance to express yourself for all the world to see. I guarantee it will be an interesting challenge, and perhaps even (dare I say it?) fun.

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!