Lessons learned from a lady who lost her dog

As I was jogging the other day in the neighbor, a lady pulled over and asked me if I had seen a white and black dog.  "I'm asking you because joggers pretty much know what's going on," she said.  I shared with her that I hadn't seen the dog.  "Well," she said, "if you see him, please give me a call."  She then handed me a business card.

I didn't see her dog or have a chance to help her, but I learned a couple things about engaging people.

1.  Appreciate them.  Understand what they are doing and why that has value.

2.  Share with them exactly what you are trying to do.  Make it compelling.

3.  Make it easy for them to respond.

The interesting thing is: even though I didn't help her in finding her dog, the next day I saw a credit card lying on the sidewalk.  With my newfound position as jogger, who "knows what's going on," I knew the community was counting on me to act.  I was able to track down the card's owner through our neighborhood directory and returned the card to it's rightful owner who didn't even know she'd lost it.  So one bonus thing I learned:

4.  Empower those who you seek to engage to make a difference in the world whether or not it furthers your own goals.

And if you see a black and white dog who answers to Duke, let me know.