“Make it SAFE.”
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My daughter and I were standing in line
to buy a poster before Stevie Nicks came
on stage in Philadelphia…
Devon asked me:
“Daddy do you think Stevie is still nervous
or scared before a show?”
Can you imagine a star like Stevie Nicks…
performing since the 1970’s in front of
crowds of thousands like tonight…
still being frightened?
The answer is YES, she is.
And she has a secret weapon.
Near the end of one of the most incredible shows
I have ever seen, Stevie introduced her band…
the last member she spoke of was her guitarist
the legendary studio guitar ace, Waddy Wachtel:
“I’d like to introduce you to the man
who makes the stage safe for me.
My million dollar baby.”
What does a safe place mean for a rockstar
and artist like Stevie Nicks?
And why would she call Waddy her
“Million Dollar Baby”?
It means top 10 hits, it means sold out arenas,
it means world tours.
It means hundreds of millions of dollars.
“He makes it safe for me …
He turns this into my living room …
He makes it safe for me to try new things.
He makes me feel that I can do things
that I’d never feel confident to do without him…
Because sometimes I don’t feel brave.
Sometimes I’m afraid.
My million dollar baby… Waddy Wachtel.”
Being a side man means that not everyone
would know his name.
But if you are a music fan you know Waddy…
He is the guitar on tons of famous hits…
Werewolves of London, by Warren Zevon…
… all of Keith Richards solo stuff
… the amazing first record by Melissa Etheridge
… most of Linda Ronstadt and Jackson Brown’s stuff.
And why is Waddy on so many hits
with so many stars?
Maybe the exact reason Stevie has has him playing
and finishing songs with her since 1973.
“He makes it safe.”
Are you making the stage safe for your team?
For your kids?
For your vendors?
For your clients?
So that they feel safe to open up, to share, to create, to be vulnerable…
Vistage Chairs:
How do you make meetings a safe stage for Members…
for Speakers…
for guests….?
Quick Question…
“How can we make it safe?”
for the people that YOU need to get to yes?
Make your STAGE Safe.
—————-
Your weekly application questions
- Who do you need a YES from in the coming week or month?
- How can you make your message SAFE?
- How can you create and environment safe for people?
——————BONUS TIP——————
Ask this question:
“Can I start by telling them what they do well?”
(We don’t feel safe when we are criticized.)
WRITE IT DOWN NOW AND PLEASE DO IT.
Dean Minuto, (Vistage Speaker of the Year 2014/2015)
presents his Top 50 Tips to build your YES-CRAFT™
from his YESCALATE: GET TO YES FASTER® Course.
This series of one minute video tips was created as
a summary of what CEOs and Executives who have
attended Dean’s Workshop have said are their
most valuable application tips.
With Your Success in Mind,
Dean