Getting Momentum… connecting at the right time…
Wow am I buzzed! Just got off a call with Jason Womack who founded Get Momentum with Jodi.
It was back in 2013 when I was first in touch with Jason when he tweeted… how can I help?
Fast forward almost 3 years on and I’m now in a completely different place gaining momentum on my latest venture.
We got each other up to speed sharing a number of lessons and stories I thought useful to share here.
The three pillars that stop people connecting I talk about in the narrative starting Causr include people not having permission, the confidence and finally the context to connect.
The example that most resonated with Jason he shared was to do with seeing other people with the same sports kit on. If you were riding the metro in New York and you saw someone else with a Yankees Kit on you’ve got the context, which makes you feel like you’ve got the permission and as you’re on the same team the confidence to start talking.
As a society we used to rely on symbols of society from uniforms to war paint. We are now far more blended as a society which is isolating people as if we are part of the same ‘tribe’ it’s much harder for us to know.
Jason reflected that people love to help but are weary of being asked.
As we continued to share Jason reflected on his time as a teacher. When he started saying if he helped 1 student then that would make the difference. But he wanted to do more than that — it was then if he helped a whole class of people but he didn’t want to stop there. The theme he related it to was the concept of Moon shot — literally launching of a spacecraft to the moon — but in this context the idea of Causr being my moon shot making a difference not just for one of a handful of people but the unlimited potential of millions.
Jason turned the conversation to the example of the Grameen Bank where community connects and people are responsible as well as accountable to each other.
A few years back I had the pleasure of meeting Muhammad Yunus who won a Nobel Peace prize back in 2006 for founding the bank for their efforts through microcredit to create economic and social development. With the challenges in the world today the core theme of community and connection is more important than ever before.
Reflecting on Jason & Jodi Womacks Get Momentum programme whilst much of it is virtual it is the face to face connection that can really be a game changer and add value. Just a short time face to face can solidify a connection far above and beyond a connection over email, phone or Skype / FaceTime or other video conferences.
I believe things happen at the right time — whilst we were originally in touch 3 years ago. A quote I heard ‘people come into our lives, for a reason, a season or a lifetime.’
I’m looking forward to continuing the conversion in the year ahead and exploring where the conversation takes us.
Causr is a location based App helping professionals connect on the go. Our vision is to create millions of meaningful connections for people nearby, all around the world everyday. Download the App to see who’s nearby and start connecting today. Now available on the Apple App Store.
