I receive many requests to speak at conferences all over the world. Part of me is thrilled because that’s a sign they have found my content different and valuable.
Part of me is a little resigned, because I have to start the conversation about what the conference will and will not pay for. I need to weigh the value of my speaking somewhere against the costs of preparing and speaking.
Every speaking engagement has to be worth my time, not just offer value to the people at the conference. Too many people think I can “just” do the same talk again. But, I prepare for each presentation, even if I’ve delivered the “same” one before. It’s never the same, because I learned something new since the most recent time I delivered that talk. That’s part of the unique value I offer.
However, too many of these nice people say, “We’ll discuss compensation after we see your proposal.”
That’s backward. Why would they even want to read my proposal if they do not plan to compensate me? How can they even know what I might think is fair?
They tell me that their process demands that they need to see what I would do for them before they discuss compensation. This thinking assumes I do not offer unique value. Instead, they see me as a commodity.
Some Processes Treat People as Commodities
I’m not a commodity—and neither are you. That’s why I start every speaking request with an interaction, not filling out a form. (If you’re a consultant, this is exactly the same as avoiding RFPs, a Request for Proposal. I don’t do that, either. See Successful Independent Consulting for more details on that.)
When we treat people as if they are commodities, we do not respect them. Instead, we respect “the process.”
Even if you’re not a speaker or consultant, you’ve seen this at work and in your personal life.
I hope you have an electronic medical record. But every time I go see a new doctor—even those doctors in my “circle”—they want me to fill out a paper form. That form has exactly the same information as is in my medical record. However, my electronic medical record is (somewhat) secure, and it’s always current. Paper is often insecure, and it’s rarely current.
But, they have a process, so they can treat me as a commodity, not a living, breathing, unique human whose medical conditions might change.
Too often, the process treats people like commodities. Instead, let’s acknowledge how much the world has changed and that we all need to change with it. Instead of commodity thinking, let’s take advantage of everything new in the world and start with respect.
Respect Can Help Create New Processes
Just imagine if all conferences started with respect for the speakers. They would publish their speaker compensation package, aside from all the other conference information. Yes, transparency is often a big part of respect. If I don’t like what they offer, I don’t have to apply.
If product companies respected their customers, they would not start by “integrating” AI into their products without asking us if we want or need it. Even better, they would ask us how we want to use it.
Too many schools treat students as if they are commodities. Think back to what and how you learned in school. Is your workplace the same as school was? Do our current tools change how you worked all those years ago? (As a small example, since I was on the college track in high school, I was not allowed to learn touch typing. Yet, here I am, typing for my living.)
As a society, we are reasonably good at creating processes. We are terrible at eliminating them. And, IMNHO, we are particularly bad at eliminating processes that reinforce commodity thinking.
We have choices. And I choose to start with respect for people, instead of thinking they are commodities. I hope you do, too.