This past weekend I celebrated my birthday, for the first time in a long time, it was a multi day event (have not had one of those since my early 20s, yes I am that old). I had an impromptu birthday party Friday afternoon, went to a wedding on Friday evening and then a beer festival on Saturday. There were several “little things” that my wife, kids and others did for me that meant so much, even though they were “little things”.

It all started with a little birthday party when I got home early from work. Nothing extravagant, just my wife and kids, birthday cards, presents, a hand made sign and an ice cream cake. This was completely unexpected and meant so much to me, it was a bunch of little things that brought out so much emotion and pride, it made me feel extremely important. Later, we were off to a wedding where amidst of all of the commotion, the bride and groom took the time during the ceremony to tell me happy birthday and went as far as to have a birthday card for me on the table waiting for me. As if that was not enough, they had the band sing happy birthday to me. Saturday we were back at it, headed to a beer festival with friends that I had no idea we were going to. My wife coordinated the whole thing without me knowing, and I was so surprised and extremely happy. It was the little things that meant so much.

It amazes me at how something that seems so small can have such an impact on you at that moment, that in hindsight, those things were actually bigger than they first appeared. I am thankful for the wonderful weekend I had, and can say that the little things really surprised me, and I really enjoyed it. Little things can have the greatest of meanings, so pay attention and give thanks when they happen.

Even though I can sometimes come across as being one who enjoys being in the limelight (well perhaps that is a misconception on my own part about myself), I would actually prefer not to be front and center, getting any attention. I fashion myself a team player, I do not need to be the quarterback or the star receiver, I am content being part of the offensive line, getting the job done so the team can win (sorry for the football analogy, you tend to go with what you know). As a result of this mindset, I am quick to give credit to others when they do a good job, and even if I am responsible for something, I still like to look at it as a team effort, the credit really should go to the rest of the team.

There are others that are on the other end of the spectrum. They like to swoop in at the last minute, just as something is about to be finished and claim they were a critical part of the overall success. Bad move on so many levels, but I have seen it happen time and time again. Why are people that way? Why not roll up your sleeves and get dirty and be part of the team and make the magic happen? Don’t try to steal the thunder of those that have put in countless hours, sweat, and dedication to make something a success. If you are not going to be part of the team, then stand to the side when the credit is being doled out and let those that deserve it take it.

There have been several instances lately for me where I have been part of something, but I have not been the major contributing factor in it’s success. To those that have been the major forces behind it, I say THANK YOU. You know who you are and if it were not for you, we would not be on the brink of something truly remarkable. You have poured your heart and souls into this and for that I am thankful. For others, thank you for having the blind faith that something great was going to come of it, if it were not for you, it would still just be a thought. My success throughout my career has been the result of some amazing work by some amazing people. I have been privileged to work with such greatness.

Success breeds success and something as simple as giving due credit can go a long way in continuing that success. Many a great leader have recognized that in order to be truly successful, you need to ensure that your team is successful. This is a lesson that is easy to understand, but sometimes extremely difficult to implement.

A lot has been said about the importance of engaging your community, especially if you are launching or have launched a consumer facing company. After all, your community is what makes or breaks you. Either you launch something that becomes so important to the community that they cannot fathom life with out it (Twitter may fall into this category for some or Facebook may fall into this category for others) or it falls flat on it’s face. Either way, the outcome is based on whether or not you built a strong community following around your product. Take a look at Gary V and WineLibraryTv to catch a glimpse of the importance of engaging your community and really building a relationship with them, he has done a fantastic job.

Here at Mixx (in case you did not already know, that is where I work) we pride ourselves on the fact that we have a very active community and we have engaged with them, one of us probably speaks with the community on a daily basis. It is a great feeling to know that the line of communication is completely open and that they can reach us, and in turn, we can reach them. There have been several occasions that I will get an e-mail thanking me for a quick response to a question someone had or I will read a blog post on how pleased the community is with the fact that they can get a “real” person on the other end of the e-mail, on a weekend no less. All in all, it is a great feeling to know that we have such a passionate community and that we are part of that.

Some of our community members have taken the two way street analogy of engaging the community to a new level. There is a subset of our community that have created their own web site and forum for the members of the community (called the MixxingBowl), and as part of it, they do a weekly podcast. They have been doing it for six months now, and they frequently have members of the Mixx staff on as guests. I was asked to be a guest this past week, and I must say that it was a complete honor to be part of the podcast. This is a great example of how engaging your community (I mean really engaging them) can lead to a complete two way street. Not only are we bringing them into the mix (no pun intended, well OK), but they are reciprocating by incorporating us into what they do.

It is a good feeling when you have reached that level that you have a thriving community around your product and they are passionate about it. That community and passion is something that money cannot buy, it comes by way of transparency, dedication, and an open hand.

Thanks guys, you have really helped us make something special here.