Dear El Cardinale,
After reading your newsletters, I sometimes wonder what the people you have written about think of your pieces. What kind of feedback do you get from your sources? Has anyone ever been mad at you?
– Freddie Feedback
Dear Freddie,
What a great question. One reason I like writing and sharing content is it creates a connection. And as you suggest in your question, that connection can take many forms.
I met recently with folks who had flown in from Japan and who worked for the large chemical company I wrote about here. We pulled up the article over dinner and I was pleased to see that they were tickled as they read it. They thought the piece was fantastic and enjoyed reading about my thoughts on working with their culture and firm. This shared understanding helped create great camaraderie that leads to wonderful conversation the entire night.
If I do get something wrong, however, I can expect to immediately hear from someone about it.
Once I wrote about the city of Charlotte selling land and got a call the next day from the assistant city manager wanting to meet and talk about the issue, which I gladly did. During our conversation, I clarified some points, and he shared his. We were able to come to a mutual understanding.
I know that by sharing content and opening myself up to the public, I am also opening myself up to hearing from people who have opinions about what I’m sharing. And that is one of the reasons I like writing. I meet people from all walks of life, including those who think differently than I do. And that brings the potential to build new relationships and make more connections.
