Want to pick my brain?

Hey, I am naturally a teacher, a helper, a facilitator. I’ve also spend a huge amount of time educating, experimenting, and practicing what I do. I’m not a guru, I’m not a Ninja but there are certainly many things I can do and know a great deal about because I’ve invested my time and dollars to learn.

Not a single day goes by when someone doesn’t ask, “Can I ask you a question?”

A long time ago I read a post from Chris Brogan on how he deals with the question. It struck a chord with me because just like him, I struggle with the answer every time. It’s just not in my nature to not help.

And then I saw a Tweet from my friend Liz…

I knew exactly the topic of the link. I knew exactly what she was referring to. It led to a slideshare by her friend @SheilaS. I checked out the link and was surprised to find a well put together slide show detailing the “how and why” that so many of us battle daily. I retweeted the post and mentioned I was going to blog about it and guess what? She thanked me! She just earned triple double kudos in my book! (that means she can pick my brain anytime!)

photo credit: an untrained eye

It’s written not for the Brain Pickers but for the Brain Pickees. It’ll come off as a little harsh to the newcomer but put yourself in my shoes for a day.

I start my early morning off answering questions via email, FB chat, twitter and posts. When the sunrises, the phone starts ringing. Instead of writing code from 9 to 5 and creating product, I’ll spend the bulk of my day answering phone calls most of which are from “potential clients”. After dinner it’s back to the computer to actually get some real work done.

So when do I have time to write blog posts? Fair enough question. Right now it’s 11:36 PM and yes, the alarm goes off at 5:00 AM everyday.

Here’s her most excellent Slideshare:

No, You May NOT Pick My Brain

View more presentations from Sheila Scarborough.

Does this mean you’ve got to pay me just to get an answer? Not at all (how slimy sounding is that?) Far from it! There’s a big difference between picking my brain and asking a simple question. I still appreciate any questions you might have. Where do you ask them? In one particular place, my Facebook Wall

Brain Picking happens in every profession. Web design, real estate, coaching, you name it. If there’s someone who has more information expertise or knowledge than others, there will be others wanting to pick their brains. It’s just our nature. Sheila mentions we wouldn’t pick the brains of our accountants and that may be true but I’ll bet it happens a lot at those accountant conventions. (they do have conventions don’t they?)

Now what was it you wanted to pick my brain about again?

NOTE: Liz was a guest on our radio show, I’ve also met her at briefly at different conferences. This last year I was at BlogWorld in Las Vegas and couldn’t get a word in edge wise – she was constantly surrounded by people “picking her brain”. She’s all that AND a bag of potato chips!

BONUS: Like any slideshow – it’s not going to be the whole banana. It’s meant to go behind an actual presentation. While we all missed the original presentation if you want more Sheila just pointed me to an ebook co-written by her business partner Betsy McCray who also was a guest on our radio show! http://www.tourismcurrents.com/how-to-draw-the-line-between-free-and-paid Go check it out!

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Mike Mueller

VP of Happiness at AreWeConnected.com

A former professional hand model, Mike builds Custom WordPress Websites that rock!

He's an avid hockey fan, rides a mountain bike, sometimes rides a road bike, has a few motorcycles (he had a really fast one, bought a cool orange one, rode a really slow one, and now,a perfect "BDR Weapon"). If that isn't enough, he makes cheese and sourdough bread, loves strong beer and good red wine, and poorly plays the Mandolin.

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