Seth Godin was the person who inspired me to start this blogging journey. He writes every day, sometimes only a few lines, and his nuggets of wisdom are awesome.

His post today, titled The Unfair Advantage, is about how caring more can create an incredible advantage, in business or in life. It’s difficult to do, but it keeps people coming back.

In the courses I run, we’re disadvantaged in a few ways. We don’t have the biggest administrative capacity. The marking process is highly subjective (unlike something like accounting) which frustrates students. And the concepts are sometimes difficult to grasp as they are often quite abstract and “fluffy”

But over the last few years we’ve developed a culture that sets us apart for many students

We care more.

If you’re struggling in a course we set you up with a mentor to help you. If you’ve had a family emergency we’ll support you and get you back on track when you return. If you are having a career crisis we’ll find a way to guide you onto the path that’s right for you.

We help our students start businesses. We encourage them with activities outside the course. We take an interest in their growth and development.

For some students, this doesn’t matter. They’re fine without us. But for others we have the ability to change their whole world. It’s difficult, and it means going over and above the call of duty. But it’s worth it.

We care more

Image is from my students’ Genesis project demo day (as part of their Postgraduate Diploma in Entrepreneurship). I’m not involved in their project but drove to campus specifically to see their event and ended up buying one of their fantastic products