CAVE People

If you have been living in a CAVE you don’t know who Hanna Montana is, how she’s related to Miley Cyrus and what the Disney Channel has to do with all of it. You probably haven’t opened a checking account online, read a blog, or landed a HUGE account without taking the new client golfing.

I was talking with a colleague the other day and he was filling me in on the incredible marketing conference his company hosted for the eleventh consecutive year. The final session of the conference featured a presentation by Brian Grubb of the Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center. In his presentation, Mr. Grubb introduced the CAVE people, and in my humble opinion (I was going to write IMHO until it occurred to me that I have a job because not everyone understands that yet) these are the most dangerous group of people. CAVE people are to us marketers what Lord Voldemort is to Harry Potter, Kryptonite is to Superman and Jessica Simpson is to the Dallas Cowboys.

Are you wondering what a CAVE person is and why the letters are in all caps? C.A.V.E. people are those people who are Consistently Against Virtually Everything. Do you know any? Think harder. I have never stepped foot in a bank that didn’t employ at least one CAVE dweller. So how do you overcome that? Simple. Here are three ways to help the dark dweller overcome their fear of the light:

1. Get him/her involved. If you have a marketing team in place (the kind that consists of leaders from each department) make him/her the leader of the team. Help them develop ideas, implement a few of them and make sure that he/she is recognized PUBLICALLY for their outstanding participation and idea generation.

2. Try to understand why they hate the world. Do they subscribe to the theory of “if it isn’t broken, don’t try and fix it?” Or perhaps they have been around the block a time or two and believe there is no other way to do things. Try to learn what makes them tick and why they don’t want to try new things.

3. Embrace those things you cannot change, rise above, and move forward. Sometimes gently carving your path rather than blazing the trail will lay the footwork for others to follow your lead. Accept differing opinions—never dismiss them.

As you find creative ways to deal with your CAVE people, remember that while they may be against everything, they probably stand for something. Learn more about their passion and try to appreciate it…it will probably provide great insight into their negativity. You know, mutual respect while working with others goes a long way in many different aspects of the day-to-day work.

Here's to seeing the light!
Jenna