Gary Vee has been on the internet for a long time but only burst onto our phone screens with his obnoxious, brutal and hustle harder attitude in around 2014. Some people like Gary and others do not — although it’s hard to deny that what he points out is a message we all need to hear more of.

The original purpose of Gary’s message was to convince us to use social media and build a following. It was all around branding, marketing and whatever was the latest social media platform. He became well-known around the same time for predicting the platforms we would shift to and the sale of companies such as Instagram.

In 2017, I saw him speak in Australia and was impressed. In 2018, the need to see him tour again was lost on me and to experience the FOMO that comes with learning about the state of social media, was something worth avoiding.

All of that changed last Tuesday. Gary was live in Melbourne for The National Achievers Congress and the man that walked out was not the same person. Here’s what changed:

There was no big introduction

His voice was softer

He wore a beanie saying “empathy”

His body language was less animated

There were fewer swear words

He had a level of care that I had not seen before

He had shifted to studying human behavior

The tools of social media have been demonized and he felt it his obligation to speak out on the subject

The change in the way Gary answered questions was fascinating. He looked the person in the eyes, knelt down to be on their level and was slow to respond. There were times he would give his answer and the person asking the question would say thank you, not realizing that Gary had more to say and would continue on after some thought.

There was a level of determination to truly give advice and a perspective that would help rather than give the audience a show.

He was never finished with his answer until he could physically see the shift in the person asking the question. It didn’t matter how long it took; he was obsessed with making people feel him, not just hear him.

The shift in Gary Vee from marketer to something that is not only different, but far more relevant, was a stark one.

Here’s what Gary taught me: