Recently, I was without cell phone service from Wednesday until the following Monday at both my office and home. My home and office are about a mile apart and apparently, there was one cell phone tower down that affected both places. The only thing I could get to work was an occasional text message so I had to relearn how to actually connect using a landline. I had many great conversations.
Be focused and intentional about success!
This episode reminded me of a presentation I did, years ago, based on one of my books, ROADMAP TO SUCCESS. In that presentation, I discussed this formula: R+C=P. The letters stand for the following phrase: Resources plus Connections equals Power. Power can be thought of in many different ways; for example, the power to get things done, the power to connect to another person, the power to create profitability, or the power to help another human being.
Now, back to my phones not having service. The wireless carrier shall remain nameless. My wife and office manager both called customer service every day, for several days, complaining about the outage and the customer service response was,” We are working on it.” So, late on Friday afternoon, still, without service, I thought about a friend who is in a position of power at this wireless carrier. I called and left him a message. Literally, within five minutes, my office phone was ringing and it was my friend on the line.
I apologized for bothering someone in his position with such a trivial issue but I explained my situation and he told me that he was on it. Interestingly, the next business day my phone had full service. I ran into my friend and I thanked him for whatever he did. He humbly said that all he did was take it to a manager in the network department. He said, “ No big deal.” No big deal for him but it was for me. My phone worked again.
An incredibly connected person will have access to resources that unconnected people simply don’t. These resources have the ability to help you achieve your goals.
Join me in building a credible network that will allow for current and future success.
Here’s how do you do it in three easy steps:
Step 1: Connect to everyone you meet; this is a simple yet difficult step. I have a database of over 40,000 people with whom I’ve connected over the last 15 years and it’s actually somewhat incomplete. Social media makes it easier these days. The lesson is making meaningful connections with everyone you meet and nurture those relationships.
Step 2: This step comes from my latest book, NETWORKING LIKE A PRO: become a knowledgeable expert in your industry. In other words, be the “go to” person. Also, and this is hugely important, be the person whom everyone can count on and always do what you say you’re going to do. Build your network credibility! It’s like making deposits in the bank.
Step 3: Plug into lots of different things so you meet many different people. I do triathlons and road races, I’m involved in my church, I do community involvement work like Habitat for Humanity, I’m involved in networking groups, I’m involved in Chambers of Commerce and business organizations. It sounds like I am already involved in a lot but I’m trying to clear my schedule so I can get involved in more things, like civic groups. I meet many different people who plug into different areas of my network through these different events.
Finally, remember that becoming incredibly connected does not happen overnight. I’m just getting started and I have been aware of the importance of connections for over 15 years.
Embrace the power of connection,
David