Connection. Everything is really about connection. We strategically
plan who we're going to connect to, how we're going to connect, and
where we're going to seek connections, in order to leverage whatever
goal we're trying to achieve. We connect with mentors in order to meet
the goal of bettering ourselves. We connect with business partners in
order to create or take advantage of future opportunity.
The style of connection impacts results. Some are perfectly fine
connecting electronically, and I think they sometimes miss understanding
when a personal connection would yield better results. Similarly, I
probably don't take full advantage of electronic connection tools.
The message conveyed is obviously important. My experience suggests
that two key elements must be communicated: compassion and competence. If those messages successfully transpire, you've created a partner on the other end.
Perhaps a caveat to "everything is really about connection" is that a
certain amount of planning may need to occur prior to taking full
advantage of the time used to create connections.
