THE VALUE OF TRUE CONNECTION

I was working one day when the phone rang. It was an unexpected phone call from someone I met in the course of my networking in the community.

Truly, of all people, those that you have connected will be the ones who will take the time to connect back with you.  It is the stuff of humans.

It is great to receive those calls, saying hi, asking for an expert opinion, getting to know you as a person, not just a brain to pick, and being honest about their limits and constraints.

Being transparent, honest, and responsive are very important traits in any sector, industry, professional, and life, in general. 

You cannot bring out something to the world and prosper from it unless there are real people that are supporting and believing in your project/work. It takes symbiosis to become a real asset to your network- the giving and receiving should be balanced.

If you are always on the receiving end of mercy, charity, and forgiveness,  then, don’t ask why friends do not call or suddenly disappear, customers don’t return for purchases or donors stopped giving or volunteering their time.

Even non-profits should invest in maintaining their relationships with donors! Not to do that is suicidal.

The real connection comes from mutual respect, recognition,  and responsiveness. A lot of people go through the motions being unresponsive (and inconsiderate!) to the situations, conditions, and predicaments of people, organizations, and groups.

Clerks that forget to change right;

 Customer service personnel that forgets to call back;

Government employees that forget to put the document inside the envelope for mailing! (This is a true story!) ;

Doctors, pharmacists, nurses, and others in the medical profession that forget to ask the right questions to patients;

And many more examples.

Take time to nurture those personal connections. If they are genuine, it will stand the test of time.  If it doesn’t, consider that some connections are brief, interest-based, and not meant to be that long.

Learn from connections that get you into trouble, and you will know how to value the authentic ones