“I know a guy…”
You’ve heard it said that “it’s not what you know, but who you know.”
You’ve also heard that “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
The trouble with both those truths is that you have almost zero control over how they play out!
In my business, the key is making connections with people. Until I connect, I can’t show how much I care by joining the dots between you and others I know.
Connections in today’s world are getting more common and less concrete. In other words, we are more connected less effectively.
When there was no technology, you knew the people around you: who had which skills, who you could trust, who would help you when needed, and who you could help. And you could use your network of friends to help you navigate life’s challenges. It’s called community.
Technology has changed all that. Now we can connect faster and further and across a broader spectrum than ever before. That’s a good thing! It’s less than 25 years since we’ve been able to “Google it,” but that approach to life is now ubiquitous. We now have connection overload: we are all victims of the technological masters in our pockets and on our desks. The result has been a degradation of community.
The days of “I know a guy…” feel so distant! And many of us have developed resistance to connecting because, deep down, we feel overloaded. We have exchanged a limited pool of local experience for a world of unlimited knowledge availability, and I believe we are (in some ways) poorer for it.
What should we do? How do we reclaim genuine community?
I had an “Aha!” moment the other day: the local, limited pool of experience never went away; we just started looking elsewhere for what it used to give us. Thus, we can return to the advantages of “I know a guy…”
My Life Languages™ profile (first language Influencer, second language Shaper) equips me to make connections between people with a strategic plan in mind; to join the dots for the benefit of others. I also love to teach these skills to others by helping them understand their own profile and learn how to adapt to others who differ.
Since you are reading this, you know me (at least at some level). Would you take another step of trust and reach out to me to see how I can help you cultivate a sense of community?
And the next time you encounter someone struggling to truly connect with others (which may be the next person you meet), would you do them a favor? Say, “I know a guy who can help,” and give them my email or phone number to get in touch.
Thanks.