It's All About Connections

I'm reminded today of the power of genuine communication - the give-and-take, the listening and speaking, the "giving to give, not giving to get" mentality that works so well in building networks and friendships.

I first met Ben McConnell, co-author of Creating Customer Evangelists, in February of 2002 when my friend Chris Young of the Rainmaker Group in Bismarck brought Ben to Bismarck and Fargo on the promotional tour of his then new book (North Dakota is a hot-spot for new book tours, let me tell you!).

I had already been reading Ben and Jackie's book, which I found compelling, and found it fascinating that one of the people profiled in the book, Gerald Haman of SolutionPeople in Chicago, was originally from the great state of North Dakota. I wasted no time in picking up the phone and calling Gerald, which was the first step in creating a business relationship with SolutionPeople which continues today (I'm a certified Master Trainer for SolutionPeople).

Through my relationship with SolutionPeople, coupled with my relationship with Ben and Jackie, I've met so many other people, including Paul Williams and John Moore, formerly together in their Brand Autopsy project, but now on separate paths as Paul promotes his Idea Sandbox concept.

Paul recently introduced me to my new friend Kyle Coolbroth, who has a fabulously cool company in Minneapolis called Unlimited Options. Kyle and I had a phone conversation yesterday, and it appears as if we may be able to collaborate on some projects in the near future as I look to expand my market to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.

I already sing with the City of Lakes Sweet Adeline chorus in Minneapolis, where we will be singing the National Anthem next week at the Minnesota Gopher women's basketball game where they host none other than the North Dakota State University Bison, where I am a statistician.

It is a small, small world - and the connections we establish for ourselves and our lives, when made with authenticity and selflessness, come back to us many fold.

It's all about connections - and about relationships.