Networking like a 5 year old
Yesterday, I was riding the train at our fantastic Greenfield Village and in front me was the most adorable five year old boy.
As we were waiting for the train to load, this little boy was observing the world around him. He was curious about the farmer working with two horses to plow the field and quickly turned to me and asked - what are they doing? Without a thought - he was able to strike up a conversation about the situation we were in and what was going on around us.
He then proceeded to ask me my name and told me his.
He gave me advice on what to do while I was at the village like ride the carousel and to get ice cream before we left. (Both fantastic pieces of advice by the way!)
What I most enjoyed was his sense of wonder and true curiosity about me and the ride we were taking.
What I learned - be authentic and look at the world like a five year old learning and you can't go wrong!
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Excellent post, Beverly - and sounds like you had a great time!
Beverly,
Great post. I think all too often we forget to live in the moment, as opposed to walking into everything with an agenda. The problem is simply that you can't anticipate what's going to happen next in every situation, and therefore we often experience a large let-down.
Additionally, we often forget that while WE may be experts in our line of work, others are not. So when we use buzz words and catch phrases for our businesses, we often lose people, and QUICKLY! By going at it with the 5 year old mentality, you not only ask a lot of questions, but you only ask about what's of interest to you. A 5 year old is not going to ask (while at Greenfield Village - or ever!) about stock options, what the weather's like in Phoenix this time of the year, or where you see yourself in 5 years with your business. He's going to live IN THE MOMENT.
Thanks for sharing this Beverly - I think a lot of people will benefit from it.
-Merry Beth
Beverly:
The world through the eyes of a child is a wondrous thing. Their ability to be fully present in the moment and interact with others openly is a gift we often lose as we age.
It brings to mind the lines "love like your heart has never been broken, dance like nobody is watching......and I can't remember the rest.....LOL
Let's all risk seeing the world with they open accepting eyes of a child.
Thank you for your post Beverly!
Lin
Bev: As always, you have a marvelous (and inspiring) way of seeing things, and expressing them! Thanks for the post.
In addition to the "Dance like no one is watching" quote from Lin, I am reminded that the end-of-year holidays are just around the corner. And for me, that means that I will be hearing my FAVORITE holiday song: "Christmas Through Your Eyes" by Gloria Estefan; same concept (only focused just around the magic of her family's religious and secular holiday), expressed in melody.
There are many days when I want to be 5 again, don't you?
Gratefully,
Kathleen
Beverly,
Awesome post! This is SO TRUE! At what point in our lives do we stop networking like a 5 year old? If everyone could be conscious of the moment... how much better we would all be!
Have a wonderful day!
~Jennifer
Jennifer,
I LOVE your post because it hits home with me and is TRUE to its very core. I started my own public relations firm in the last few months and decided from the start that I was going to be successful being myself...honest, straightforward, and with a childlike abandon. So far in my life being true to my not-so-normal personality has served me well. I'm able to create rapport with just about anyone and that has helped me in my business and personal successes. Creating a facade only turns out to be more work...because first you have to build the thing and then you have to maintain it. I figure if a client knows what they are getting up front, there are no surprises down the road and no false appearances to keep up. Who needs that crap anyway?!
I was just at an MCC Live lunch a few weeks ago in Ann Arbor and met Charlie Wollborg for the first time. I explained my professional philosophy to him, and being a lot alike, he confirmed that was also his approach to business. And just look at that guy...exceptionally successful and well-regarded. It confirmed, again, that my approach is the right one...and that I need to buy an I HEART Charlie t-shirt.
kristy
Awesome Beverly... Thank you, I needed that today.
Hey Beverly, great to see you... even if only through the internet
Excellent post! I wish I had this advice when I first joined Automation Alley and walked in their networking event without knowing anyone. Networking like a 5-year-old is still probably one of the best advices for anyone who would like to strike out on his/her own or anyone who sometimes consider networking overwhelming.
Great story! Thanks for sharing.
A wonderful post and a great reminder to keep it simple and view the world thru other's eyes.
Wow. I can't believe I missed this post. Thanks so much for sharing, Beverly.
Imagine if we were all able to cast aside our fears and chase our dreams with the reckless abandon of a 5 year old! Think of all that would we accomplish. I'm off to create my masterpiece, make a new cold call list and then stomp in puddles.
I have a three year old daughter named Molly who is a great teacher for me. I've gone so far as to create my very own "MOLLYMETER!" It is basically a tool I use to solve problems. When I am facing a difficult or confusing situation, I look at it from the perspective of a 3 year old. Things are so much clearer from there. I wish we could all view life from a childs eyes and not have to be our "all so self important adult selves!" all the time.
I'm please to announce the formation of the my new company.
Molly & The Boy from Greenfield Village
management consulting and personal growth
"Looking at your business and life with a wide-eyed sense of wonder."
This firm promises to soon be the leading consulting and coaching firm, right after the principals finish their naps.
Love your sense of humor! I will gladly be your first client. Should we meet in the sandbox?