Connections. Go Get Some.

Connections.  If you don’t have a lot, I suggest you go get some.

I attended a retreat today through work.  Although a lot of the day was listening to numbers and trying not to yawn; I learned some really great stuff from our two guest speakers.

One discussed Emotional Intelligence and it’s role in success both professionally and personally.

The other speaker focused on understanding poverty and the hidden rules and vastly different life goals/focuses among those who live in poverty, the middle class, and the wealthy.  My company spends a lot of time working with people living at the poverty level so this was key stuff for us.  However, I found it just as interesting to consider the other side of the coin, wealth, and what I could learn from that group.

Here’s some information from today’s presentation (this was from a study of the groups):

 

Socio-economic Group                     MAIN FOCUS

 

For those in poverty        =               RELATIONSHIPS

People are the most important asset and the main focus of this group.  This explains a lot about those I know that are in this circumstance including why being late to take care of a family emergency is no big deal or why they continue toxic relationships.

 

For those in the middle class =     ACHIEVEMENTS

Achievements matter to this group including professional and personal achievements and managing money.  This may explain why parents are obsessed with their child’s school and extracurricular activities.

 

For those in the wealthy class =   CONNECTIONS

The biggest goal for those in this class is building connections with the right/influential people.

 

It’s proof and affirmation of that old adage about success: It’s not what you know it’s who you know.  As much as we may hate that idea, it comes into play more and more as we climb up the economic scale.

As a crazy coincidence or simply the universe laughing at how obtuse I can be, when I got home today I had received this blog post in my email:

In Over Your Head – The Most Important Connections I’ve Ever Made and How I Made Them

Scary, huh?

Connections, according to the findings of this study, are good for wealth-building and success.  This explains all those networking groups and why everyone there is constantly talking about referrals instead of their kids soccer game.

Sadly, during my period of black moods I admit to letting some of these connections weaken or fade.  I’m going to be working on building and/or re-building these relationships.  Not only does it help my mental state, but it just might help my financial state as well.

I encourage you to go out today and nourish your relationship(s) with those who will help strength you in your goals.  Join your alumni group, Rotary, Carpenter’s Union, ToastMasters, Student Group, MasterMind, or something else where you will find those who already are doing (or being) what you envision for yourself.

Have you used this idea in your life?  What was the result?  I’d loved to hear from you in the comments.

Thanks and see you tomorrow!