The path to winning — at life, in relationships, and in business — is not solitary. Now more than ever, connecting with other people on an authentic level is both an important skill and it’s the new currency for success. When you know how to connect with others on a meaningful level, your personal and professional life will prosper.
These three practical steps build authentic connections in your personal life, workplace, and the corners of the world.
- Be Courageous. To create an authentic connection, be willing to take risks and be vulnerable. Connectors are fearless individuals who are comfortable putting their whole self out there and having the world accept or reject who they are. Being courageous requires boldly proclaiming who you are, and who you are not. Remember, the world belongs to those who stand out.
- Be Open. In the business world, there is the teaching on holding your cards closely to guard against those who seek to undermine your efforts. This thinking stymies creativity and the willingness to share knowledge. Making the leap from being self-protective to being open and walking with daily integrity requires a change in mindset along with the creation of new habits.
- Be a Willing Sharer. The power of connections exists because of a special group of individuals willing to leverage who they know to open doors for others. There is a difference between those who seek to build a network and those who connect, seeking to make a positive impact on their community and the world.
Genuine connections are personal and involve a conscious choice to build common ground with the soulful purpose of serving others.
Do as Oscar Wilde said and, “Be yourself…Everyone else is taken.”
Lisa Marie Platske, President of Upside Thinking, Inc. (www.UpsideThinking.com) is an award-winning leadership and connection expert, known for her contagious high-energy. She delivers impactful keynote presentations and training workshops throughout the United States, and coaches professionals one-on-one on how to do what they love and get paid what they deserve. Her latest book, Connection: The New Currency (www.ConnectionTheNewCurrency.com) has been reviewed as “a game changer”. She is the founder of the Leadership Success Summit – and lives in Coral Gables, FL with her loving and supportive husband, Jim.
