No one is a No one: The importance of building relationships

In life and business, relationships are everything. They can make the difference when it comes to closing that deal, getting that referral, increasing profits, meeting deadlines, or even meeting your soul mate. Relationships are so wildly important and can come from anywhere if you are willing to look for them.

Unfortunately, we find ourselves in a society today that is so dismissive of people based off of a criteria we have been conditioned to apply when meeting new people. How many times when meeting someone new do they ask what you do for a living? Pretty much all the time, right? Spoiler alert! They are asking to determine how much respect to give you. Let me help you out. If you are doing this, STOP!

I learned from a very young age, from the man who raised me (my Grandfather Paul) that no one is a no one!

My old man was an over the road truck driver when I was little. He would be gone days at a time delivering whatever load he had picked up, and typically bringing one back with him. He would have a few days in between to “rest”. Which, naturally being what I considered a demigod, he never did.

It was on his days “off” that my grandfather worked as a night janitor at the Jefferson City municipal building. I remember riding in the car over there on those nights to bring him lunch. I would hop out and pass him a brown paper sack, through the bars of a basement window, and typically not see him again until the following evening.

So, given the constructs of today he was a janitor and possibly dismissed as such by many disconnected individuals. They wouldn’t have stuck around long enough to learn the truth behind this legend of a human being. They would have totally missed the magic of Sunday!

Every Sunday my grandfather would take me to church with him. It was then that I learned who this truck driver/night time janitor really was. As soon as he walked through the doors it was like a feeding frenzy. People clamored to my old man, like sharks in chummed waters to shake his hand and say hello. I remember staring in amazement, thinking to myself “this guy knows everyone”, and HE DID!

My grandfather was easily the most connected man I have ever met in my entire life. He knew everyone and could get his hands on literally anything cheap, or sometimes free. Remember Tommy Morrison? He was scheduled to fight in Kansas City on Feb 19th, 1991. He fought Pinklon Thomas and won by TKO in the second round. Guess who was at that fight and went to the locker room and got to meet Tommy Morrison, ME! How you ask. Easy, my grandfather made three phone calls.

I learned from his example that everyone has value. I also learned that in order to benefit from that value, you yourself have to bring value. His work ethic spoke for itself, but it was how he dealt with everyone that got him noticed and respected. To him everyone was important. Not because of what they did, or what they could do for him, but because they were human beings.

So, what’s the point? The point is that no one you meet on a daily basis is a “no one”. That guy in accounting, the gal in HR, the clerk at the gas station, the person sweeping up outside the store, they are all someone. You could be two feet away from that person that is the connection to the breakthrough you’re looking for.

So, I challenge you, no matter what role you fill in life, deal with everyone you meet as exactly what they are, SOMEONE! Look for those new relationships everywhere you go. Take the time to get to know people and when you can add value to their life. Everyone involved will benefit I assure you. Plus, you never know when you’ll bump into a “Paul” that can change your trajectory forever.