Denice McClure
dmcclurehawk@aol.com
813-431-8033
After a tiring day of following Jesus, a huge number of people were in an unpopulated area about to experience the hungry emotion. Jesus asked his apostles to find food for the crowd. Eleven of them sat on their hands wondering, “How?” while one was out in the area networking. Or was he?
Andrew wasn’t a networker. He was a great connector. He brought people one at a time to connect with Jesus.
First, he brought his brother Peter. “Hey Pete, there is the guy I want to introduce you too.” Then on the day when the crowds were getting restless, he found this fisherman who had 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. He told the guy to come with him. He connected him with Jesus. Andrew wasn’t thinking the guy only had a little bit of food. He knew Jesus would know what to do with the little bit of food.
He knew that no relationship was insignificant for Jesus. All people mattered to him. Andrew stepped back to let Jesus and the fisherman do their thing together…a giant miracle. We all remember how the story ended. Everyone was full and extra food was left over.
Connectors are much different from networkers. Relationships are cultivated one by one by connectors.
Networkers cast their nets to see who they can get to do something for them. Connectors are the essential people who—as predicted by their name—bring us together. They’re the ones who make things happen, who cook up events and generate ideas in order to inspire others. Where there’s a lack of community, a connector will conjure one; they are the quiet masterminds at the center of activity.
Drawn to people of all backgrounds and ages, connectors derive their energy from meeting people and shrinking the gaps between their vast and diverse networks through introduction. It’s a leadership quality that many leaders don’t speak about yet their followers admire because it is a selfless act to grow the people they lead.
The man who best exemplifies this quality in my life is a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel who served our country for decades. Today he owns Echo, an insurance company that focuses on meeting customers’ health and life insurance needs. Jay Ellison is a husband and father to 6 kids and one great leader. I met Jay in 2016.
I joined a networking group to meet people who could help simplify my clients’ needs. They were spending time on making their health their priority to take care of themselves and their families, so I wanted to be able to connect them with good people who delivered excellent customer service in the areas they may need like accountants, plumbers, ACT/SAT prep teachers, and such.
I had always loved meeting new people, but the concept of networking was a bit scary until I saw what it really is about by watching Jay Ellison lead the group as the president. Jay had all the leadership qualities we talked about so far in this column, yet what stood out was his ability to connect people to other people with the intention of growing both the people’s businesses.
Under his leadership, the group grew to 67 people which at the time was the largest BNI Chapter in the region. It didn’t just grow without reason. It grew because Jay knew how to lead, motivate and a demonstrator of walking the walk. He was genuine and a bit of a rebel against the rigid BNI structure which we all liked.
He stood up for people, made sure we all treated each other with respect but above all, he was a fantastic connector. His entire military career was spent leading people by his actions. He cultivated the ability to listen and store the tiniest details from conversations to later help make connections between people that would allow them to flourish together. As the president, his legacy wasn’t the size of the group but how connected were as a community.
So kids, someday when you are building your businesses, you will join network groups or attend networking events. Rather than cast a net to see who you can get to be new clients, take the time to listen to who you are speaking with and think how you can help connect that person to another person, then step back and let the unimaginable happen.
Contact Denice at dmcclurehawk@aol.com with comments.
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