Tweet

Get a Grip with Others

Guest post by: Sheryl Nicholson

Article Overview: I was driving back home after the birth of my grandson, Jorden. The birth, the miracle, the blessing and yet he made me aware of a poignant deficit in our lives. From the minute he was born, that baby wanted to get a grip. It didn't matter if it was Mama's breast or Daddy's finger; he had to get a grip. It was a natural instinct to make a human connection. I thought about how isolated working people have become today. We don't have time for ourselves let alone others. I remember 31 years ago when my first child was born and how we would go on picnics with our neighbors. If I didn't have pictures of our camping trips I believe I would have sworn we never had time to just take off for days for the woods. No phone? No computer? No kidding! We'll devote an entire segment on how to Get a Grip with friends later in your book but here we're

Get a Grip with Others

I was driving back home after the birth of my grandson, Jorden. The birth, the miracle, the blessing and yet he made me aware of a poignant deficit in our lives. From the minute he was born, that baby wanted to get a grip. It didn't matter if it was Mama's breast or Daddy's finger; he had to get a grip. It was a natural instinct to make a human connection. I thought about how isolated working people have become today. We don't have time for ourselves let alone others. I remember 31 years ago when my first child was born and how we would go on picnics with our neighbors. If I didn't have pictures of our camping trips I believe I would have sworn we never had time to just take off for days for the woods. No phone? No computer? No kidding!

We'll devote an entire segment on how to Get a Grip with friends later in your book but here we're going to mention the reasons why a people connection is so important to maintaining a balanced professional life.

1. Advancement

With rightsizing and mergers, no job is guaranteed. Gold watches as retirement gifts come from a past era. You need to be aware of what other opportunities are available to you. HR directors still prefer to hire someone that has been personally recommended over a resume in response to a newspaper advertisement.

According to Training Magazine, put out by the American Society for Training and Development, the college student today will have five different dedicated careers before he/she retires. Always knowing "what else is out there" is a good skill honed by being connected with others.

In Harvey MacKay's book, Dig Your Well Before You're Thirsty, he talks about the impact of networking on the advancement of a career. With his techniques, his own children were able to graduate from college with a Rolodex of over 3,000 names. Think that will come in handy with their job search? His book also pointed out the difference in the way men and women network. I certainly have changed some of the things I do based on his techniques. So pick up that book this week and enjoy while learning!

2. Risktaking Confidence

Your confidence is higher when you walk the risktaking tightrope with a "people net" below you. Not all of us are lucky enough to be married to the same type of personality pattern we bear. Opposites attract, fun to date, but challenging when married. Some marriage counselors agree that it's impossible to expect to get ALL your needs met by one person (your spouse). If you believe in personal growth, risktaking, and loving life, maybe you don't have that support in your marriage. Develop that support net legitimately, outside your marriage through associations, church groups, and civic clubs.

1. Knowledge and Diversity

There are definite advantages to getting a grip with people who are NOT like you. Since I've had the opportunity to live abroad and speak a foreign language, I believe Americans must work harder to become tolerant of diversity. When I travel several thousand miles in Europe, I hear different languages, taste different foods, see different clothes, and customs. Here, that same number of miles brings identical malls, franchised foods, and maybe a little accent in our common language.

Peak performers stretch their minds by getting a grip with as many people as they can. They strategically grasp the hands of others that can shorten their learning curve. Remember we are moving from the technology age to the information age and you can't expect to know it all. You can balance your life by relying on the knowledge of others.

Related Articles
  Change
  Stuck In a Rut? - An Ounce of Action is Worth a Ton of Theory!
  It's Official - Your Sales Pity Party Is Now Over
  The Death Grip Method
  Get Things Done: Traction, Action and Satisfaction
  The Fine Art of the Handshake
  How to Reduce Stress and Boost Productivity
  Give Me A Hand
  Yoga Thinking to Improve a Bad Week
  Igniting Your Unstoppable Business Destiny
  It's Re-Election Time! Get The Picture?
  How Does Inertia Suck the Life Out of Your Small Business?
  Entrepreneurs Persist To The End
  The Skinny About Best Boys, Dollies, Green Rooms, Leads and Other Media Lingo…The Language of the Media
  Standing Under The Umbrella And STILL Getting Wet Make More Money Making a Name for Yourself
  Are You Holding on When You Should Be Letting Go?
  Managers Got a Grip on your PR
  Upselling Again
  What Do You Have to Believe to Prosper as an Entrepreneur?
  The Philosophy of Responsibilities in Workplace Relationship Building

Article Tags: advancement, connect, natural instinct, neighbors



Related Forum Posts


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

What should your free giveaway be?

10 Golden rules to survive the Global Crisis

Winning Market Share in a Tough Economy

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.