What comes to mind when you hear the word “connection?”

For a lot of people, it means being close friends with another person, and I can understand that train of thought. But, while you can be friends with someone in your connection circle, it is not a necessity. The Dictionary even defined “connection” as a relationship in which a person, thing, or idea is linked or associated with something else for productivity.

See?

Building useful connections are so vital that you cannot afford to walk life’s journey alone. From business connections to school and career, you need people to thrive and do mind-blowing things. That leads me to Brian Tracy’s perspective that successful people maintain a high level of “interpersonal intelligence” because they interact with other people. What that means is that with little/no interaction with smart people, a person’s success rate could decline over time.

POINT 1

In the education system, the success of a student, most of the time, is dependent on their interaction with intelligent colleagues or professors. You would agree with me that most of the “not-so-bright” students, while you were in school, remain so, not because they don’t study hard but because they failed to connect with the right people.

While in college, I experienced first-hand how building connections with the right people can make a person’s life better. I was always close to my professors and other intelligent faculty members. Aside from that, I also moved with the brightest students. It was then not surprising that I graduated from college as the best graduating Chemistry student of the year.

Building useful connections does not necessarily mean you have to be close friends, as stated earlier; neither does it mean you are ripping the other person off. I said this because people tend to rip a person off when he/she has money. This fact is why an average person might find it hard to be in Oprah Winfrey’s circle, for example, because her fight or flight hormone might respond negatively to your request. But, when you both understand that connecting can either help one or both parties attain a higher level of intelligence, then you will be ready to make the required sacrifices.

POINT 2

I once read a Forbes post that said: “relationship building is the best career shortcut.” Have you ever wondered why your friends keep getting opportunities at work while you get nothing? Now I’ve got you wondering, right. Well, check his/her acquaintances, you might be surprised to find out that he moves with top people in your workplace. I am not encouraging chit-chatting at the workplace, no, but a simple gesture of getting your colleague a cup of coffee can go a long way.

Let me share this quote from Maya Angelou with you, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Now that I think about it, this topic reminds me of the movie I watched some months ago. The title of the film was “Late Night by Nisha Ganatra,” and I recommend it if you want to have a better understanding of how a kind gesture can make you the most-wanted worker at your workplace. Of course, you have to be smart at the same time, but I guess you wouldn’t have gotten the job if you were not!

So back to the movie, Molly Patel (Mindy Kaling) just got the job of her dreams at Katherine Newbury’s (Emma Thompson) TV show, and she was the happiest person alive.  

As the naturally nice lady she is, she brought cupcakes to work (male-dominated by the way) on her first day, and no one looked at her. She was always giving useful comments and recommendations but got ignored, maybe because she was new and the only female writer. After several horrible ordeals like being fired from the same job, Katherine had to apologize to get her back. She did not apologize because she is that smart but did so because Molly was close to Katherine and had made several others feel her presence while she was on the job.

I believe you are starting to understand my point.

It is not surprising that those friendly gestures might not get acknowledged at first in fact, building connections isn’t the easiest thing to do, particularly with knuckleheads. But when you know the purpose that connection will fulfill, better push harder (in a polite way). Sooner or later, both parties will come to realize the importance of what one of them has been fighting for. And when that happens, you will be unstoppable, take that from me.

POINT 3

It is no longer shocking that people like Dangote, Bill Gates, and Oprah Winfrey, to mention a few, keep doing better.

Dangote is a Nigerian businessman and philanthropist who is the founder and chairman of Dangote Group, an industrial conglomerate in Africa.

Bill Gates is an American business magnate, software developer, investor, and philanthropist. And,

Oprah Winfrey is an American media executive, actress, talk show host, television producer, and philanthropist.

The simple truth is: they move and interact with people that increase their interpersonal intelligence.

Are you thinking what I am thinking? They are all philanthropists!!! And, to be a great philanthropist, you sure need to brainstorm with other philanthropists.

Do you see my point?

And I am so sure that we won’t be hearing these names if these people were loners. But, they have chosen to continually move with like-minded people, even know they might not be close friends, but they work together to achieve a common goal. Hence their success!

I have said a whole lot, I know, and I do not intend to bore you with more words, but it will be useful to paraphrase my advice in short and sweet sentences.

Do you still wonder how relating with other people can help you? Read the points below.

Building meaningful connections increases your chance of becoming;

  • a more successful businessman
  • a brighter student, and
  • a reputable co-worker among other things

It won’t be wrong to join the clique too. You know what to do!

Thank you for the gift of your time. I hope I have stirred something in you!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ruth Adeyemi is the founder of SARMLife Blog, a faith-based lifestyle blog based in Nigeria. She is a social person and wanted all to see this part of her. So, she decided to be a blogger. Aside from that, she just wanted to share her knowledge with the rest of the world. It doesn’t pay to be selfish, right? Using her blogging platform, she coaches students on essential digital skills like digital marketing, social media management, and so on. A little fun fact about her before you go, she is the only girl among three boys, hence her mother’s best buddy. Haha!

You can check out her website.