Everyone is someone and Everyone is everyone…
In the last little while, we have been privileged to meet some very important people for various reasons. What I have noticed is that behind every news story are REAL people not dissimilar to you and me. In fact, every so often the people are diametrically opposed to the manner in which they are portrayed in the media – I am usually pleasantly surprised. This led me to think: does the media always have pure motives or do we need to take everything we hear with a little pinch of salt?
Recently we signed a very important deal with a major hotel group. What was very interesting for us, on reflection, is how the opportunity had actually arisen in the first place: My business partner’s gardener had overheard a telephonic conversation where my business partner was looking for a certain type of land in order to develop a hotel. The gardener (whom we shall call “Colin”) approached us discretely afterward and stated that he would be able to introduce us to the family of the former president of that country which (the family at least) owned almost 60% of the town in which the land was required. Now our natural inclination was to write Colin off: How could someone of such “low economic stature” know such a high-profile family, let alone bend their ear to get them to trust us with their valuable land? The famous adage “never judge a book by its cover” obtains. It turned out that Colin had a relationship with that family and this week we signed a multi-million dollar agreement.
I say all that to say this: In a world where materialism is positively encouraged and where the “worth” of a person is judged by their current station or occupation, it is important to remember that in actual fact we are ALL created equal. Until you know someone PERSONALLY, it behooves one to reserve judgment. When someone is being slammed in the media it is important to remember that media houses are comprised of individuals who often have their own prejudices, biases and agendas. In that way, the news is often akin to legalized “gossip” – everyone wants to add their own hyperbole (a.k.a. “spice”). And negative, harmful stories are more “juicy” than positive ones.
Any person, no matter how insignificant they appear initially, can add value to your business. Ultimately, Everybody is someone (to someone) and Everyone is everyone…
