Given my thirst for knowledge and passion/interest in networking I began a quest to learn the true origin to the art of networking. I spent countless hours researching, speaking with professionals and reading about networking. From the ancient Greeks and Romans and throughout history in every civilization successful people in every discipline embraced and mastered the skills of what we now call networking.
By definition (a JG3 definition), “networking” whether for business, social or otherwise is the process of establishing and maintaining a mutually beneficial relationship with other people, places and entities.
From a business only standpoint, networking’s primary purpose is for establishing and maintaining relations to share ideas, promote brand (corporate and personal) develop partnering opportunities, find potential clients and/or customers and grow the top and bottom line. We’ll cover this in greater detail and from many angles during the life of this blog.
While the roots of networking are pretty unclear. I can, with considerable certainty share with you who I believe first introduced many of us to or even exposed us to the skills of networking. This pioneer and magical person is affectionately known by many of us as, “Mom”…………yep………I kid you not!
Moms’s without their awareness; for decades and beyond, have mastered the art of networking, all for the sake of “love of child” and in some cases a little peace and sanity for their own lives too. Carpools, Little League, soccer practice, babysitters, music lessons, religious studies, doctors, dentists, cub/girl scouts and the list goes on and on, moms had this nailed down to a science. They knew or learned how to get it done, by themselves and or with the help of others. Mom's built a network that in many cases were flawless and rarely appreciated. Selfless to a fault, we can learn a lot by understanding why and how mom’s developed and worked their network. even more impressive by today's standards is that this was handled and executed without any formalized training, coaching, Anthony Robbins type audio or video series and or any other kind of paid subject matter education. Even today’s moms who can balance career and household get a JG3 standing ovation to the mastery of networking.
THIS ladies and gentlemen, is the stuff legends are made of. Like I mentioned in my opening post, the well being, happiness and success of others over self is the cornerstone to successful networking. The person or group that embodies a “what can I do to make others successful” philosophy will have incredible opportunity and success knocking on their own doorstep. So to all the moms out there, for all that you taught us, even today we say…………….THANKS!! - JG3
Well done and well said, John. When I first read this blog yesterday I thought how it related to me personally. Motherhood is a state of physical being. Women enter into motherhood when we give birth. Mothering, on the other hand, is a choice we make. We choose how to mother, how not to mother and sometimes we choose who to mother. Yes, many of us influence the lives of children in motherly ways by filling in the gaps left by the child's experiences. A person’s perception is their reality and a mother’s responsibility is to help shape a child’s reality.
ReplyDeleteThe very act of mothering is more than providing for the daily physical needs of your child. It is, in every sense, as you stated- putting aside your needs and wants for the betterment of your child. It means that you never get a day off, never take the biggest portion if it means your child will have less, it means you encourage your children in making their dreams come true but at the same time, are there when they fall short of the mark. It means that you are not afraid to correct, to discipline and to direct. It also means that your child will sometimes hurt and you need to be prepared to hurt in ways infinitely more painful because, as much as you would like, you cannot shield them from the disappointments, lessons and awakenings of real life. But, your job as a mother is to be there, cry inside and sometimes openly weep for their pain. All the while you know full well that the future payoff will be the successes, triumphs and vindication of lessons learned and the opportunity to bask in the glow of a job well done.
So, in short, I say thank you JG3 for bringing a perspective, a sense of pride and a chance to reflect on what our mothers did for us and how they continue to influence our every day world.
When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child. ~Sophia Loren, Women and Beauty