The ideal for some of us may be to strike out on our own, pave our own way to achieve the greatest successes we could ever imagine. We would like to believe and feel pride in knowing all our efforts were rewarded with well-deserved respect, financial freedom and great health. This is the ideal of rugged individualism.
But think back to the beginnings of your journey. Guardians or parents may have taken care of you when you were young. Close friends ventured with you and your ideas. Remember that employer who hired you for the position you excelled in. Recall those business partners you worked with in building your enterprise, or those alliances you formed along your journey who you could call upon when you needed them. This is the ideal of human resources.
While our personal visions and goals for the future remain our own, we find our paths to success become more fulfilling and realized more efficiently when we develop alliances and form relationships with others. When we “invest” in someone, our “stock” with that person rises. They in turn invest in us. Through experiences and consistent investing, the level of trust between people strengthens, and the significant amount of stock vested can be called upon in the form of emotional or financial support, advice or a capacity to expand the network.
A news story two years ago reported about a waitress who developed a positive employee-customer relationship with an older man over a period of months. She provided high-quality customer service, and would talk with the gentleman about a variety of topics. She expressed her desire to start her own business but lacked the funds. Unknown to her, the gentleman was wealthy enough to write her a check for about $50,000 to start her business. He did. This was due to her ability to build genuine rapport with a man who was just a customer.
In our current world there exists a deeply connected web of interconnected relationships and collaboration. By functioning with a silo mentality, oblivious to others’ capacities, motivations or simple appreciation, you can stifle your ability to rise. You create unnecessary enemies. You elevate only yourself and not your community. You miss the advantage of gaining the support of others.
Make it a point now to evaluate your current relations and start developing your own human resources.
This article was written by Trent A. Rhodes.
