The real heart of Business

Reading time 5mins

After travelling back from London yesterday, after again being invited to sit and speak with a senior advisor to the PM, I am feeling very honoured and humbled and reflecting on the power of good relationships. I feel coming back from London and having the experience of sitting and having a face to face conversation with a complete stranger on the train, has reminded me of the importance of being able to give quality time to each other. I don’t know if it’s because I was travelling around the train and underground network in London that has made me notice it more, but it really feels like people don’t have time for people.

Everyone seems so busy, in a rush, glued to their laptop, tablet or smartphone, but not even the chance to look up and smile and say how are you doing today?

I noted in my conversation with the stranger on the train, that once we started to communicate and I was showing a deep interest in his work and life experiences, that he closed his laptop and I put away my smartphone. Even though we work in completely different industries from two completely opposite cultures, it was unbelievable how much we had in common.  I feel it is so important that in our ever busy, fast paced, fast moving, digital, technological society, is that we don’t lose the art of direct face to face, personal conversation. Being in London made me have to ask the question, why do I feel so uncomfortable around people, when at the core of me and my work, it is about people and creating pathways where people who ordinarily wouldn’t meet each other would meet and speak and share the knowledge and opportunities that they may or may not have?

In all my most successful and long term client contracts or opportunities, at the core of it was good quality and healthy relationships with key individuals. From my work with the Royal Shakespeare Company, around helping them with their strategic audience development, i.e. targeting new cultures and communities. From working with National charity Mind around helping them effectively engage with the Afro- Caribbean community and even my work via ICE Creates Ltd helping the NHS Organ Donor effectively engage new donors from historically difficult or hard to reach communities.  I can track back and trace that the relationship came first before the opportunity.  So my advice would be just like in dating, go out for an informal drink, have a chat, maybe meet again, and then down the line you may make it official and find there is an opportunity for you to work together and create something that would leave a positive legacy.  Don’t be afraid to speak and meet with new people, from different cultures and background like myself. There is lots to learn inside of each of us we have the solutions to each other’s problems and dilemmas.  It is sad to think that more people are feeling isolated, alone and depressed in a world that seemingly is super busy and on the go.  Before you waste money, on your next consultation, marketing campaign, or strategy, first ensure, you have the right relationships, with the right people.  I think I am starting to understand the key to our success, even though some of the clients we work for, have twenty times more Facebook likes than us one hundred times more Twitter followers than us, we are still more effective in many cases in reaching the very people that they can’t reach, and that’s because of our key relationships, with key people we have built over the years.  As I am writing this I am reminded of the saying , be careful how you treat people on your way up, because you might need those key people on your way back down.

Let’s get back to the heart of business, which is about fostering and keeping those positive & genuine relationships.

Written by Nathan Dennis

Community Engagement Consultant, First Class Legacy

Email: [email protected]