The ROI of a DM

It was on this exact platform (LinkedIn) that my greatest mentor relationship began..

I was a confused college kid, trying to make sure mom's lights stayed on, my little brother graduated high school, and my late fathers legacy was honored. I was a couple years into my Elementary Education degree at Iowa State University when I realized although I loved teaching and working with children, that teaching wasn't going to enable me to provide the life I wanted for my family. The catch however is that I was so far into the degree there was no going back. I felt like I was stuck in quick sand and had two more years to survive.

When on an evening during Christmas break I came upon a profile for a gentleman named Keith Mundee who was at the time the head of a large western brand that I was very familiar with but on his profile it listed Elementary Education as his degree.. I was intrigued and researched as much as I could about him before sending him a message asking if he'd have time for a short phone call. I needed to know how this man went from where I was currently standing in college chasing a degree I knew I wasn't going to use to being in a position I was imagining myself being in decades later.

A few days past and our short phone call lasted about two hours, I hung on every word he spoke because this man seemed to have cracked the code I was looking for! After we hung up, I realized this mountain of a man with achievements and accolades through the roof had spent more time asking me questions on that call than I had asked him. He was genuine. That phone call led to him sending me a book by Coach John Baxter titled I HATE School. A book I recommend to anyone who works with youth. Keith would quiz me on that book years later at the Jr High National Finals in Des Moines. A pop quiz I was proud to ace! I didn't read much in college by way of text book, but I could almost recite Coach John's book by heart. That's what happens when you connect to what you're learning. Over the years Keith has done everything from send his wife and daughter to surprise us at our wedding to giving me the hat off his head when I mentioned how I considered getting a different crease and buying one of the new Tuf Cooper line of American Hats.

Now a decade later, Keith and his beautiful bride are the leaning post for most all of Brooke and I's big decisions in life. A true friend that has made the greatest impact on my life and it all started with one simple "DM".

Moral of the story, Your Network is your Net Worth. As a college student I fully expected for that DM to go ignored, but because it didn't, I've become the person that I am today. So now as a leader no DM goes ignored, I pray to never miss an opportunity to pour into another individual the way that Keith has poured into me. +x