It’s about the things we know as networkers; listening, kindness, acknowledgement and friendliness.
I’ve had incidents in my life that I didn’t think much of at the time and yet they ‘felt’ different. Here are two incidents that illustrate the power of being genuine.
Many years ago after finishing a business trip in NYC, I was taking a bus home to visit my parents in South Jersey. A female friend/colleague and I boarded a bus at the station in NYC. I was in a particularly good mood because it was Friday and I was going home for the weekend, and so I greeted the bus driver with a big smile and said, “Hi, how are you today?” He grumbled something as my friend and I proceeded to our seats at the back of the bus. Before I knew it, the bus driver was standing in front of me at my seat and for a moment I thought something was wrong. It seemed odd that the driver had followed us to our seats and left the bus door unattended as others were boarding. Nothing was wrong. He said hello to me and something to the effect of “you should have told me, I would have given you a free ticket.” Then he went back up front to the driver’s seat.
My friend and I were dumbfounded. It came out of the blue. (I still don’t know what I should have told him; I didn’t know him). I simply greeted the driver in a friendly manner and you might have thought I handed him a million dollars! Ah, the power of being genuine. Now, mind you I am normally a friendly, outgoing person, but I have my moods. Greeting him this way was not pre-planned or forced. It was natural and it was genuine. The simple act of greeting someone who must see thousands of people in a week on his bus route revealed the power. I didn’t connect it then that simply being genuine and acknowledging someone else in such a small way could go so far!
While out to breakfast, I commented on our waitress’s beautiful earrings and we had a very brief conversation about their origin. Not thinking anything of it other then being genuinely interested in what she had to say I was shocked when she brought my food to me and whispered that she had given me a free Danish! This is crazy, the power of it all! Free Danish! Free bus ticket in New York City! I’m onto something!
It’s the power of being genuine! We all have the power within us! It’s no trick or secret. It is not premeditated. When you receive a positive reaction to your positive action or an unsolicited, unexpected reciprocation that’s when you know you are genuine. Are genuine acts always reciprocated? No, but you can feel their power still. You will know it when you have touched someone. It’s all about being genuinely interested in other people. It’s about approaching life with a happy face! It’s about the things we know as networkers; listening, kindness, acknowledgement and friendliness. It can be as easy as breathing. It’s a choice. You can choose to live your life this way. It’s understanding the power and using it in an authentic way. It must never be faked. It must never be a means to an end. Make it fun, make it light. Be yourself. Enjoy and be interested in others and they will return the favor.