Keith Ferrazzi Asks Us to Help, So That We Can Get Helped Too

Keith Ferrazzi got us all energized this morning with a lesson that focused on one thing–human relationships. We were gathered for the Travora Publisher’s conference, about 100 members of the sales and tech force, the new CEO Nan Forte, and many travel publishers and mobile platform specialists. Ferrazzi works with General Motors and Goldman Sachs and one thing he introduced helped set his tone of people-to-people interaction.

“Let’s do a five minute professional and personal check-in,” he suggested. We turned to the people next to us and each of us, in groups of three, recited what was on our minds both in our jobs and in our family and personal lives. It indeed left us feeling refreshed, this little chance to share a few minutes about ourselves, and to know a former stranger’s mindset, and a little bit about them.

Then Ferrazzi encouraged us to begin to make a list of the people in our lifeline…human lifelines whom we could bounce ideas off, and people who we could offer to our help to. Why? Because the way to get almost anything in life, he said, is by giving. By reaching out and showing that we care, offering to solve someone else’s problems, herein lies the key to getting all of our problems solved in the process. Developing the nerve to ask someone if we can help them, steeling our nerve to perhaps, oh well, yeah, ask them to help us, and to build that strong group of advisors who will help us all steer our businesses better.

He said to make the list and even write down people with whom you don’t even have a relationship now. Think of who could help you, and especially, think the hardest about people who you can help. It’s magic.