A few years ago, I heard one of my business mentors of inestimable worth, Niyi Adesanya, say that “success is based on your relationships.” I have found that to be very true. If you have good relationships with powerful people, you too will become powerful!
To fulfil purpose, you need to be a problem-solver; you need to have a solution and a platform to execute your solution. You need a lamp and a lampstand.
Solutions are rooted in skills and relationships are the most strategic platforms. You don’t need to serve everybody. Just serving one powerful person can earn you a fortune and attract the attention of the crowd to you. To unlock the big platforms that you desire, you need to establish strategic relationships and service them accordingly.
Relationships are established based on the exchange of value in the form of little favours. Our labours are never enough. At best, they help us to survive; but to succeed, we all need favours. This is why we establish relationships. But whether people will be interested in having a relationship with you or not is determined by the value that you bring to the table.
Do you know that by just being in the presence of someone, you are stripping him of his privacy? By talking to him, you are placing a demand on his listening ability – he has to give you his ears. The problem is even amplified if he is busy with something else that he considers more important or he is just not in the mood to listen. To get him committed, you must have a strong reason that is not self-centred.
We will always have problems but rather than expecting others to solve our problems for us, we must first think of solving theirs for them. Consider any person that many people look up to today, they are solving other people’s problems – not just their own.
Skilful men have the capacity to do favours to powerful men. Because of this, kings have no choice than to favour them. This is how strategic relationships are earned and sustained.
In the royal chronicles of Israel, it is obvious that David did a favour to Saul by killing Goliath because to Saul and the entire Israeli army, Goliath was a big deal. The Goliath episode was the beginning of David’s relationship with Saul. It also marked his transition from the wilderness to the palace (the big platform).
By interpreting the king’s dream, Joseph did a favour to Pharaoh. Although he did it quite easily, that dream was a big deal to Pharaoh and the entire wise men and magicians of Egypt. Joseph’s favour of Pharaoh established his relationship to the throne. Previously, his platform was the prison.
What problems do you observe among people? What array of skills do you have to solve both small and big problems? What strategic relationships are you building with your skills?
If you must climb fast and far, you must be known for the problems that you are solving. When it is said in the corridors of power that “I know a man,” let that man be you!
That is why you need to be consistent. Don’t give up just because things are not working the way you planned. Kings are not merely interested in you because you are good at what you do, they want to know how good you are!
Therefore, every skilful man needs to master his skill and establish a track record through continuous output and improvement. This is what gains him the trust of the public and the powerful. Skills get you attention; track record gets you traction!
BRIGHT UKWENGA
Ukwenga is an esteemed Author, Conference Speaker, Leadership Development Consultant, and the CEO, ScribeTribe an innovative media and publishing enterprise helping individual and corporate brands to express their ideas creatively and effectively.
