Our society has put up way too many walls. It is safer and easier that way, protected from the tough world we witness every day. The downside is that these barriers hold us back from growth, both personally and professionally.
Recently, I heard a podcast by Brené Brown where she said, “Connection is why we are here…” Forming connections and creating deep relationships is easier than we make it. To build trust, one must authentically open up and be honest. Unfortunately, many people are guarded and believe others have ulterior motives. When people realize that you are being genuine they themselves start to be that way with you.
At J2, relationships are very important to us. We have built our business on it. 96% of our clients are repeat clients because of the deep authentic relationships we have built with our clients, consultants, and the community.
Trust is a two-way street. Too many people wait for the other person to initiate a relationship. When I reach out to someone, people are usually shocked at how open I can be. For me it’s an opportunity to break down walls, an opportunity to get to know someone, and an opportunity to learn something new along the way. This is how I have personally grown and how our business continues to grow. Building trust requires someone to be the first person to reach out. I encourage you to be the first one to open up.
What walls are you willing to break down in order to grow yourself and your business?
“I like to build bridges… not walls.” –Óscar Arias
Happy hammering.
—Vijay
About Friday Food for Thought (FFfT)
I frequently attend conferences and retreats on entrepreneurship and leadership and while I am away, the J2 team picks up the slack, allowing me to learn to be better at what I do. I wanted to share what I was learning with my team, so I created the weekly FFfT emails in November of 2015 and have been writing them ever since.
Before long, the J2 staff began sharing the FFfT emails with their friends and family and now other leaders have asked to be included, which led to the creation of this newsletter. I hope you enjoy!