President's Corner - June 2021
The principle I want to touch on this month is Building Relationships. We build and nurture relationships in our lives every day. We connect with people ranging from family, friends, coworkers, and those we casually come in contact with throughout our day. Some of those relationships may be short-lived, like the grocery clerk who loves the same kind of ice cream you bought for your secret stash or the potential client you made a pitch to today. Others are long-term relationships that you hold dear and work to maintain.
In 1945, Franklin D Roosevelt said, “If civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships – the ability of all peoples, of all kinds, to live together, in the same world at peace”. There have been many studies that show the human need to connect is truly a biological need – we are wired for it. Even the status of relationships between countries in this world comes down to the connection between individuals. What a world it would be if those relationships could be productive and positive.
How do you build and maintain positive relationships? Are you someone described as “know-no-stranger,” and can make anyone feel like you have known them for years? Though I am quite extroverted, that is not me. I am not the one looking forward to walking into a room of strangers and meeting people. Over the years, I have become more comfortable with it and I always recite my mantra of, “20 seconds of uncomfortable,” and push forward to introduce myself, and typically, things go smoothly from there.
We have all heard of the six degrees of separation that describe the idea that all people on average are six, or fewer, social connections away from each other. I have learned to search for that connection usually beginning with a shared interest. ATHENA has given me a tremendous opportunity to meet people who share my interest to support women’s leadership – it takes very few steps to find common ground in those cases. I have also found that by being open about my passions, I have connected with people who I wouldn’t have thought shared them. It takes a little courage sometimes to bridge the topic that you think may get pushback, but that is how true conversation can begin.
I am also an avid golfer and a member of the LPGA Women’s Amateur Golf Association (emphasis on amateur). I just returned from a tournament where I met women who are now in my contact list because of our shared interest in golf. Everything from CPAs to business owners but that isn’t what connected us first. It was the common ground of golf.
My advice here is to follow your passions and the relationships will come with it. I have made lifelong friends and grown my ability to build positive relationships from my family, my career with General Motors, my work with ATHENA, and my interest in golf. What passions will you follow to find your healthy, growing relationships? Whatever it is, hit them long and straight and bring another woman along with you!