Frances Drake courtesy of lisby1
Homework and research are always important. And never moreso than when you’re trying to build an important relationship – community-based or otherwise. Because no great thing in history was ever done by just one person. It takes a community of friends, family, colleagues, contacts, mentors, and clients to make real change happen. Today, we’re going to talk about doing homework and listening so that you and your community can know the most. Because, hey, knowing the most about something – anything – is a starting point for a great relationship.
But first, let’s talk about pirates. In 1573, Sir Francis Drake did his homework and, consequently, positioned himself to perfectly pillage one of the most powerful Spanish ports in the Caribbean.In the ultimate example of cross-functional, inter-cultural, and multi-dimensional relationship building, Sir Francis Drake gathered enough information from a group of French sailors (Le Testu was the name of their leader – unfortunately, he was caught, tortured and killed following the heist), cimarrones (escaped slaves who had no love for the Spanish), and also from secret English documents that divulged important Spanish trade routes to pillage the Caribbean port of Nombre de Dios. In the end, according to Samuel Baulf, “in gold alone the raiders had seized some 100,000 pesos (the peso was worth eight shillings three pence of English money)…and including gems and what silver they managed to recover, the total value of the haul was likely in excess of £40,000.” And here’s the kicker: Drake and his boys stole over 15 tons of silver. Drake knew all their was to know about the port, which, Angus Konstam argues, resulted in a watershed moment for the Spanish Main: “attacks by Sir Francis Drake proved Nombre de Dios too vulnerable to pirates.”
The takeaway from this story: Robert H. Schuller says, “spectacular achievement is always preceded by spectacular preparation.” Being well prepared will always show your value at interviews, meetings, conferences, events, and when organizing amazing activities in and for your community. Sure, this might be common sense, but it’s not common practice. Here are some key things to consider when doing some research about people who work in organizations, businesses, and communities with which you might want to collaborate:
- What is the person – or people – like as a human being? Keith Ferrazzi starts with the basics (ie. this question) for a reason: “whom you meet, how you meet them, and what they think afterward should not be left to chance.” So, when preparing for a meeting or encounter with someone, find out what’s important to them – hobbies, challenges, goals (inside their organization or business and out). Just use your judgment and draw a firm line between “researching” and “stalking” someone.
- Be up to date with trends and issues that affect the person and their community. Is the organization launching a new product or service? Did they have a good year or a bad year? Where do they want to take their organization in the next year? And, most importantly, how will you help them? What are you going to do to add value to their experience and their goals for the future? Relationships are about giving, and you should always strive to give more than you get – so find out what you can offer!
- Use Your Network. Like minded people tend to gravitate to, um, other like minded people. So, think about the people who work and operate in the places you want to go and then think about the people that you know who might know those people. Introductions and opportunities are much, much easier to set up when a person has been “warmed” to your presence by a mutual friend or acquaintance.
- Be cool. Recent findings show that the best conversations do not involve people – in business “people” are called
Chairs – courtesy of Bes Z
stakeholders” – who remember what was talked about but actually who the people were sharing the conversation. Having a grasp of – and opinions about – popular culture, food, art, sports, current events, and a collection of “fun facts” will make the meeting interesting and you more memorable.
- Ask great questions. Great research creates great questions. And, when meeting an important contact for the first time your questions should always be prefaced by information found on websites and commonly read publications. After all, if your question can be answered by a website then why are you taking time to chat with a real live person anyway? Being more interested than interesting is reflected by the content and creativity of questions.
Here are some places where you can begin doing some relationship-building homework:
- The Internet – there is a lot of great stuff on here; begin by Googling a person’s name or organization or, if you want to get a little abstract, check out something like Personas; and get used to following people and organizations on Twitter.
- Public Libraries – in spite of popular BC Government opinion, they still have value! Check out books, articles, magazines, etc. about the people you want to meet.
- Annual reports – most companies and non-profits have ’em somewhere, and they provide a great synopsis of what challenges and opportunities lie ahead for an organization.
- Newspapers and Magazines – check out these “print” publications to find ideas, issues and trends that are consistently juxtaposed to the people (or types of people) you want to meet.
- Your Network – ask your friends, family and colleagues about who and what they know.
To quote Mr. Ferrazzi, “all people naturally care, generally above and beyond anything esle, about what it is they do. If you are informed enough to step comfortably into their world and talk knowledgeably, their appreciation will be tangible.” And to quote Sir Francis Drake, “there must be a beginning of any great matter, but the continuing unto the end until it be thoroughly finished yields true glory.”
And the beginning of any great relationship – like with any great matter – involves research. We’ll continue unto the end with later articles. Good luck and have fun with your homework as you begin it!