The Power of Connection

If you watched Bradley and Lady Gaga’s performance of Shallows on Oscars this year, you felt the shear electricity between them. If you didn’t watch it, please do. Connection is everything. The connection between these two, in this performance, is undeniable.

Connection is just as important in business, and often underestimated. We know you understand the importance of relationships, it’s the establishment of those relationships that is the hard part and doesn’t seem as well understood. Every relationship begins by establishing some sort of initial connection. Too many people try to judge the person based on some metric either in how they look, what they know about them, or their reputation. We get it, no one wants to waste their time talking to someone, or establishing a connection that will go nowhere. How will you know where it might go if you don’t give a true effort? Creating a connection comes at the start and not later. In the instance of Bradley and Gaga, Gaga could have easily written Bradley off as having no capacity of being able to sing and contribute to her masterpiece. She opened the door and her mind because they had a connection, which gave Bradley confidence and contributed to his ability to perform at the level needed.

When you look around your office, go to your next networking event, or have dinner with friends or colleagues, consider how deepening your connection might expose new capabilities and opportunities.