CONNECTING WITH PEOPLE
If you are looking to invest in your growth as a leader I would like to make you aware of one of my favorite leadership events each year, Leadercast. This transformational event will be held on May 5th this year.
Leadercast was recently named by Forbes as one leadership conference you don’t won’t to miss in 2017.
Each year I come away inspired with a notebook full of new insights to help me grow and successfully overcome the challenges that leaders face.
The year’s theme is, “Powered By Purpose”. This event will inspire you and encourage you in your growth as a leader and a person. You will learn at the feet of leaders who are known around the world for their accomplishments and leadership abilities.
This one-of-a-kind event will be broadcast live from Atlanta and simulcast into communities across the globe. For more details and to register check out their site: Leadercast.com
In anticipation of this year’s Leadercast event I am re-posting some of my favorite content from past events. Below are my notes from John Maxwell’s 2010 talk.
Connecting with People
- Would you like to influence your boss?
- If you could gain influence with people it would increase your leadership abilities.
Leadership=Influence, nothing more nothing less!
- Many people talk to people, but don’t connect with people.
- If you think you are leading but look behind yourself to see if anyone is following you. If not, you are just taking a walk.
Connecting=ability to identify with and relate to people in such a way that it increases our influence with them!
- How do you connect with others?
1. Connecting is all about others: if we are going to connect effectively with others we must realize it is not about us, it is all about others.
- If you help other people get what they want, they will help you get you what you want. Zig Ziglar
- Early on I was trying to get people to help me, I had it backwards, I had to turn it around, and begin to help others first then my success rate started to change.
Put others first!
- If you are at the top all alone, you are not a leader, you have no followers.
- Connect with people where they are.
- Get off mountain and go to where people are and then take them up the mountain with you. Then you have accomplished something as a leader.
Leaders never cross finish line first because they are bringing others along with them, it is a little slower, but that is what leadership is all about.
- When you are younger your are immature, you are more selfish, think of self first, like a little child. This should not still be the case in adulthood, but it is still the case for many aspiring leaders and it is a road block to their success as a leader.
It’s Not About You!
- True connectors understand this statement.
- It is all about others.
- Must committed to always think of others first.
When you become leader you give up your rights to think of yourself first!
2. Connecting requires energy: we must work hard at it, if you are good at connecting you must spend effort and energy to accomplish connecting with others.
- You must do it intentionally.
- You must exert an effort to connect.
- It takes more energy and effort with some people than others.
- As soon as you get married you have a powered outage, prior to marriage expend lots of energy connecting, after wedding vows are said you quit working at it in many cases.
- Connectors understand that if they are going to connect they will have to give it a lot of effort, give it a lot of energy.
Who do you have to expend a lot of extra effort and extra energy with in order to really connect with them?
Connectors find common ground
- Connectors are constantly looking for common ground.
- Connection is based on similarity, not difference.
- If we ate lunch together, I would ask questions looking for common ground and then camp out there because that is how I connect with people. Find common ground and build from there.
- I find common ground then I take them to higher ground over time.
- Once you find common ground you can elevate them to higher ground by connecting with them where they are currently.
- Walk slowly through crowd in order to connect with people, notice people, take time to recognize them and appreciate them. These are some keys to connecting with people.
- Care for people!
- Be open.
- Strive to be open with our lives.
We can make a choice not to be open, we can stiff arm people and keep them at a distance. This method will keep people from hurting you, but they won’t help you either.
Go out and increase your influence with others!
Below are a selection of some of John’s best selling books:
Grab Your Free
Leadership Reading Guide
©2025 Learning To Lead | Helping Good Leaders Become Great Leaders