Aloha, London-style

This is one of those days when I can't help but think that everything happens for a reason.

One of the high points of my last visit to the UK was catching up with Adrian Trenholm, who I met through Rosa Say and her (our?) Ho‘ohana community.  Rosa is a "maven" in the truest spirit of "Tipping Point" and she has a habit of connecting people like me and Adrian.  And Adrian brought along his friend James from Redmonk,  who's an analyst in the industry I work in, and we delighted in sparring over a few bottles of nice wine.  Loved it.

As I listened to Keith Ferrazzi's "Never Eat Alone" on the drive home last night, I couldn't help but think how influential the "connectors" of the world have been on my life, and how I would like to develop my skills in this area.  One of the blocks I have to being a better connector is that I am naturally introverted, which means I gravitate toward analytical, internal thought more than outward communication and collaboration.

As I pondered how I could become more like the extroverts I admire, I stumbled across Steve Pavlina's excellent post on "How To Go From Introvert To Extrovert."  Wow - that was cool.

In my "everything happens for a reason", it feels like I'm being nudged toward changing my habits to act more like a connector.  Thanks, mavens.

Comments

[Dave]

After reading your post at Talking Story, "Refuse to be defined by your day part," I suspect you might be a bit more extroverted than you give yourself credit for.

I believe one answer to becoming more of a connector lies in your blog's very name. Curiousity. At least in my case, the more I learn of others, the more I want to connect them to those who could use their help or those who could help them.

I think asking questions to feed my curiousity has actually helped me overcome my introversion. (at least head in the opposite direction)

[Dwayne Melancon]

Dave, from an information processing perspective, I'm definitely *not* and extrovert. I'm usually good once I get to know people, but it's the getting started that's the trick - making the first move is uncomfortable for me.

The more I learn comfortable extrovert-like techniques, the better I get at the whole networking thing.

I also love your post about being the guy that follows rock stars around and meets people that way. And I want one of those Slacker Manager shirts ;^)