I actually had to ask someone what year it was yesterday. I can’t keep track of the day, month or year since this all started. But I can keep track of the many connections I have made even in though they have all been virtual.
Take a minute and count the number of connections you’ve made virtually over this past year and a half (or has it been longer)? I bet there are more than you realized and those connections happened in spite of, or maybe because of, a global pandemic keeping everyone physically distant.
So how did that happen? How were you able to continue being a Connector in a time when physical contact was discouraged and even dangerous? I have some ideas:
- Connectors adapt. When thrown a connecting curveball, Connectors go with the curve and shift the direction necessary to keep the connections going. You adapted to your new virtual environment and kept on connecting. That flexibility is what enables connectors to thrive in even the most challenging of circumstances.
- Connectors persevere. Let’s be honest, adapting to a new connecting environment wasn’t easy. But you kept at it, figured it out, and didn’t give up. This may be partly due to the mindset of abundance and a focus on the positive and the possibility. Or perhaps it was you leaning on the mindset of conscientiousness – you do what you say you are going to do, it just may get done a little differently.
- Connectors find a way. When that in-person conference you were registered for was cancelled, you found a way to connect with that community online. When you could no longer meet your new connection for coffee and conversation, you created a Zoom meeting and sent an them an invitation. You made it happen because you still prioritized the connections.
In-person connecting is coming back, but because of the circumstances we found ourselves in, we now have some amazing new connecting skills – how’s that for a silver lining!
