We are a country filled with brilliant marketing people. Whenever someone thinks of a “gift” to give, the first thing that comes to one’s mind is something that he or she can buy at a store or online.

However,  my thinking is that the greatest gifts that you give to others are intangible. It may be as simple as the time that you spend with your loved ones (no money, just time) or a note of appreciation that you send to someone who did a good job. Better yet, you can give the gift of a trusted relationship.

In some of the previous posts, I mentioned that to build a strong relationship it takes a long time. However, the process is shortened if an introduction was made through a very trusted source. If you can connect people and extend the trust (for the right reasons!) you are saving time for both parties involved. New connections are great gifts. They may not be valued that way or they may not be wrapped in color paper but the value that they bring is huge.

The key is to keep connecting people without worrying about what is in it for us. I learnt this from one of my mentors –  Tim Sanders. You can read more about this and other insights from his landmark book Love is the killer app.

Quick best practices on connecting people:
a. Both parties should benefit. It should lead to a win-win relationship between them.
b. No personal gain to us. We are not in the brokering business when connecting people.
c. The connection should be relevant to both parties.
d. Introductory message (e.g. email) should clearly state what’s in it for both parties and also the fact that we have no personal interest in whatever is the outcome.

Thanks Tim. This lesson was a great gift from Tim Sanders and my life has changed forever after I learnt this.

Whenever you meet a person next, what if you start thinking about all the people that you can connect this person to – to create more win-win relationships. What if a few thousand people start doing this. The world would be a better place.

Thanks and all the best.