How to Connect with Success and Make It Look Easy

By Sandy Schroeder

Over the years, I have enjoyed knowing a friend from school who has always been a master of the art of connection. In college, while others surged around and often collided, he was already lining up his targets for future success. Even then he skillfully assessed every situation and found the best connections to move forward.

Using those skills, he excelled in academics and leadership, and then went on to climb the career steps, collecting a PhD and moving into a leadership fundraising role at the university level. Through it all, he kept his balance and never let success change who he was. In all of the time that I have known him I have never seen him lose his cool.  While his friends were just figuring out what they wanted to do, he moved forward to make success look easy.

Some of his key traits may be worth examining as career clues for success.

Keep your sense of humor - When life becomes tough, tight or tiring, try to see the funny side, and keep on going. Use your sense of humor to connect with people and smooth out situations wherever you are.

Keep readjusting your focus - Be flexible. Be open to everything that is happening. As you work toward your goals, be aware of what is going on around you that could open doors for you.

Hang onto your friends - No matter where you go across the country or around the world, stay in touch with your friends. They form a rich fabric of memories and support that is really unmatched. Make the effort to hold onto it and be richer for it.

Work hard and then work a little harder - My friend invested the time to collect degrees, and to spend many hours polishing his skills in the academic word. He never complained, and made it look easy, but he logged in a lot of miles in the air and on the road making all sorts of events happen.

Define your goals and do the homework - Be as clear as you can about what you want. Then look closely at people in the field to see what it really takes, matching your skills to the job. If you need some extra work to write better, become a better speaker, or develop some other skill that is needed, take the time and make it happen.

Wherever you want to go, and whatever you want to be, don't give it up. Just stay focused and keep moving.

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