By Charlotte Collins
The Brief
We often find our networking inspiration in unusual places, and this week is no exception. With the holiday season upon us, festive music is in the air and yuletide classics are on TV. While discussing our favorites, we realized that many of these holiday movies have a lot to teach us about building relationship capital. Read on and learn how to deck your halls with a stronger network.
We often find our networking inspiration in unusual places, and this week is no exception. With the holiday season upon us, festive music is in the air and yuletide classics are on TV. While discussing our favorites, we realized that many of these holiday movies have a lot to teach us about building relationship capital. Read on and learn how to deck your halls with a stronger network.
1. White Christmas
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The performers (played by Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen) leverage everything from word of mouth to the Ed Sullivan Show to put on a surprise tribute for their former commanding officer, General Waverly. This movie is a prime example of Adam Grant’s exhortation to use your connections for the good of a member of your network.
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2. It’s A Wonderful Life
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“No man’s a failure who has friends.” Enough said.
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3. A Christmas Carol
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If there was ever a stronger argument for the benefits of reciprocity and a healthy organizational network, we’d like to see it. Ebenezer Scrooge’s failure to “make mankind his business” (including helping to develop the career of his one employee, Bob Cratchit) has some pretty serious consequences.
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4. Home Alone
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Communication is key to a strong network (and childcare). Business relationships require nurturing; even simply congratulating a contact on a promotion or deal—or, you know, foiling a couple of bandits—can pay dividends down the line.
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Everyone needs a little help sometimes. Don’t be afraid to ask for favors from people in your network; you’ll actually look smarter for doing so. Remember, “if you can sing alone, you can sing in front of other people.”
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5. Elf
6. Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas
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Who’s willing to do a favor for the Grinch? Not many people, we can presume. If you’re looking for value in your relationship capital, you’ve got to put in the work, too. A smile, favor and compliment or pleasantry can go a long way in keeping your relationships happy. You’d be surprised how magnetic (and contagious) these small actions can be!
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7. A Charlie Brown Christmas
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Your connections are not one-size-fits-all. Your network is made up of individuals—Lucys, Violets, Schroeders, Linuses, and, yes, Charlie Browns. Value each relationship for the unique lessons it can teach you. And don’t be afraid of the dog germs.
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Charlotte Collins is a New-York-City-based freelance writer. This is her first post for this blog.
RelSci is a technology solutions company that helps create competitive advantage for organizations through a crucial yet vastly underutilized asset: relationship capital with influential decision makers.
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