A group of Business Edge people recently went on a retreat where we discused the topic of “Intentional Influence”.
I came across this article, with reference to a person we know as the founder of Facebook.. it is insightful however and worth a read.
‘Mr Zuckerberg talks about how his goal this year is to travel to visit every state in America that he hasn’t been to before – with the focus of learning about how people think about work and communities.
So far, one of his biggest findings has been this – the most powerful influence on a person’s life is the people they surround themselves with.
When he visited Ohio, he met with recovering heroin addicts. They told him that the first step in getting clean is to detox the drug from your system. The second step is to detox from your friends – and get completely new ones. Building new relationships is the most important predictor of staying clean.
One of his paragraphs was particularly insightful. He wrote,
“Facebook has been focused on helping you connect with people you already know. We’ve built A 1 systems to recommend “People You May Know”.
But it might be just as important to also connect you with people you SHOULD know — mentors and people outside your circle, who care about you, and can provide a new source of support and inspiration.”We know this in sports – we have coaches.
We know this in business – we have mentors.
Business Edge makes a point of providing pastoral care and support (aka Mentors) along with facilitating ‘others’ who have expertise in certain fields to provide expert opinions or advice. However as a community of believers we also have a responsibility to mentor, connect with, listen to, and pray for our fellow marketplace ministers.. The Business Edge Members Prayer system is a unique and powerful tool… you SHOULD reach out and add value to someone’s day by taking the time to encourage them.! (just sayin)
Scripture says that “those who water others will themselves be watered ( enriched) ‘ Proverbs 11:25.
It involves a level of humility to accept that we need to hear others, without them needing to hear us. It’s not always a pleasant feeling to admit that the voices we like, aren’t always the voices we need.
And it’s even more humbling to admit that the voice of Zuckerberg was needed to make that clear.!
Business Edge: https://businessedge.org.
nz Mentor: denis@businessedge.
org.nz
