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Power of Action, Action with Power

I had lunch with an accomplished and respected member of the Nashville Technology community today....we'll call him Joe (not his real name). We discussed action items for a committee that combines the local business and educational worlds.

Sort of an oil and water situation (business world and education world) but we will succeed. This, however, is not the topic I want to discuss.

In the course of our lunch, I requested that Joe send an introductory email to another member of the Nashville business world, a man I had actually met the day before...we'll call him Ike. Joe reminded me that he had, just the day before, introduced me to Ike. The setting was frenetic and I did not speak to Ike long. It was possible Ike might not remember me, as I had not told any inappropriate jokes or made any overt comments (my standard calling card).

I had Ike's card, with his email, and could have easily shot off an email. It would have been the typical, and very general, "I met you, we should see how we can help each other, etc." The email equivalent of white noise.

So...what's my point?

Well...at the lunch with Joe, I learned quite a bit about Ike. I had uncovered a commonality and a pending event, neither of which I knew before. Now I could get a referral and follow up instantly with an exact and specific request for a meeting, one that would have a common benefit for both myself and Ike.

For the next few minutes I thought of the power of blind action versus precise action. It's the difference between white noise, and music.

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