Wallace Design Collective

Not too long ago, I formed a new relationship with a client who was in the market for a consultant with national retail experience. I thought to myself, “Wow, I am lucky. Good thing I decided to sit in that seat that day”. But as the relationship with the client progressed and the more I thought about it; I started to add up the facts. First, my high school softball coach always used to say, “Luck is when opportunity meets preparation.”, so I wasn’t so much as lucky, as I was prepared. I have been marketing and networking for years and all my participation at events and on committees was starting to pay off. Second and more importantly, someone gave me an opportunity and a chance to step up to the plate. This to me was the more important experience I gained. I realized that along the way we’re all working so hard at finding opportunities that we forget to stop and remember what it’s like to give opportunities.

Undoubtedly the person at the top of the ladder has worked hard to get there, but they also had some help along the way. As leaders and experienced professionals in the community we owe it to the younger crowd to nurture the growth of our successors. Why not work on giving and growing those around us and in turn  become a stronger company and community.

So this brings me to the portion of my rah, rah, blog speech…I charge people to think about the ways that they can give someone a chance. Maybe it’s not as monumental as handing out new contracts, but spending a few minutes at a networking event to introduce a new member to the president of an organization, or candidly talking with a student about what it takes to have a successful interview, or even just passing along an email and putting in a good word for someone. It’s amazing what these gestures can do for someone, and after all, someone helped us. Why not pay it forward to the next group of emerging professionals.