Sunday, January 28, 2007

It's all about connections...

It’s all about connections.
I have heard this many times from various people, but working on the Bateman Team has really made me aware of just how true it is. Maybe it’s partly because the Athens community is rather small, especially in dealing with organizations and people involved in caregiving and aging, but everyone seems to be connected somehow.
My boss, Mickey Montevideo, president of MYM Marketing and Public Relations, Inc. has so many connections that sometimes it’s hard to believe. And she knows phone numbers like nobody I’ve ever met before. She has been a great help for us, giving us names of people who can provide us with information and resources. Mickey used to work at Athens Regional Medical Center along with Pam Bickley, with whom we are meeting tomorrow to discuss our “care fair” event next month. Also, a good friend of Mickey’s, Anne Hansen, works at the Northeast Georgia Area Agency on Aging. Anne also coordinated the In Their Shoes One-Day Walk for Breast Cancer that was held here in Athens in November. Mary Erlanger, a very involved community member and counselor specializing in elder counseling, was the keynote speaker at the walk’s honorary luncheon. We are trying to coordinate her involvement in our event as well.
These are just some of the contacts we have made that make me really see and understand that connections are so important…and people are very willing to help you out, especially when they know that someone they know directed you to them.

2 comments:

Karen Miller Russell said...

I hope you also noticed how much people are willing to help out when it's an issue they really care about. I know some students say they hate "networking," but what they really mean is they hate making small talk with professionals they don't know. Real networking is making the kinds of connections you're talking about.

Molly McFerran said...

You're very right about networking as small-talk not being fun. But REAL networking is great...it not only helps you but also the people you're talking with. When you can tell person B that person A referred you to them, it not only shows that you have done your research and have talked to people involved in the issue/topic, but it also shows person B that person A thinks highly of them...and who doesn't like that?