I had a great conversation with Kyle McGuffin about something he’s interested in, and in the process, I learned a few things about Kyle. He’s a loving father who really appreciates his girls. He’s a former national level athlete who represented his whole country in soccer. And he knows a lot of the same people I know.
Kyle’s last name, McGuffin, means something like an object or something that’s used as a major plot trigger. “What’s in the case? You’ve gotta return whatever’s in the case. Oh no! They’ve sent assassins to retrieve the case.” (The case is the McGuffin). He was surprised that I knew what the word meant (I learned it because it was a major favorite method of Alfred Hitchcock).
On all and any of these points (and a few more), Kyle and I were able to find connections and bonds. I have some enterprise technology background that connects us. We both have a passion for the digital channel.
What I left the conversation thinking was this:
Business, when done right, feels like a great conversation where we learn about each other, and where we finish it off by deciding to do it again sometimes.
This gets missed. It gets missed when we’re fighting to hit a number. It gets missed when we get rushed. It gets missed for myriad reasons. But that’s not how it has to be. HUMAN business is about making connections with the people you intend to work with that leave you feeling like you hope you know the person long after any actual business has transacted.
When you’re fortunate to serve the community you love, that’s what happens.
Now, imagine telling this to someone whose job it is to dial 25-50 people a day and book ten appointments. Imagine selling this mindset to a company who is watching its revenue get eaten on all sides. There’s nothing easy about pushing for a relationship-minded business core. And yet, it’s how things get done best in my experience.
Great talking with you, Kyle, and this post? Well, maybe it’s the McGuffin in our story.
Special thanks to Forbes magazine for naming Human Business Works one of the 100 Best Websites for Entrepreneurs.