LinkedIn.com is one of my favorite sites on the Internet. It ’ s like Facebook.com or MySpace.com , but for professionals who want to nurture their Shortcuts. You go online, sign up, and begin linking to college friends you haven ’ t spoken to in a long time but with whom you blew beer out of your nose in 1978. You link to former coworkers, no matter how long ago you lost track of them, and no
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matter where they are. If they are on LinkedIn.com , and you have entered your work experience and education data into the forms, you can fi nd these people and rekindle the magic you had with them when they were present in your life. The big bonus is that you also become linked to the people they are linked to. This second tier of contacts now become acquaintances through a sort of cyber “ Oh - yeah - I - know - Steve - too - how - do - you - know - him? ” kind of con- nection. There ’ s even a third tier, of those who are linked to the sec- ond tier. In my own case, thanks to the more than 200 people I am currently linked to, I have a reach of about 14,000 people through my second tier, and a whopping 1.5 million people through the third tier. This is Shortcut - tending on steroids, if you do it right.
When I fi rst went onto LinkedIn.com , at the urging of a client who was already on it, I couldn ’ t believe how much fun I could have inviting people back into my life. What is even more fun is how excited they usually are that we ’ re connected again. As I become reacquainted with these people and what they do, my Shortcut list has grown, and life is very good. It has taught me to take care of those who take care of me.
Let me share with you how a certain Shortcut in my life works for me. It ’ s very simple. My great friend, Realtor Nancy Brauer, has been part of my life for about 15 years now. She has helped me fi nd a few houses during the time we have known each other. Before I bought the house I currently live in, she talked me out of buying a different house. Either I wasn ’ t ready, she would say, or the mar- ket wasn ’ t ready. She kept telling me, “ When it ’ s time, it ’ s time, and it ’ s not time. ” That went on for about three years — think about it, a realtor talking someone out of spending money with her.
My trust level for her went sky high. She helped me get into the great house I now live in. One of the things I learned during the inspection of the house was that the roof would need to be replaced. So I negotiated a bit of money for that, and planned to replace the roof when the time came. Well, the time came just a few months after I moved in. I called Nancy and asked, “ If you were replacing your roof, who would you ask to do it? ” She said,
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136 BE A SHORTCUT
“ Bernie Reitz, hands down. He ’ s a little expensive, but well worth the investment. ”
Well, I knew I wanted the roof to be classy and high quality, so I called Bernie and got an estimate — not an estimate for the faint of heart, mind you. What Bernie didn ’ t know was that I wasn ’ t bidding him against any other roofer. Why? Because one of my Shortcuts had already done the homework over her years in the real estate market and had become an expert in all things related to home maintenance and repair. She was my Shortcut. She was my go - to person. And if you asked me today for the name of a Realtor, Nancy Brauer is the name I would give you. Incidentally, she just retired, so her Realtor recommendation to her clients and friends like me will be worth millions to the lucky few Nancy dubs to be queen of her sphere. That ’ s how infl uential Shortcuts become in our lives.
It ’ s important to nurture out network of “ Nancys ” because they give us the freedom to become the Shortcut we wish to be. Do the following exercise; it will give you clues about how you want to be perceived as a Shortcut. But, fi rst, think about the Shortcuts you currently use.
Exercise
With your favorite Shortcut in mind, list three to fi ve attri- butes that make him or her a great Shortcut:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
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Next list three to fi ve ways this Shortcut makes you feel : 1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Now take the list of those “ back - room ” people from the
“ Unload the Overload ” chapter. They are your Shortcuts.
Take a few minutes and think how you ’ ll deliberately take care of them. For example, I send a simple “ thinking about you ” e-mail to my Shortcuts. I try to send about fi ve a week, one per day. If you ’ re a high achiever, you can send handwritten notes. Nothing says “ I care about you ” more than that. There are countless small things you can do to stay connected. Get deliberate about it. Use the chart here to fi ll your thoughts:
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138 BE A SHORTCUT