GIGO stands for Garbage in – and – Garbage out. It applies to the integrity of the data that you analyze, the food you prepare, and the gardens that you plant. Quality inputs have a higher chance of generating quality outputs.
How do we apply this in our daily lives? You walk into a restaurant and the bathroom is spotless, the air smells faintly of lavender….nice. And the assumption is that: yes, the kitchen too must be in good shape. I am excited to eat in this restaurant.
How about when you move into an apt, a home or a dorm room? Did the previous resident leave it clean or are you finding the dust bunnies everywhere and an unmatched paint color left on the wall where some big piece of furniture previously sat. I remember doing the walk-through for the first home we bought in Bergen County, New Jersey. You could smell the lemon-fresh Pinesol the minute you entered the home and every toilet had the scrubbing bubbles still perky and peaked. What pride, what TLC….the previous owners were moving elsewhere. The contract read broom-swept. These were people who cared about their surroundings even after they left. The message was “Welcome to this home.”
Shaping the next phases of my life, what message do I leave when I walk out of a meeting? Besides the professional capabilities that I bring to the table, do I come across as someone that would be fun to work with? Would I be empathetic to my associates? A team player? A quick learner?
A smart person can learn a new skill; a difficult person…. no matter how smart will be a diversion to the group.
How do we apply this to networking?
- Be nice
- Be generous
- Be sincere
We cannot get an employment offer from every potential interview, nor can we become the new best friend of everyone we meet…..however we can leave a memory that says: That’s a good person. If I can help them out, I will…..
And, when you can do that, all the other advice about networking has a chance of succeeding.
Ricki Lee Jones said “You Never Know When You’re Making a Memory”
Guest Blogger @AARPNY. Tweets all mine
Sharon Lewis 