I listen to a lot of motivational speakers, whether it’s at a special event, or on CD. A lot of them have the same kind of message: just work hard, seize your opportunities, and keep plugging away until you make it.
Max Siegel’s message at this past At The Top event wasn’t any different. Max worked hard. Max was in the right place at the right time. Max made good connections and worked his network.
But what was impressive about Max is that his dedication and commitment to success didn’t start out of college, it started when he was still a young boy. He worked at a Long John Silver just to have enough money to buy clothes that didn’t mark him as poor. He worked hard in school, but still found the time to hang out with his “wild” friends.”
And when he was in law school, he worked hard enough, not only to graduate from Notre Dame, but to also start a talent agency, representing gospel music artists like John P. Kee, which led to working for sports notables like San Diego Padres great, Tony Gwynn, and the Green Bay Packers “Minister of Defense,” Reggie White.
Ultimately, all of this led to Siegel’s becoming the president of Dale Earnhardt Incorporated (NASCAR’s biggest racing team and brand name), then the director of Drive For Diversity, NASCAR’s diversity program.
So what does this mean for us as networkers.
It basically means there are no shortcuts, no secrets, no quick results. Max Siegel didn’t get to be the president of DEI because he whipped out some business cards at a networking event. He didn’t see how many people he could meet in the hopes that they might do something for him.
Basically, Siegel took the time to find out what made people tick, and did what he could to help them succeed. In turn, his own success followed.
The lesson for us networkers is that if we want to succeed, we need to work longer and harder than 5:00. It means we’re getting in earlier than 8:00 (or God forbid, 9:00). It means you’re not watching out for yourself and what you can do only for you, it means seeing how you can help other people.
I had a chance to read Siegel’s book, Know What Makes Them Tick
, after hearing Max speak and saw that his lessons are ones we all need to learn if we’re to achieve any level of success, regardless of what that may be. Whether success means running your own department or your company, making a lot of money or spending a lot of time with family. Living by Siegel’s rules — show what’s in it for them, find your ambassadors, to name just a couple — will help you find the success you’re looking for.
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