By Peter Jeff
The Leadership Mints Guy

Here’s an idea to help you leverage your contacts. Reading time: 2:54

The little girl dove into the recently chemically cleaned swimming pool and rubbed her eyes. “Oweee, Oweee,” the 4-year-old screamed. “My eyes burn.”

Chlorine can be caustic by itself and in high concentration dangerous. But if you combine chlorine with sodium the resulting compound is something you enjoy on popcorn and hundreds of others foods. Something very tasty and zesty. Normal table salt. Sodium chloride.

Same elements. Different connection. Different association. Different affinity.

Making new connections. That’s what leaders do. They make connections that turns potentially dangerous elements into creatively productive solutions.

New Connections

They take something pure and add a new connection, a new element, and make what was once pure even more valuable and viable in much the same way sugar looks brighter in a blue package.

Consider sterling silver. It is not pure silver. Pure silver would be too soft for use as table ware. So sterling silver is mixed with copper. Leaders make that critical and creative copper connection.

Consider 24-karat gold. It is not pure gold. Pure gold would be too soft for use as rings. So 24-karat gold is mixed with copper. Leaders make that critical and creative copper connection.

In their drive to make those connections, leaders feed—and feed off of Continue reading →