While recently at the Rotary International Convention I was catching up on things on my phone. Soon a guy sat down across from me.
After a bit he said, “Hi, I’m George.” I responded and he took that as his opening. He’s from Uganda and runs a non-profit that helps provide medical and surgical services for kids with heart diseases.
One thing I’ve learned is Rotarians in developing countries have no problem approaching people from developed countries to do a project to benefit their community. Bashful? No. Pushy? Maybe a little. Passionate? Double yes.
There are lessons in this including:
- Don’t be afraid to ask for business, referrals, or anything else when you feel what you have benefits others.
- Pick up the phone. Yes, in this age of text, email, etc. the phone is still the best, not counting online or in-person meetings.
- On my desk I have a note saying, “Aggressive, Shameless, Faster, and Edgy.” It constantly reminds me to be on top of my game.
When I met George it reminded me of my good friend Cordel Josiah in Antigua. He approached a Rotary friend of mine visiting his club. We’ve made tremendous impact in Antigua’s education system, all because he was willing to approach someone.
‘I would like to see the pumpkin spice craze drowned in its own blood.” Anthony Bourdain