ConnectI start off with a cliché I use often: “It’s not what you know, but rather who you know.” Solid relationships are the secret to our success personally and professionally.

My relationships have always been so very precious, but I am now realizing how truly important they are as I grow more mature. I now enjoy more success than ever before, not because I’m smarter or wiser. It’s because I have an incredible support system, my wonderful friends and associates, who support me in my efforts. They provide credibility for me that I could never buy or negotiate. And it’s sincere – it’s real. There are no hidden mirrors!

Allow me to offer a personal example of how strong relationships can work in your favor. A friend who owns her own firm developed trust in me as a person and a professional. She came to me and offered me a huge opportunity. “Linda, I’m ready. Break me and remake me!” Our relationship has grown stronger in every respect.

Following are five ways to tap into the power of relationships for super success:

  1. Focus on Quantity. The more people you know, the more personal and professional leverage you will have.
  2. Focus on the Quality. The more profoundly deep, intimate and trusting your relationships are, the more personal and professional leverage you have.
  3. Create a Relationship List. You must know who the givers are in your life. One of the most effective success principles for work and for life, is also one of the least followed: “give to your givers.”
  4. Add Fresh Blood to Your List. Sometimes a relationship list can get stale and inbred. It’s an excellent idea to periodically insert a fresh person who is completely outside your current social circle into the cream of your crop.
  5. Create a Relationship Action Plan. Now that you have a gorgeous and updated list of the givers in your life, it’s time to have a proactive strategy for how you will turn that garden into an abundant harvest of joy and prosperity.

If you would like more elaboration, check out this informative blog.

BBankerNow, for my very close-to-the-heart relationship example, but first, let me disclose that any time I feature someone, I first ask for their permission and allow them to see what I intend to write. This time, however, I am not sharing my testimonial with my featured friend, as I know she would not want me to put her on a pedestal. She is simply too humble to allow accolades to be paid her.

I refer to none other than Barbara Banker. When Barbara was created, God threw out the mold! It is with pride that I can call Barbara “my friend”.

A little history about Barbara – She and her beloved deceased husband, Cal, had a successful business, Williams Insulation. Barbara was very active in the community while active in their business, and continued involvement after the sale of the business. She has had an indelible impact on both homebuilders and the military with her dedicated support of their causes and she remains devoted to the Rotary Club of San Antonio. Barbara has one daughter, five grandchildren, and 10++ great-grandchildren, all of whom she loves and adores.

But, my focus for this article is on her immense resource of friends and relationships. I am struck by the diversity of women who attended an event in her honor a couple of years ago. There were women she knows socially and politically, through her active involvement with the military and in construction, for her leadership in the community, and the list goes on. Barbara has accumulated friends and admirers from all walks of life. In fact, just recently, I attended an event for Sheriff Susan Pamerleau who credited Barbara for where she is today. She said had it not been for Barbara, she would not have met the people who helped get her elected. I personally know not a soul who would make a disparaging remark against Barbara. I owe much to Barbara, as do many others in our community, and beyond.

And that, my friends, is what relationships are all about! We become strong within our own beings through the relationships we develop.