Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Are you getting dizzy yet?

Every city has one. Every family, neighborhood, church, school and business—an inner circle; a place of influence, thought leaders and shapers. Author Gary Ranker calls the infamous inner circle an undefined matrix of relationships that don’t appear on an organizational chart.



If this was High School the Musical, Harry Potter, Twilight or Hannah Montana they’d be called cliques. But since we’re dressed up in adult clothes we gotta use big people talk; inner circle.



Not that I belong to one…cuz I don’t, but sadly, it took nearly half the career to recognize the importance of being part of a secret committee. Befriending the popular kids earns you brownie points…eventually you trade them in for a vote that could unlock a tied up situation.



Being un-clique-able isn’t just an Arroe thing…hard working, deeply dedicated players are everywhere but who they and what they do is far from being a bleep on the GPS system unless you’re part of the: inner circle.



Mom had no clue what she was talking about when expressing, “The cream always rises to the top.” People who spend their life locating and developing quality carry no weight. Inner circles want quantity for cheap.



There’s nobody cheaper than Wal-Mart. Seriously! One of my favorite activities is to walk around a Super Store taking note of the inner circle versus true star. A once sturdy American backbone had to find work somewhere and has ended up in the multitude of lanes that make up the worlds largest discount store. Patiently wade through the multitude of faces that make up their force…the Wal-Mart cliques are easily spotted in the front of the store while the cream that’ll never rise work solo positions physically taking the time to walk with a customer to an item not easily located.



The next great invention will come from a Wal-Mart employee…the individual who listens to the wants and needs of an always moving nation then privately develops it at home…once set free for all to enjoy the inner circles will manhandle the inventor forcing them to sell the patent at a cost much lower than it took to develop.



Workforces are unperfected split decisions—those who do and those who don’t and it’s usually those who don’t who methodize a plan to work their way through the inner circles of company policy making them more valuable than a quality driven performer.



Being outside the main power circle makes you a non-influence.



Soooooo…how do we get to the inside without having to contact 48 Hours or 60 Minutes? Attaining the rights to hold a card that bares your member name is nearly impossible. Dr. Ranker calls inner circles an elusive group that moves carefully throughout the day searching only for the highly exclusive.



Rule number one: Make multiple connections. The typical shaking hands and kissing babies approach is an award winner. Introduction followed by a great rapport then a simple request of their services. Mission accomplished. Ranker calls it an investment strategy that’ll take a while to payback.



Rule number two: Locate the connection route, who’s in and who’s out and how they campaign to make their connections. The most important tool is knowing how the inner circle acts and reacts outside the circles they keep.



Rule number three: Raise awareness while creating a positive profile. If those who make up the inner circle have no clue who you are…put the moment into motion by stepping out and forward. No awareness means no impression. Become the enigma and get the connection done right the first time.



What most of us lack is an elevator pitch: A short punchy personal advertisement of who, what, where, why and why you contribute to the success of the business. Make it short and to the point then get out. The number one reason why we love music has nothing to do with the guitars and drums and everything to do with the hook of the song we sing over and over again. Get a hook and stick to it.



Getting to the inner core of a circle isn’t easy and once there maintaining it can be just as energy stealing. Image and impression is an everyday all night event. If you’re truly an influence you have a fighting chance…searching for a newer way to rest, relax and kick back at work can be easily spotted unless you’re offering something of need—bring something to the game or there can be no fame.



Feeling like you belong is part of the top seven needs humans require in order to survive. When you can’t locate the curved edges of the circles we keep at work…that’s ok, modern day technology has given us Face Book and Twitter. IPad circle groups are popping up everywhere, GPS scavenger hunts, running a 5k has become a weekly adventure, sports fans have their favorite bar and Mom still gets you for Thanksgiving.



Even on the days you feel like a nerdy square there’s a big league chance you’re still part of an inner circle. Just because it’s not part of the department that puts more numbers on your paycheck doesn’t make you any less cooler. If there’s one thing we’ve learned during this Great Recession—nobody is safe.



Being somebody is a fun thing to hold onto until the day you suddenly become a used to be. Hey you used to be!



Be careful! I’ll call your parents and to them any circle is a gang.



arroecollins@clearchannel.com

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