Ohhh, you doesn't has to call me Johnson![/caption]My girlfriend, Grace, has three major aspects of her career, one of which is being a motivational speaker. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing one of her talks on video but not in person yet. One of the things she speaks about is developing your personal network. During this part of her talk she has a very memorable line about the difference between a network and a support group. (I won’t give away the punchline here.) One day when she returned from a speaking trip I asked her if she used her networking punchline. “Heck yes!” she replied explaining that it was a key part of her talking points.
I teased Grace that if she kept using the line it could become the one part of her schtick that she would be known for forever, sort of like Raymond J. Johnson, Jr.
If you’re under 50 chances are you don’t have any clue who the zoot-suited, cigar-smoking, mustachioed Raymond J. Johnson, Jr. is. If you’re 50 or older and hated 1970s variety shows like Tom Jones, Sonny and Cher and Redd Foxx you may not know who Johnson is either. Johnson???
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Ooohhhh…. You doesn’t has to call me Johnson.
My name is Raymond J. Johnson, Jr.
Now you can call me Ray.
Or you can call me “J.”
Or you can call me Johnny.
Or you can call me Sonny.
Or you can call Junie.
Or you can call me Ray J.
Or you can call me R.J.
Or you can call me R.J.J.
Or you can call me R.J.J. Jr.
But you doesn’t has to call me Johnson.
That was pretty much it. Raymond J. Johnson, Jr.’s entire schtick, right there, all in one monologue. He was one of those comedians known for one thing. Sort of like Foster Brooks’ drunk character, Minnie Pearl’s price-tagged hat, Charlie Callas’ head and vocal spasms, Steve Martin’s “Excuuuuussse Meeeeee!”
Wait a minute. That’s not right. Steve Martin is multi-talented by just about any definition. His comedy is multi-faceted. He’s an author and a playwright. He’s a fantastic banjo player. Steve Martin is no one trick pony. Any yet, I’m sure there are a lot of people, like me, who think of “Excuuuuussse Meeeeee!” when they first think of Steve Martin.
And that’s OK. Having a single schtick that people associate with you doesn’t mean you’re necessarily a one-trick pony. While Raymond J. Johnson, Jr. was a one-trick act, Steve Martin certainly isn’t. And that takes me back to the beginning... Grace Killelea is certainly not a one trick person either. Ask any graduate of the Betsy Magness program who has worked with Grace. Or ask any of her Half the Sky Leadership Institute matriculants. Or ask any of her executive coaching clients. (Uh oh, now I'm starting to sound a little like Raymond J. Johnson, Jr.) Clearly Grace has many dimensions.
As much as I joke about her networking line, the truth is she understood the value of a network far more than I ever did before I met her. And the value of her network was demonstrated to me just yesterday, Friday May 24, 2013. You may have heard about the awful airport shuttle bus accident that happened in Atlanta. In the afternoon she received an email from a friend, Laurie who had multiple family members on that shuttle, some of whom were seriously hurt. Laurie was stuck in a city she did not know with family members having been taken to different hospitals.
Hearing this, Grace leapt into action. She pursed her lip, furrowed her brow and raised her eyes in deep thought mumbling “Atlanta… Atlanta… Who is in Atlanta??” Bingo! She had it. She picked up her phone and called another friend, Teasa, who is an Atlanta resident. Explaining the situation briefly, Teasa took less than the blink of an eye to respond and she was on the case. No questions asked. No bargaining. She was on it. Next was a phone call to Grace’s friend Judy was was in Atlanta visiting friends. One more eye blink and a second branch of the network was in action. Within minutes two kind, gentle, caring women reached out to another woman in need, offering to escort her around the city, to assist or to provide advice in any way they could. There were no connections between these three women except Grace. And all all it took was an email and two quick phone calls. That was the power of the network in action.
It was also a clear demonstration of the very core of Grace’s “network vs. support group” punchline. No further metrics needed. I am in awe of the network of friends and associates Grace has built over the years. If I achieve only a small fraction of what she has built I’ll be far better off than I ever expected.
Grace Killelea knows how to build a network. Can you do that, Johnson?
Ooohhhh…. You doesn’t has to call me Johnson...
