Oli Barrett is a true gift to the world and business in particular. As he notes at the top of his bio on LinkedIn, what drives him is that he “enjoys connecting people and ideas.” It has indeed been a great pleasure to get to know him over recent years, and I love whenever we meet, as we always connect the dots around people and ideas in unexpected ways, as one might expect when you put together two people so passionate about that! Anyway, for your Saturday morning, I am sharing with you a post from Oli on LinkedIn recently with a blindingly simple idea to foster inclusion and opportunities for others to connect to people and ideas, he calls it “Plus One”. I do further encourage you to follow Oli on LinkedIn, as that is where he posts his thoughts and idea (as well as sharing those of others), and many of his posts are quite brilliant, giving me real pause for thought and to connect dots more.
The world of business is full of powerful calculations, formulae and equations. Today I’d like to share a far simpler sum;
Plus one.
Lots of us are asking how we can help other people. Perhaps we’ve met someone who we believe in, or know someone at a crossroads. Someone we feel would grasp new opportunities if only they encountered them face to face. With a little help.
Plus one.
Next time you are invited to something, here’s an idea. If it doesn’t feel too cheeky and frankly, even if it does, ask if you can bring a plus one.
It might be a drinks event, or a business gathering, perhaps even a social occasion. Once you have a green light, go to your potential list and drop someone a note, asking if they are free to attend, as your guest.
Plus one.
This does spur a memory for me. A number of years ago, an annual formal dinner was being held for the Cayman Islands in London. It was already a “plus one” event in terms of “bring your spouse or partner”, but I didn’t have a plus one at that time, so I asked the organiser if I could bring someone who I felt might be interesting and interested. That person knew little about Cayman, but had several decades of experience in and around politics, policy and diplomacy in the UK. I thought they may have a perspective that could add value.
I didn’t have to wait long, the first person I introduced them to was one of the more senior Caymamians there, focussed on international relationships between Cayman and other countries. Little did I know that my friend had taken time before the dinner to read up on current affairs in this area (I should have known, I guess!). My friend asked the person they met about what they did and what they were focussed on. They listened intently, then asked an informed (again, they had read up on this!) follow-up question about the position of another country on that matter. After they received a reply to that, they then paused, then gave an insight which stopped me and the person they were talking to in our tracks (and in a good way, to be clear!).
I’d connected people and ideas by bringing a “Plus One” who normally would not have been there.
Bring your own Plus One.