Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:13):
Welcome to the Fortified Life Podcast, where we learn how
to develop a dependency on Jesus in the marketplace. From
the boardroom to the bathroom.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
God is with you. Here's our host, author, speaker, teacher, encourager.
Here a true coach, and my husband. It's the man
they call mister forty five. Jason Davis.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Hey, what's going on everybody? Welcome back to another episode
of the Fortified Life podcast where we are passionate about
building a dependency on Jesus in the marketplace. I'm your host,
Jason Davis, aka mister Fortifive. Every week we have the
opportunity to bring on authors, speakers, coaches, people that are
(00:59):
also passionate about putting God back in business. Today's episode
will be part of our Tools and Resources series, and Folks,
I'm really excited because our guest today is going to
touch on a topic and he's got a wonderful book resource.
We're going to be talking about networking today. So, folks,
(01:20):
welcome to the Fortified Life Podcast. Ricky Steele. He's an author,
he's a speaker, and he is a servant at heart. Ricky,
welcome to the Fortified Life.
Speaker 4 (01:32):
Thank you, Jackson. It's an honored privilege to be here.
Speaker 5 (01:34):
Go Jackets, Yes, Go Jackets.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
We were talking offline a lot, a lot of a
lot of a lot of crossover in our lives certainly,
and the Yellow Jackets are part of that. Ricky is
today you've written a book, The Heart of Networking of
got it up here in folks. This is actually the
third edition that Ricky has written, and will dive more
into that. But Ricky, just when you think about this topic,
(02:02):
let's just set the table for the folks listening. A
lot of people approach networking with a lot of different thoughts.
Let's just say that there's different styles. You've got the
speed networking, You've got the hey, let's go down and
have coffee. And so we've seen networking take a lot
(02:23):
of different shapes and forms over the years. But Ricky,
just as a foundation, why this topic, why does it
burn so deeply within your heart?
Speaker 4 (02:38):
If you go back to the at least for us,
our faith woke Jesus met with a bunch of fishermen
and they used their nets, and they cast their nets,
and so they were networking every single day to bring it.
But the same thing occurred when they went out in
the community they created relationships, they dealt with people one
(02:58):
o one and to meet them where their needs were.
And as a result, the gospel exploded and now it's
known across the universe. But to me, a lot of
people think network is a dirty word. And I'll tell
people either about networking or I'll ask you to a
networking event, and they'll try say, oh, I know, network,
that's horrible. That's the salesy and self centeredness and this,
(03:21):
that and the other. And I said, yes, I certainly
can be, but that's not the way I see networking.
I see networking as an opportunity to build a new
relationship with someone that you didn't already know, and the
most important part of that equation is to find out
as much as you can about that individual so you
can find a way to serve them. What are their needs?
(03:43):
If you can meet the needs of someone else, and
it may have nothing to do with the product or
service that you're selling, and it comes back to you.
If you give expecting something in return, that's not a gift,
that's a bribe or a payoff for some future benefit.
But when you give expecting nothing in return, you may
(04:04):
get nothing in return. But that's all right, you did
a solid for somebody, You helped somebody along the way.
But more often than not, somewhere down the road, I
call it good karma, call it just casting your bread
upon water. But if you do that often enough, you
will see the benefit. Sometimes I've seen things happen one, two,
(04:24):
five years after some event where I might have played
a little part in something happening, and five years later,
something beautiful happens that I could not have created if
I laid awake at night every single night trying to
figure out a way to manipulate it into happening. It
happened because of something that happened five years earlier. And
there's a thousand stories along those lives. Ricky.
Speaker 5 (04:48):
I love that.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
And right there at the end, I think of a
boomerang you throw it, and sometimes, especially Ricky in twenty
twenty five, where everybody wants everything right now, these things
don't happen till weeks, months and years later. So I
love what you said there is you just don't know
when some of these things come back into play. But
(05:11):
when it does, just God has a way of divinely
orchestrating and you just never know how impactful it can be.
So I love how you talked about bringing the focus
to serving and don't worry about whether or not you're
going to get something in return. Maybe, just maybe it
was about you met a really awesome person today, and
(05:33):
every human is uniquely interesting, and so why not just
sit down and be with the person in front of you.
So I love that, Ricky, Ricky with the third edition,
This came out after the pandemic. So when we think
about networking, because the pandemic kind of reshaped a lot
(05:54):
of things in the marketplace and the workplace in general.
How did the shift from in person the virtual change
how people build trust? What did you see coming out
of the pandemic? And then the fact that this third
edition was a post pandemic book.
Speaker 4 (06:11):
Well, the pandemic changed everything as far as network is concerned.
I didn't know what to do with myself for a
good bit of time. I've been known to leave my
house at six o'clock in the morning and get home
at ten o'clock at night after having nine meetings here, there,
and yonder with nine different folks or nine different groups,
or this, that and the other. So all of a
sudden I found myself locked into my office in my
(06:33):
house and trying to figure out how best to help
others or how best to sell product and services because
I have been a salesperson my entire life. My dad
was a salesperson, my granddad was a salesperson. Always being entrepreneurs,
So it was a great adjustment. What I did find
over a period of time, not the first day by
any stretch of the imagination, but I did find there's
(06:55):
ways through Zoom and now the Microsoft Product teams. A
lot of videos were done during that time. I found
groups that associations and industry organizations that I've been involved
in started doing group meetings online, and that was a
blessing because some of these people, I'm a very touchy
(07:16):
feely person. Whether you're a man, woman, child, it doesn't
make a difference if I've known you very long. The
handshake is something that I don't know anything about. It's
a hug and a kiss on the cheek and just
some warm greeting. I wouldn't getting any of that, and
there was kind of lost without it. But being able
to see friends and associates' faces again and hear them
(07:38):
speak verbally, with being able to see their expressions was
a great blessing, so that helped a great deal. And
then as we started moving out of it and wearing
masks to go out in public, that changed a bit
because again we weren't hugging and kissing each other on
the cheeks. We were shaking hands and then grabbing a
bottle of ad accepted to clean their hands as quickly
(07:58):
as possible because nobody wanted to get sick, because tragically,
millions of people died as a result of that horrible pandemic.
But it was different, and I'm glad it's over with
and hope the good Lord we never have to go
through that again. But it was a change of pace.
But what I did find is that through one on
one conversations, whether it was with video or just audio,
(08:19):
everybody still needed to work. Everybody still needed to try
to make a living. So I found a lot of
opportunities where people were looking for something that perhaps I
could help them with. It could have been advice, career
advice for folks that were laid off, or it could
have been somebody trying to get in touch with someone
and they wanted a relationship with someone at Coca Cola
(08:39):
or IBM or NCR somewhere where I might have had
some relationships when they called and I was able to
open a few doors along the way, and so not
only was a great blessing and a lot of joy
in the process, but it helped them accomplish what they
were doing. So it was different. But it's still about people.
From what I understand. The only person I've got to
(09:00):
have a deep relationship with as another human being. I
do love my dog, and there's some of the things
that are that we have in front of us, but
it's the human connection that is what makes our life unique.
And so being able to communicate and talk to folks
one oh one, that that was a game changer, and
and to be able to continue that, I thought it
(09:21):
was very beneficial. I've talked to a lot of people
and everyone's had a different take on how the pandemic
affected their business and their career. But when it was
all said and done, it slowed me down, but it
did not shut me down. I like that, Ricky.
Speaker 5 (09:35):
Slowed down, but not shut down.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
And you're right, we had to reinvent for a lot
of folks how how we communicated with people. And thank
goodness for technology, which is where I wanted to take
things today, Ricky is and we live in such a
technology driven world and this is a unique time in
the marketplace, Ricky, where we've gotten multiple age groups. We've
(10:00):
got the boomers, we've got Gen X, we've got the
millennials like myself, We've got Gen Z and now we
got Gen Alpha.
Speaker 5 (10:10):
They're coming.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
And so one of the things that bridges the gap
with all those people in the marketplace at the same
time as technology.
Speaker 5 (10:19):
So, Ricky, I'm gonna take you on a trip with.
Speaker 3 (10:22):
Tech here and I just want you to give your
opinion on how networking is influenced. So, of course we
got all the way back, we got the radio, we
had the television, then we had the onset of the Internet,
and now here comes AI. And so with all of
that you talked about maintaining the connection. For you, you
(10:44):
would have seen all of these different shifts in tech
with things still being about the connection.
Speaker 5 (10:51):
How have you seen kind of all of.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
Those get weaved into the networking process. We've got people
with digital old business cards. Now we've got the people
can hey, grab your number, tap the phone. Has that
added to the connection experience? What's been what's your opinion
on that.
Speaker 4 (11:11):
I'm a face to face, eyeball to eyeball connection type
person and that's the way that I enjoy best. And
I just say I set a record one day at
a restaurant sitting down at six fifteen in the morning
and not leaving the restaurant until three fifteen in the afternoon,
after six or seven breakfast, lunch, coffee, breakfast, whatever, hot
fudge Sunday in the afternoon or what have you. So
(11:34):
that's how I get my giggles enjoy out of life.
But the iteration and now AI, I'm just digging into
it every day. I'm having a lot of fun with it,
and I'm learning some things and being able to scope
out some things that I tell people often that if
I had the tools today that twenty five thirty years
ago when I started my sales and marketing career, I
(11:56):
wouldn't be here today. I'd be at the beach with
a umbrella, drink or something and staring at the at
the horizon because it's been such a game changer. Things
that used to take me four or five six meetings
to understand about someone or to know what their needs
are or what's important to them, I can now find
out in five minutes. I know more about some of
(12:18):
my friends and their mom or daddy ever knew about
them because they're posting it on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or
x whatever they call it now, Instagram, and every other
platform known to man. So for me, as being someone
who likes to get personal, I like to know about
your mama, where you were born, Georgia Tech, Yellowjack, Did
you play football in Georgia Tech. The more I know
(12:40):
about you gives me more of an opportunity to figure
out how to serve you better. Who do I know
that graduation from Georgia Tech that has an opportunity that
would be beneficial to you? Or conversely, who do I
know that what's the Georgia Tech or is a Georgia
Tech fan that could be served by you. So it's
always trying to figure out how to make it, and
(13:01):
having that information has been very helpful. I'm not a
great technologist, but I love to use technology, especially around music,
because I'm a music buff and I've got albums otis
reading live in Europe from about nineteen sixty eight. I
haded a record, I had it on a cassette, I
had it on an a tract I have it on
(13:21):
a CD, and now I've got it on my computer,
and I also have it on Apple Music so I
can listen to it in the car. So again, that
whole iteration of how it's changed has improved the process.
And I think that's the same thing with networking. The
more tools we had, the more we could get to know.
Now is the best way to get to know someone
(13:42):
one on one, no question about it. But I believe
that if I'm willing to make a connection, and I
want to make a connection and connect with someone, and
I think I've got a couple examples of this in
the last book, but I've got invests. Everybody wants to
make a withdrawal, but nobody wants to make a deposit.
To me, it's the deposits we make that compound interest
(14:04):
and more things happen before I go into a meeting.
For example, before you and I had breakfast the other day,
I probably spent thirty forty five minutes trying to get
to know everything I could about you. So we sat down.
I didn't have to say where are you from, where'd
you go to school? I already knew all that information,
so our conversation flowed we found out some deeper things
(14:26):
about each other as we got deeper and deeper into
the conversation. But to me, if you're not willing to
invest at least an hour into any meeting you're going into,
then you're really not you're not committed to the process.
So you're not committed to you to building deep relationships. Now,
one on one, I could bump into somebody at a
cocktail party or a ballgame or here there and yonder
(14:49):
and dig a little bit deep, and at some point
we're going to set up a time for having a
cup of coffee or a glass of wine or a
lunch or whatever, and then I probably will do some
more research before that happens. But it's a process. But
if I know a lot of people that say, Ricky,
I'm not afraid of hard work, and I realized when
somebody tells me that they've never really done any hard work,
(15:11):
is just that if you're not willing to admit to it.
It's networking. It's not net sleeping, it's not net and
laying around, it's not net played on the computer. It's
net working. So if you're not willing to work, you're
not gonna be very good at networking. But the investment
is compound interest. If you invest in your network and
(15:32):
in the relationships of those around you, from your next
door neighbor to your balls to anybody, you'll find that
the return on the investment is gonna be much greater
than you invest in. It's compound interest in society. Wall
I could go on and on about this because to me,
relationships is the joy of living eyebow to eyebow with
(15:52):
another human being, getting to know them and what makes
them tick, and what it causes them pain but also
causes them joy. That's what life is all.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
About, Ricky. What you just described, I love it. You're
getting me fired up as you were talking. You describe
the process of becoming a billionaire of relationships that compound interest,
taking the time, energy connection. Like you said, networking not
net sleeping enough, Folks, you heard it here first on
(16:21):
the fort to five Life. Ricky may get that trademark tomorrow,
so and networking not net sleeping, not like that. I'll
remember that one for years to come, Ricky. But man, Yeah,
a lot of times we think people think about being
rich and wealthy and it's always about money.
Speaker 5 (16:38):
But Ricky, it's been my experience.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
Even with the short time that we've spent together, folks
that are able to walk. And I've seen this, Ricky,
I know without saying his name, that he knows. It's
a funny story. There's a gentleman that I know where
every time. I'd probably talk him a few times a year, Ricky,
(17:02):
I kid you not if I say I'm coming back
from vacation or I went to this conference, he knows
somebody and I'm talking about all anywhere. Oh man, I
went to New York, I went to Hawaii, and this
guy just has And I'm like, that is unbelievable. And
it's because he's a billionaire of relationships. There's not a
(17:24):
stream of influence in the church, world, business world, nonprofit
sports anything.
Speaker 5 (17:30):
He could If you said you're coming back.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
From Italy, he'll be like, oh yeah, that reminds me unbelievable.
And that's really what you're saying, Ricky to me, if
somebody can get you an introduction because they've again, they've
done the work and so they have these deep relationships
with a lot of people of influence. I just think
it's not highlighted enough to thank you for breaking that down.
(17:56):
Ricky and reminding listen, it's not just about cerial wealth,
but wealthy relationships.
Speaker 5 (18:03):
That's good.
Speaker 4 (18:04):
It's hum But God is not meat nor drink, but righteousness,
peace and joy. And some of the wealthiest people I
know are the poorest people that I know and the
most miserable people that I know. Being wealthy is not
a bad thing, but it's how you apply it and
how you use it on a day to day basis.
But I think I'm one of the wealthiest people that
I know, and it's not because of the balance of
(18:26):
my checking account or CDs or anything in the world.
Is the fact that I literally have thousands of people
that I believe I could call today if I was
in a jam and say, could you help me? I
think there's probably a thousand people out there more that
know if they got into a bind, that they call
me today, I would be over at their house this
afternoon or at their office trying to figure out a
(18:48):
way to help them do that. That to me is
where joy is. We're only going to be on this
earth for a sixty time. We're all going to leave
this planet at some point. I don't care how poor
you are, how famous you are, how many times you
name has been the newspaper. Generally after you pass away,
it's going to not be too long before ninety percent
of the people forget you ever existed. But the ones
(19:10):
that you touched personally and inhemately, they're gonna remember you
for a long time. And that's gonna be your legacy
through your friends, your family, the folks you touched with
your faith life. That's your legacy. You know. Not everybody's
going to have one hundred million dollars to buy a
building or dedicate a building or donate like all the
billionaires are doing where they're giving seventy eighty percent of
(19:31):
their net worth away before they die. That's all very good,
and God bless them glad they're doing that. But for
most of us ordinary folks, what we have to give
more than anything else is ourselves, and it's a gift
that everyone needs. Everyone wants to be in relationship, Even
the hardest people in the world when you break them down,
(19:52):
at some point, they have a need to be touched
by somebody else. And that to me is where I
think that that's the joy living. Someone looking you in
the eye and saying you made a difference in my life.
That is gosh, as good as it gets.
Speaker 5 (20:08):
Love it, Ricky.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
Yeah, Ricky is keeping that definition of networking going net working.
Part of working is listening.
Speaker 5 (20:18):
And I know you've got.
Speaker 3 (20:19):
A really cool story out of the book that kind
of sets up a joke that we were talking about
before we got started to tell that story for everyone,
and the importance of when you're meeting people, what's the
impact of you listening or not.
Speaker 5 (20:35):
I'll let you tell it. I'm not going to tell it.
Speaker 4 (20:38):
We have two ears and one mouth. We should use
it proportionately. If I walk away from someone and they
know three times more about me than I know about them,
then I failed that opportunity. I want to know three
times more about them than they ever hear about me.
But a lot of people go through life trying to
(21:01):
figure out a way to score something or get something,
and they want to bye bye bye bye bayh just
tell you about the history of mankind. It's hard to
build a relationship with a person like that. A lot
of times when you meet someone, you don't really meet them,
you don't really talk to them. You're having a conversation,
but their eyes are darting around the room looking at
(21:23):
is there someone more important. Is there so one I
need to go talk to. They're thinking about the last deal,
or they're contemplating their next deal. They are not in
the moment with you. It reminds me of the story
of the pastor who was very busy, had a hectic schedule.
One day and he's sitting in his office and his
assistant comes in and says, Pastor, there's a young man
out in the lobby who wants to talk to you.
(21:44):
He wants you to pray with him. Do you have time?
And he said, I don't have time. I don't know
how to I've got a hundred things going on. And
she says, he seems really insistent. He said, just break
this sin to me in young man comes in and
he says, how can I help you? Young man? He says,
I'd like for you to pray for my hearing. The
pastor never asked a follow up question, never really dug
into the situation, but he immediately laid his hands on
(22:07):
the young man's head, anointed his head with old prayed
the prayer of faith, called the heaven to come down,
and the holdest spirit the whole nine yards. He did
everything he could In about forty five seconds, maybe a minute,
and said amen. And he looked at the young man
and said, son, how was your hearing? He said, Pastor,
I'm not sure. It's not until next Tuesday. He missed
(22:30):
the point. I think so many people missed the point
because they really weren't listening. They were there, but in reality,
they weren't there. Their body was there, but their mind
and their heart and their spirit was somewhere else. They're
not going to be good networkers. They're not going to
really be good friends. They're not really going to be
good spouses, they're not really going to be good employees.
(22:52):
You got to be in the moment, and you've got
to be there for others.
Speaker 3 (22:55):
So good, Ricky, that story that tickled me. I wanted
the listeners hear that. And plus, that's the type of
story that will resonate as a reminder that when you're
with the person in front of you, don't worry about
what else is going on. The most important person in
front of you, or the most important person is the
(23:16):
person in front of you, and you just don't know
how it might even lead. There's countless stories, Ricky, where
I've been in a big event and I talked to
one person and I spent time with him and oh, wow,
you talked to that person for ten minutes. There's been
several cases, Ricky, where I spent time with just the
one person and they ended up knowing four or five
(23:38):
other people that if I had been so focused on all,
let me try to talk to them. I spent time
ten minutes with one person at a big event and
they said, hey, let's go meet someone, and I went, wow,
that was somebody that I was eyeing earlier in the night.
But if I hadn't been present with the person in
front of me. So, folks, you just don't know, You
(23:59):
really don't. But listening because, as Ricky stated, the joy
of life connecting with another human being.
Speaker 5 (24:08):
My goodness.
Speaker 3 (24:09):
Yeah yeah, Ricky, this third edition was personal, deeply personal
for you.
Speaker 5 (24:18):
And one of the things that you did.
Speaker 3 (24:20):
Is you you dusted off the stories and experiences that
you've had in your life, and you also asked permission
for people to be included in the book.
Speaker 5 (24:30):
What what made.
Speaker 3 (24:33):
This final edition so different where you actually wanted to
have the names mentioned and make it more deeply personal.
What was the thought process around doing that for this
last edition.
Speaker 5 (24:46):
Of the book.
Speaker 4 (24:47):
I've had an interesting life, needless to say, and I've
been very blessed to experience with things that just somebody
with my background, whether it be education of where I
was raised, or this, that and the other, should have
never experienced. I've been freemly blessed and I'm very grateful.
But I've also had some terrible tragedies in my life.
And in October the tenth of twenty seventeen, we lost
(25:09):
our thirty three year old son. He was a bipolar
with extreme anxiety. He was a star tennis player, star student,
He had everything going for in one tennis tournaments all
over the Southeast, just a joy to be around. One
of the sweetest persons in loved music like I do.
We talked about every music group there ever was. But
he struggled and struggled, and that was a real What
(25:31):
he passed was a real horrific experience, to say the least.
And so I knew that, coming through COVID and the
world changing, that I wanted to tell some personal stories.
All life is about telling stories. If you go to
the Bible, it's just a selection of stories things that
happened along the way at how it affected people. The
greatest public speakers i've ever heard never get up and
(25:52):
beat you to death with an hour and a half
worth of facts. They tell four stories. Each one of
them has a point, and they resonate with you forever.
That's what I wanted to do, is tell some stories.
So I wrote the book and told stories about friends
of mine and colleagues and this, that and the other.
And then I sent each of them what I had written,
(26:13):
and I said, this is my third and final book,
and this is our story. First. If you don't like
the story, then it won't be in the book. If
you like the story and you'd like to keep it
third person, I can say I got a friend that
we did this, or I got a colleague or a
guy that I know from church or work or whatever,
and we'll make it anonymous, but I'll tell the story
(26:36):
if you will allow me. I would love to share
your name and how we're intimately related and how this
story all came into focus, this that and the other,
and every single person. That is what we did, with
the exception of one, because it's a gentleman that's been
on the front page every newspaper and a very big
(26:57):
name executive around town who so went to a lot
of the same issues as my son, and he and
I sat down and talked about it, and I gave
him what advice I could about the experience and going
through it and how to try to help his son
the best that he could. And because his son is
still living, thankful the Lord. Not that he would ever
see my book or ever read it, but if he
(27:17):
ever did, we wanted to keep it discreet and anonymous,
so that story is not in the book. The story
is in the book, but the story is anonymously told
with every other name of those are theirs Elizabeth Holmikey
Dear Klein, and a friend of mine who called me
up one day and took me out to lunch after
my son died and really kept me from probably jumping
(27:38):
off a bridge or something. I was so distraught, and
she took me out to lunch and hung and kissed
on me and carried on, and it really helped give
me encouragement and love and sympathy and every other thing
you need when you're going through a horrible experience like that.
There's probably a John Yates story or two, big name,
prominent technology attorney in town who John and I shared
(28:00):
a lot of experiences together over the years, can you
David Monica Hudson, two deer friends and a story that
we shared together. So there's one story after another. And
I've really had people that have read the third book
and made read the first or second book who said,
by far, I like this book the best. It's got
a lot of the same principles and the seven habits
(28:21):
of highly effective networkers and the things that you share
when you put public speaking and what have you. But
it goes intimately into some really powerful stories. And thanks
for including that. So anyway, thanks for bringing that up.
Is it's just life. It's it's the ying and the
yang and the in this world, you're going to have troubles.
But He overcame the world, and the only way we've
(28:43):
become overcomers is to follow his example. But I have
rustled losing my son long hours and she had a
million tears, and I know that ultimately God is in
control and that he loved my son very much. It
still does as he loves me very much. And in
re reality, the thing that gave me the most comfort
is knowing and understanding that God himself lost his own son.
(29:07):
He gave his own son and allowed his own son
to lose his life for my benefit and for everybody
else's in the world. That's given me some encouragement and
hope still hurts like the Dickens. And as we come
to August, which was my son's birthday, that's always a
horrible moment. And then October, the day that he passed,
(29:28):
that's always a horrible moment. And then most every day
of the week when I hear a song that we
used to discuss, or see a tennis match on television,
that of course that's deal. But the gist of it
is it's a very personal book and one that I
hope can be a benefit and encourage others as they're
going through their highs and their lows in life, and
(29:49):
we're all going to have them.
Speaker 3 (29:51):
Well, Ricky, I appreciate your transparency and vulnerability sharing something
difficult like that, and also just the impact, the impact
that your son had, So I don't take that that
lightly at all, Ricky. As we get ready to close out,
and I think you and I are examples of this,
(30:11):
the importance of the generations talking to each other. Ricky
has talked to a lot of folks, and everybody has
affinity for their own age group. Right, It's easy for
boomers to talk to boomers because life was a certain
way when you came up, family society. Same for myself
a millennial. It's real easy. What's the what's a good
(30:33):
nugget of wisdom as to the value proposition? Why hey
come up out of your comfort zone? Learn from those
older and younger than you, because you just never know
the what God can do with that. So just talk
about that, Ricky. Because you've got relationships with folks older
than you, younger than you, same age, just talk about that.
Speaker 4 (30:57):
The average age of most of my ends is deceased.
We did. The older you get, the more folks that
you lose. All kidding aside, The way you stay young
is to hang around young folks and learn from them,
not only about new technologies but about new music. I'm
into the music from the sixties and the seventies, and
that's to me the crowning music. But I got to
(31:20):
learn a little bit more about post Malone or jelly
Roll or Ed Shearing or Lewis Capaldi or the list
goes on and on. The people that are a third
of my age, but I'm listening to them now to
hear what they have to say and to get their beat.
And I even took my daughter a couple of years
ago after a Braves game to see Ludacrous raise the
(31:42):
roof a bit. But yeah, every generation's got something to add,
every generation's got their own take on things. So the
more open you can be, and especially with young people,
I tell a little joke I guess it's a joke
to some degree about why I'm mentor some me I
meantor a lot of young folks. And I left you
the other day after breakfast and had lunch with a
younger fella that could, in processes make some introductions for
(32:06):
him as well. And I tell folks, They say, why
do you mentor so many young folks? And I said,
very simple. On the nineteenth of every single month, I
get a social Security check. I'm about to be seventy three,
and for five six years I've been getting a social
chir curity check every month. And if young people are
not successful, they're not going to be making deposits in
a social security system. And if they don't make deposits,
(32:27):
I'm not going to get my check. So maybe I'm
basically just self serving. Tried to help my old self out.
But anyway, that's not really true, but it's a good line.
But again, helping the next generation as older people helped me.
My dad was my largest mentor, and I tell a
lot of my dad's stories in the book, but a
(32:48):
lot of his friends, Bill Turner, who I think was
a photo in the book about me and Bill Turner,
who was a Columbus Georgia Tech graduate as well. By
the way, anyway, Bill Turner was chairman of the board
of Sonovas and Tis and W. C. Bradley. He mentored
me from the time I was eleven or twelve years
old until he passed. Attended his funeral six seven eight
(33:08):
years ago. He was an iconic figure in Columbus, Georgia.
If not for mister Turner, I wouldn't be here today.
So to me, you got to pay it forward, and
mister Turner paid it forward to Jimmy Blanchard, another iconic
person in Columbus. A lot of these people paid it
forward with me, and so how can I not do
the same for the younger generation. Everybody's got a story
(33:32):
to tell, and the more stories you hear, and not
just for folks that all look like me, and worship
at the same church that I do, or have the
same dialect I do, or in the same neighborhood, but
a diverse group of people, from folks that are from
every ethnic group, religious group, social, whatever the case might be.
Having a broad coalition of people that can teach you
(33:53):
something will help you become a more rounded human being.
Speaker 5 (33:57):
In my opinion, that's good, Ricky.
Speaker 3 (33:59):
That's a perfect way to close out the episode as well. Folks,
The Heart of Networking third edition, go out and get
a copy. Go on and get one hundred copies. Ricky,
Where can people go out and drive a copy of
your book?
Speaker 4 (34:16):
It's available on Amazon and the Barnes and Noble websites,
but they have they store the books and they send
them from their warehouse. Being a networker and somebody that
likes personalization, I created a Shopify store. If you will,
and if you order for me, it's not only a
little bit less expensive, but I mail it and so
(34:37):
you don't get and it doesn't cost you any postage,
so it saves a little bit more. But I will
personalize every copy. I will write an inscription and every
copy you know best wishes, God bless you or whatever,
and sign it and I'll mail it and personalize it.
My Shopify page is a www. Dot heartof Networking dot net,
(34:57):
not dot com, but dot net because I'm a network
so Heartofnetworking dot net and I think it's twenty three dollars.
I can't remember exactly what it is, but whatever it is,
it's still I think it's twenty nine to ninety five
on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. But get it wherever
you like, and you can if you want to reach
out to me and ask me any questions or whatever,
(35:19):
you can find me at Ricky at Ricky Steele dot net,
Ricky at Rickysteel dot net and ask me a question
or if I can give you some advice, I'll help
you however I can. And then, lastly, seventy two years old,
I had been I think I call myself semi retired. Basically,
I had been working for a while, and about a
month and a half two months ago, I joined a
(35:39):
guy that I worked with twenty years ago at a
great company, fast growing, bunch smart guys company called tech Stream,
And you can get me at Ricky dot Steel at
techstream dot com. But tech String is a amazing staffing
and consulting firm. And the reason I'm so passionate about
working these guys, working with these guys and serving with
(36:01):
them is they have five core principles. And a lot
of people walk the walk, but they excuse me, they
talk the talk, but they don't walk the walk. You
walk the walk. And the five core values are one Passion,
That's to me, what life's all about. Passion is what
separates the ordinary from the extraordinary. Passion makes you extraordinary.
(36:23):
And then focus and honesty and growth and family. Those
five core values are things that speak to my heart
and I think make us a unique company and why
a company continues to get the best places to work
in Atlanta and this, that and the other. So again,
if there's a way I can serve you through staffing
or consulting, I'd be honing to serve you, and I
(36:44):
promise you out out work a lot of folks. And
to me, it's not about providing the service, it's what
can I do all over and above what is the
value add How can I make your business more successful?
And I've got lots of clients stories. I think that's
one in the book, a client story Wry about a
client that gave me some business, and I turned around
and opened the door for them, and they end up
(37:05):
getting a four million dollar sale out of it. So
I didn't get four million dollars out of the entire relationship,
and they got four million dollars out of one introduction.
So that to me is the joy is to give,
to be able to put more back into a company
than I ever see. If I make a thousand dollars,
if I can give you five, then I feel like
it was a good relationship. So again that's that that
(37:28):
that joy of giving and the joy of seeing other
people be successful. It's been a real blessing. And thank
you very much for inviting me to share with you
this morning, and I wishould hope and pray for you
continued success in your career and in this podcast, and
of course in your book as well. That something here
he is your book four or five. I'm in joining
(37:48):
you since I got it the other day. Anyway, much
many blessing to you, Jason, and thank you very much
for this wonderful opportunity.
Speaker 3 (37:56):
Absolutely, Ricky will definitely hang out again in the near future. Folks,
you heard it from the man himself. We'll have all
of Ricky's information in the show notes, you can go
grab a copy of the Heart of Networking.
Speaker 5 (38:10):
We'll also have his email. Reach out to Ricky.
Speaker 3 (38:13):
He's a billionaire of relationships and you will get to
personally see why.
Speaker 5 (38:19):
Folks.
Speaker 3 (38:20):
That's all we've got time for here on the Fortified
Life Podcast. This again has been one of our tools
and resources episodes for that series. You know how we
leave things. Don't compartmentalize your faith in the marketplace and
from the boardroom to the bathroom, God is with you.
We'll see you next time on the Fortified Life Podcast.
Speaker 2 (38:45):
Thank you for listening to the Fortified Life Podcast.
Speaker 1 (38:48):
You can catch us live on Wednesdays at eight thirty
pm Eastern Time and on demand.
Speaker 2 (38:53):
Check out Fortified lifepodcast dot com for more details. So
learn how to live out your faith in the market
take place.
Speaker 1 (39:00):
Grab a copy of Jason Davis's book Fortify Being Rooted
in God's Plan for work in Business, Available on Amazon.
Welcome to the Fortified Life Podcast, where we learn how
to develop a dependency on Jesus in the marketplace. From
the boardroom to the bathroom.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
God is with you. Here's our host, author, speaker, teacher, encourager.
Here a true coach, and my husband. It's the man
they call mister forty five. Jason Davis.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Hey, what's going on everybody? Welcome back to another episode
of the Fortified Life podcast where we are passionate about
building a dependency on Jesus in the marketplace. I'm your host,
Jason Davis, aka mister Fortifive. Every week we have the
opportunity to bring on authors, speakers, coaches, people that are
(00:59):
also passionate about putting God back in business. Today's episode
will be part of our Tools and Resources series, and Folks,
I'm really excited because our guest today is going to
touch on a topic and he's got a wonderful book resource.
We're going to be talking about networking today. So, folks,
(01:20):
welcome to the Fortified Life Podcast. Ricky Steele. He's an author,
he's a speaker, and he is a servant at heart. Ricky,
welcome to the Fortified Life.
Speaker 4 (01:32):
Thank you, Jackson. It's an honored privilege to be here.
Speaker 5 (01:34):
Go Jackets, Yes, Go Jackets.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
We were talking offline a lot, a lot of a
lot of a lot of crossover in our lives certainly,
and the Yellow Jackets are part of that. Ricky is
today you've written a book, The Heart of Networking of
got it up here in folks. This is actually the
third edition that Ricky has written, and will dive more
into that. But Ricky, just when you think about this topic,
(02:02):
let's just set the table for the folks listening. A
lot of people approach networking with a lot of different thoughts.
Let's just say that there's different styles. You've got the
speed networking, You've got the hey, let's go down and
have coffee. And so we've seen networking take a lot
(02:23):
of different shapes and forms over the years. But Ricky,
just as a foundation, why this topic, why does it
burn so deeply within your heart?
Speaker 4 (02:38):
If you go back to the at least for us,
our faith woke Jesus met with a bunch of fishermen
and they used their nets, and they cast their nets,
and so they were networking every single day to bring it.
But the same thing occurred when they went out in
the community they created relationships, they dealt with people one
(02:58):
o one and to meet them where their needs were.
And as a result, the gospel exploded and now it's
known across the universe. But to me, a lot of
people think network is a dirty word. And I'll tell
people either about networking or I'll ask you to a
networking event, and they'll try say, oh, I know, network,
that's horrible. That's the salesy and self centeredness and this,
(03:21):
that and the other. And I said, yes, I certainly
can be, but that's not the way I see networking.
I see networking as an opportunity to build a new
relationship with someone that you didn't already know, and the
most important part of that equation is to find out
as much as you can about that individual so you
can find a way to serve them. What are their needs?
(03:43):
If you can meet the needs of someone else, and
it may have nothing to do with the product or
service that you're selling, and it comes back to you.
If you give expecting something in return, that's not a gift,
that's a bribe or a payoff for some future benefit.
But when you give expecting nothing in return, you may
(04:04):
get nothing in return. But that's all right, you did
a solid for somebody, You helped somebody along the way.
But more often than not, somewhere down the road, I
call it good karma, call it just casting your bread
upon water. But if you do that often enough, you
will see the benefit. Sometimes I've seen things happen one, two,
(04:24):
five years after some event where I might have played
a little part in something happening, and five years later,
something beautiful happens that I could not have created if
I laid awake at night every single night trying to
figure out a way to manipulate it into happening. It
happened because of something that happened five years earlier. And
there's a thousand stories along those lives. Ricky.
Speaker 5 (04:48):
I love that.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
And right there at the end, I think of a
boomerang you throw it, and sometimes, especially Ricky in twenty
twenty five, where everybody wants everything right now, these things
don't happen till weeks, months and years later. So I
love what you said there is you just don't know
when some of these things come back into play. But
(05:11):
when it does, just God has a way of divinely
orchestrating and you just never know how impactful it can be.
So I love how you talked about bringing the focus
to serving and don't worry about whether or not you're
going to get something in return. Maybe, just maybe it
was about you met a really awesome person today, and
(05:33):
every human is uniquely interesting, and so why not just
sit down and be with the person in front of you.
So I love that, Ricky, Ricky with the third edition,
This came out after the pandemic. So when we think
about networking, because the pandemic kind of reshaped a lot
(05:54):
of things in the marketplace and the workplace in general.
How did the shift from in person the virtual change
how people build trust? What did you see coming out
of the pandemic? And then the fact that this third
edition was a post pandemic book.
Speaker 4 (06:11):
Well, the pandemic changed everything as far as network is concerned.
I didn't know what to do with myself for a
good bit of time. I've been known to leave my
house at six o'clock in the morning and get home
at ten o'clock at night after having nine meetings here, there,
and yonder with nine different folks or nine different groups,
or this, that and the other. So all of a
sudden I found myself locked into my office in my
(06:33):
house and trying to figure out how best to help
others or how best to sell product and services because
I have been a salesperson my entire life. My dad
was a salesperson, my granddad was a salesperson. Always being entrepreneurs,
So it was a great adjustment. What I did find
over a period of time, not the first day by
any stretch of the imagination, but I did find there's
(06:55):
ways through Zoom and now the Microsoft Product teams. A
lot of videos were done during that time. I found
groups that associations and industry organizations that I've been involved
in started doing group meetings online, and that was a
blessing because some of these people, I'm a very touchy
(07:16):
feely person. Whether you're a man, woman, child, it doesn't
make a difference if I've known you very long. The
handshake is something that I don't know anything about. It's
a hug and a kiss on the cheek and just
some warm greeting. I wouldn't getting any of that, and
there was kind of lost without it. But being able
to see friends and associates' faces again and hear them
(07:38):
speak verbally, with being able to see their expressions was
a great blessing, so that helped a great deal. And
then as we started moving out of it and wearing
masks to go out in public, that changed a bit
because again we weren't hugging and kissing each other on
the cheeks. We were shaking hands and then grabbing a
bottle of ad accepted to clean their hands as quickly
(07:58):
as possible because nobody wanted to get sick, because tragically,
millions of people died as a result of that horrible pandemic.
But it was different, and I'm glad it's over with
and hope the good Lord we never have to go
through that again. But it was a change of pace.
But what I did find is that through one on
one conversations, whether it was with video or just audio,
(08:19):
everybody still needed to work. Everybody still needed to try
to make a living. So I found a lot of
opportunities where people were looking for something that perhaps I
could help them with. It could have been advice, career
advice for folks that were laid off, or it could
have been somebody trying to get in touch with someone
and they wanted a relationship with someone at Coca Cola
(08:39):
or IBM or NCR somewhere where I might have had
some relationships when they called and I was able to
open a few doors along the way, and so not
only was a great blessing and a lot of joy
in the process, but it helped them accomplish what they
were doing. So it was different. But it's still about people.
From what I understand. The only person I've got to
(09:00):
have a deep relationship with as another human being. I
do love my dog, and there's some of the things
that are that we have in front of us, but
it's the human connection that is what makes our life unique.
And so being able to communicate and talk to folks
one oh one, that that was a game changer, and
and to be able to continue that, I thought it
(09:21):
was very beneficial. I've talked to a lot of people
and everyone's had a different take on how the pandemic
affected their business and their career. But when it was
all said and done, it slowed me down, but it
did not shut me down. I like that, Ricky.
Speaker 5 (09:35):
Slowed down, but not shut down.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
And you're right, we had to reinvent for a lot
of folks how how we communicated with people. And thank
goodness for technology, which is where I wanted to take
things today, Ricky is and we live in such a
technology driven world and this is a unique time in
the marketplace, Ricky, where we've gotten multiple age groups. We've
(10:00):
got the boomers, we've got Gen X, we've got the
millennials like myself, We've got Gen Z and now we
got Gen Alpha.
Speaker 5 (10:10):
They're coming.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
And so one of the things that bridges the gap
with all those people in the marketplace at the same
time as technology.
Speaker 5 (10:19):
So, Ricky, I'm gonna take you on a trip with.
Speaker 3 (10:22):
Tech here and I just want you to give your
opinion on how networking is influenced. So, of course we
got all the way back, we got the radio, we
had the television, then we had the onset of the Internet,
and now here comes AI. And so with all of
that you talked about maintaining the connection. For you, you
(10:44):
would have seen all of these different shifts in tech
with things still being about the connection.
Speaker 5 (10:51):
How have you seen kind of all of.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
Those get weaved into the networking process. We've got people
with digital old business cards. Now we've got the people
can hey, grab your number, tap the phone. Has that
added to the connection experience? What's been what's your opinion
on that.
Speaker 4 (11:11):
I'm a face to face, eyeball to eyeball connection type
person and that's the way that I enjoy best. And
I just say I set a record one day at
a restaurant sitting down at six fifteen in the morning
and not leaving the restaurant until three fifteen in the afternoon,
after six or seven breakfast, lunch, coffee, breakfast, whatever, hot
fudge Sunday in the afternoon or what have you. So
(11:34):
that's how I get my giggles enjoy out of life.
But the iteration and now AI, I'm just digging into
it every day. I'm having a lot of fun with it,
and I'm learning some things and being able to scope
out some things that I tell people often that if
I had the tools today that twenty five thirty years
ago when I started my sales and marketing career, I
(11:56):
wouldn't be here today. I'd be at the beach with
a umbrella, drink or something and staring at the at
the horizon because it's been such a game changer. Things
that used to take me four or five six meetings
to understand about someone or to know what their needs
are or what's important to them, I can now find
out in five minutes. I know more about some of
(12:18):
my friends and their mom or daddy ever knew about
them because they're posting it on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or
x whatever they call it now, Instagram, and every other
platform known to man. So for me, as being someone
who likes to get personal, I like to know about
your mama, where you were born, Georgia Tech, Yellowjack, Did
you play football in Georgia Tech. The more I know
(12:40):
about you gives me more of an opportunity to figure
out how to serve you better. Who do I know
that graduation from Georgia Tech that has an opportunity that
would be beneficial to you? Or conversely, who do I
know that what's the Georgia Tech or is a Georgia
Tech fan that could be served by you. So it's
always trying to figure out how to make it, and
(13:01):
having that information has been very helpful. I'm not a
great technologist, but I love to use technology, especially around music,
because I'm a music buff and I've got albums otis
reading live in Europe from about nineteen sixty eight. I
haded a record, I had it on a cassette, I
had it on an a tract I have it on
(13:21):
a CD, and now I've got it on my computer,
and I also have it on Apple Music so I
can listen to it in the car. So again, that
whole iteration of how it's changed has improved the process.
And I think that's the same thing with networking. The
more tools we had, the more we could get to know.
Now is the best way to get to know someone
(13:42):
one on one, no question about it. But I believe
that if I'm willing to make a connection, and I
want to make a connection and connect with someone, and
I think I've got a couple examples of this in
the last book, but I've got invests. Everybody wants to
make a withdrawal, but nobody wants to make a deposit.
To me, it's the deposits we make that compound interest
(14:04):
and more things happen before I go into a meeting.
For example, before you and I had breakfast the other day,
I probably spent thirty forty five minutes trying to get
to know everything I could about you. So we sat down.
I didn't have to say where are you from, where'd
you go to school? I already knew all that information,
so our conversation flowed we found out some deeper things
(14:26):
about each other as we got deeper and deeper into
the conversation. But to me, if you're not willing to
invest at least an hour into any meeting you're going into,
then you're really not you're not committed to the process.
So you're not committed to you to building deep relationships. Now,
one on one, I could bump into somebody at a
cocktail party or a ballgame or here there and yonder
(14:49):
and dig a little bit deep, and at some point
we're going to set up a time for having a
cup of coffee or a glass of wine or a
lunch or whatever, and then I probably will do some
more research before that happens. But it's a process. But
if I know a lot of people that say, Ricky,
I'm not afraid of hard work, and I realized when
somebody tells me that they've never really done any hard work,
(15:11):
is just that if you're not willing to admit to it.
It's networking. It's not net sleeping, it's not net and
laying around, it's not net played on the computer. It's
net working. So if you're not willing to work, you're
not gonna be very good at networking. But the investment
is compound interest. If you invest in your network and
(15:32):
in the relationships of those around you, from your next
door neighbor to your balls to anybody, you'll find that
the return on the investment is gonna be much greater
than you invest in. It's compound interest in society. Wall
I could go on and on about this because to me,
relationships is the joy of living eyebow to eyebow with
(15:52):
another human being, getting to know them and what makes
them tick, and what it causes them pain but also
causes them joy. That's what life is all.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
About, Ricky. What you just described, I love it. You're
getting me fired up as you were talking. You describe
the process of becoming a billionaire of relationships that compound interest,
taking the time, energy connection. Like you said, networking not
net sleeping enough, Folks, you heard it here first on
(16:21):
the fort to five Life. Ricky may get that trademark tomorrow,
so and networking not net sleeping, not like that. I'll
remember that one for years to come, Ricky. But man, Yeah,
a lot of times we think people think about being
rich and wealthy and it's always about money.
Speaker 5 (16:38):
But Ricky, it's been my experience.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
Even with the short time that we've spent together, folks
that are able to walk. And I've seen this, Ricky,
I know without saying his name, that he knows. It's
a funny story. There's a gentleman that I know where
every time. I'd probably talk him a few times a year, Ricky,
(17:02):
I kid you not if I say I'm coming back
from vacation or I went to this conference, he knows
somebody and I'm talking about all anywhere. Oh man, I
went to New York, I went to Hawaii, and this
guy just has And I'm like, that is unbelievable. And
it's because he's a billionaire of relationships. There's not a
(17:24):
stream of influence in the church, world, business world, nonprofit
sports anything.
Speaker 5 (17:30):
He could If you said you're coming back.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
From Italy, he'll be like, oh yeah, that reminds me unbelievable.
And that's really what you're saying, Ricky to me, if
somebody can get you an introduction because they've again, they've
done the work and so they have these deep relationships
with a lot of people of influence. I just think
it's not highlighted enough to thank you for breaking that down.
(17:56):
Ricky and reminding listen, it's not just about cerial wealth,
but wealthy relationships.
Speaker 5 (18:03):
That's good.
Speaker 4 (18:04):
It's hum But God is not meat nor drink, but righteousness,
peace and joy. And some of the wealthiest people I
know are the poorest people that I know and the
most miserable people that I know. Being wealthy is not
a bad thing, but it's how you apply it and
how you use it on a day to day basis.
But I think I'm one of the wealthiest people that
I know, and it's not because of the balance of
(18:26):
my checking account or CDs or anything in the world.
Is the fact that I literally have thousands of people
that I believe I could call today if I was
in a jam and say, could you help me? I
think there's probably a thousand people out there more that
know if they got into a bind, that they call
me today, I would be over at their house this
afternoon or at their office trying to figure out a
(18:48):
way to help them do that. That to me is
where joy is. We're only going to be on this
earth for a sixty time. We're all going to leave
this planet at some point. I don't care how poor
you are, how famous you are, how many times you
name has been the newspaper. Generally after you pass away,
it's going to not be too long before ninety percent
of the people forget you ever existed. But the ones
(19:10):
that you touched personally and inhemately, they're gonna remember you
for a long time. And that's gonna be your legacy
through your friends, your family, the folks you touched with
your faith life. That's your legacy. You know. Not everybody's
going to have one hundred million dollars to buy a
building or dedicate a building or donate like all the
billionaires are doing where they're giving seventy eighty percent of
(19:31):
their net worth away before they die. That's all very good,
and God bless them glad they're doing that. But for
most of us ordinary folks, what we have to give
more than anything else is ourselves, and it's a gift
that everyone needs. Everyone wants to be in relationship, Even
the hardest people in the world when you break them down,
(19:52):
at some point, they have a need to be touched
by somebody else. And that to me is where I
think that that's the joy living. Someone looking you in
the eye and saying you made a difference in my life.
That is gosh, as good as it gets.
Speaker 5 (20:08):
Love it, Ricky.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
Yeah, Ricky is keeping that definition of networking going net working.
Part of working is listening.
Speaker 5 (20:18):
And I know you've got.
Speaker 3 (20:19):
A really cool story out of the book that kind
of sets up a joke that we were talking about
before we got started to tell that story for everyone,
and the importance of when you're meeting people, what's the
impact of you listening or not.
Speaker 5 (20:35):
I'll let you tell it. I'm not going to tell it.
Speaker 4 (20:38):
We have two ears and one mouth. We should use
it proportionately. If I walk away from someone and they
know three times more about me than I know about them,
then I failed that opportunity. I want to know three
times more about them than they ever hear about me.
But a lot of people go through life trying to
(21:01):
figure out a way to score something or get something,
and they want to bye bye bye bye bayh just
tell you about the history of mankind. It's hard to
build a relationship with a person like that. A lot
of times when you meet someone, you don't really meet them,
you don't really talk to them. You're having a conversation,
but their eyes are darting around the room looking at
(21:23):
is there someone more important. Is there so one I
need to go talk to. They're thinking about the last deal,
or they're contemplating their next deal. They are not in
the moment with you. It reminds me of the story
of the pastor who was very busy, had a hectic schedule.
One day and he's sitting in his office and his
assistant comes in and says, Pastor, there's a young man
out in the lobby who wants to talk to you.
(21:44):
He wants you to pray with him. Do you have time?
And he said, I don't have time. I don't know
how to I've got a hundred things going on. And
she says, he seems really insistent. He said, just break
this sin to me in young man comes in and
he says, how can I help you? Young man? He says,
I'd like for you to pray for my hearing. The
pastor never asked a follow up question, never really dug
into the situation, but he immediately laid his hands on
(22:07):
the young man's head, anointed his head with old prayed
the prayer of faith, called the heaven to come down,
and the holdest spirit the whole nine yards. He did
everything he could In about forty five seconds, maybe a minute,
and said amen. And he looked at the young man
and said, son, how was your hearing? He said, Pastor,
I'm not sure. It's not until next Tuesday. He missed
(22:30):
the point. I think so many people missed the point
because they really weren't listening. They were there, but in reality,
they weren't there. Their body was there, but their mind
and their heart and their spirit was somewhere else. They're
not going to be good networkers. They're not going to
really be good friends. They're not really going to be
good spouses, they're not really going to be good employees.
(22:52):
You got to be in the moment, and you've got
to be there for others.
Speaker 3 (22:55):
So good, Ricky, that story that tickled me. I wanted
the listeners hear that. And plus, that's the type of
story that will resonate as a reminder that when you're
with the person in front of you, don't worry about
what else is going on. The most important person in
front of you, or the most important person is the
(23:16):
person in front of you, and you just don't know
how it might even lead. There's countless stories, Ricky, where
I've been in a big event and I talked to
one person and I spent time with him and oh, wow,
you talked to that person for ten minutes. There's been
several cases, Ricky, where I spent time with just the
one person and they ended up knowing four or five
(23:38):
other people that if I had been so focused on all,
let me try to talk to them. I spent time
ten minutes with one person at a big event and
they said, hey, let's go meet someone, and I went, wow,
that was somebody that I was eyeing earlier in the night.
But if I hadn't been present with the person in
front of me. So, folks, you just don't know, You
(23:59):
really don't. But listening because, as Ricky stated, the joy
of life connecting with another human being.
Speaker 5 (24:08):
My goodness.
Speaker 3 (24:09):
Yeah yeah, Ricky, this third edition was personal, deeply personal
for you.
Speaker 5 (24:18):
And one of the things that you did.
Speaker 3 (24:20):
Is you you dusted off the stories and experiences that
you've had in your life, and you also asked permission
for people to be included in the book.
Speaker 5 (24:30):
What what made.
Speaker 3 (24:33):
This final edition so different where you actually wanted to
have the names mentioned and make it more deeply personal.
What was the thought process around doing that for this
last edition.
Speaker 5 (24:46):
Of the book.
Speaker 4 (24:47):
I've had an interesting life, needless to say, and I've
been very blessed to experience with things that just somebody
with my background, whether it be education of where I
was raised, or this, that and the other, should have
never experienced. I've been freemly blessed and I'm very grateful.
But I've also had some terrible tragedies in my life.
And in October the tenth of twenty seventeen, we lost
(25:09):
our thirty three year old son. He was a bipolar
with extreme anxiety. He was a star tennis player, star student,
He had everything going for in one tennis tournaments all
over the Southeast, just a joy to be around. One
of the sweetest persons in loved music like I do.
We talked about every music group there ever was. But
he struggled and struggled, and that was a real What
(25:31):
he passed was a real horrific experience, to say the least.
And so I knew that, coming through COVID and the
world changing, that I wanted to tell some personal stories.
All life is about telling stories. If you go to
the Bible, it's just a selection of stories things that
happened along the way at how it affected people. The
greatest public speakers i've ever heard never get up and
(25:52):
beat you to death with an hour and a half
worth of facts. They tell four stories. Each one of
them has a point, and they resonate with you forever.
That's what I wanted to do, is tell some stories.
So I wrote the book and told stories about friends
of mine and colleagues and this, that and the other.
And then I sent each of them what I had written,
(26:13):
and I said, this is my third and final book,
and this is our story. First. If you don't like
the story, then it won't be in the book. If
you like the story and you'd like to keep it
third person, I can say I got a friend that
we did this, or I got a colleague or a
guy that I know from church or work or whatever,
and we'll make it anonymous, but I'll tell the story
(26:36):
if you will allow me. I would love to share
your name and how we're intimately related and how this
story all came into focus, this that and the other,
and every single person. That is what we did, with
the exception of one, because it's a gentleman that's been
on the front page every newspaper and a very big
(26:57):
name executive around town who so went to a lot
of the same issues as my son, and he and
I sat down and talked about it, and I gave
him what advice I could about the experience and going
through it and how to try to help his son
the best that he could. And because his son is
still living, thankful the Lord. Not that he would ever
see my book or ever read it, but if he
(27:17):
ever did, we wanted to keep it discreet and anonymous,
so that story is not in the book. The story
is in the book, but the story is anonymously told
with every other name of those are theirs Elizabeth Holmikey
Dear Klein, and a friend of mine who called me
up one day and took me out to lunch after
my son died and really kept me from probably jumping
(27:38):
off a bridge or something. I was so distraught, and
she took me out to lunch and hung and kissed
on me and carried on, and it really helped give
me encouragement and love and sympathy and every other thing
you need when you're going through a horrible experience like that.
There's probably a John Yates story or two, big name,
prominent technology attorney in town who John and I shared
(28:00):
a lot of experiences together over the years, can you
David Monica Hudson, two deer friends and a story that
we shared together. So there's one story after another. And
I've really had people that have read the third book
and made read the first or second book who said,
by far, I like this book the best. It's got
a lot of the same principles and the seven habits
(28:21):
of highly effective networkers and the things that you share
when you put public speaking and what have you. But
it goes intimately into some really powerful stories. And thanks
for including that. So anyway, thanks for bringing that up.
Is it's just life. It's it's the ying and the
yang and the in this world, you're going to have troubles.
But He overcame the world, and the only way we've
(28:43):
become overcomers is to follow his example. But I have
rustled losing my son long hours and she had a
million tears, and I know that ultimately God is in
control and that he loved my son very much. It
still does as he loves me very much. And in
re reality, the thing that gave me the most comfort
is knowing and understanding that God himself lost his own son.
(29:07):
He gave his own son and allowed his own son
to lose his life for my benefit and for everybody
else's in the world. That's given me some encouragement and
hope still hurts like the Dickens. And as we come
to August, which was my son's birthday, that's always a
horrible moment. And then October, the day that he passed,
(29:28):
that's always a horrible moment. And then most every day
of the week when I hear a song that we
used to discuss, or see a tennis match on television,
that of course that's deal. But the gist of it
is it's a very personal book and one that I
hope can be a benefit and encourage others as they're
going through their highs and their lows in life, and
(29:49):
we're all going to have them.
Speaker 3 (29:51):
Well, Ricky, I appreciate your transparency and vulnerability sharing something
difficult like that, and also just the impact, the impact
that your son had, So I don't take that that
lightly at all, Ricky. As we get ready to close out,
and I think you and I are examples of this,
(30:11):
the importance of the generations talking to each other. Ricky
has talked to a lot of folks, and everybody has
affinity for their own age group. Right, It's easy for
boomers to talk to boomers because life was a certain
way when you came up, family society. Same for myself
a millennial. It's real easy. What's the what's a good
(30:33):
nugget of wisdom as to the value proposition? Why hey
come up out of your comfort zone? Learn from those
older and younger than you, because you just never know
the what God can do with that. So just talk
about that, Ricky. Because you've got relationships with folks older
than you, younger than you, same age, just talk about that.
Speaker 4 (30:57):
The average age of most of my ends is deceased.
We did. The older you get, the more folks that
you lose. All kidding aside, The way you stay young
is to hang around young folks and learn from them,
not only about new technologies but about new music. I'm
into the music from the sixties and the seventies, and
that's to me the crowning music. But I got to
(31:20):
learn a little bit more about post Malone or jelly
Roll or Ed Shearing or Lewis Capaldi or the list
goes on and on. The people that are a third
of my age, but I'm listening to them now to
hear what they have to say and to get their beat.
And I even took my daughter a couple of years
ago after a Braves game to see Ludacrous raise the
(31:42):
roof a bit. But yeah, every generation's got something to add,
every generation's got their own take on things. So the
more open you can be, and especially with young people,
I tell a little joke I guess it's a joke
to some degree about why I'm mentor some me I
meantor a lot of young folks. And I left you
the other day after breakfast and had lunch with a
younger fella that could, in processes make some introductions for
(32:06):
him as well. And I tell folks, They say, why
do you mentor so many young folks? And I said,
very simple. On the nineteenth of every single month, I
get a social Security check. I'm about to be seventy three,
and for five six years I've been getting a social
chir curity check every month. And if young people are
not successful, they're not going to be making deposits in
a social security system. And if they don't make deposits,
(32:27):
I'm not going to get my check. So maybe I'm
basically just self serving. Tried to help my old self out.
But anyway, that's not really true, but it's a good line.
But again, helping the next generation as older people helped me.
My dad was my largest mentor, and I tell a
lot of my dad's stories in the book, but a
(32:48):
lot of his friends, Bill Turner, who I think was
a photo in the book about me and Bill Turner,
who was a Columbus Georgia Tech graduate as well. By
the way, anyway, Bill Turner was chairman of the board
of Sonovas and Tis and W. C. Bradley. He mentored
me from the time I was eleven or twelve years
old until he passed. Attended his funeral six seven eight
(33:08):
years ago. He was an iconic figure in Columbus, Georgia.
If not for mister Turner, I wouldn't be here today.
So to me, you got to pay it forward, and
mister Turner paid it forward to Jimmy Blanchard, another iconic
person in Columbus. A lot of these people paid it
forward with me, and so how can I not do
the same for the younger generation. Everybody's got a story
(33:32):
to tell, and the more stories you hear, and not
just for folks that all look like me, and worship
at the same church that I do, or have the
same dialect I do, or in the same neighborhood, but
a diverse group of people, from folks that are from
every ethnic group, religious group, social, whatever the case might be.
Having a broad coalition of people that can teach you
(33:53):
something will help you become a more rounded human being.
Speaker 5 (33:57):
In my opinion, that's good, Ricky.
Speaker 3 (33:59):
That's a perfect way to close out the episode as well. Folks,
The Heart of Networking third edition, go out and get
a copy. Go on and get one hundred copies. Ricky,
Where can people go out and drive a copy of
your book?
Speaker 4 (34:16):
It's available on Amazon and the Barnes and Noble websites,
but they have they store the books and they send
them from their warehouse. Being a networker and somebody that
likes personalization, I created a Shopify store. If you will,
and if you order for me, it's not only a
little bit less expensive, but I mail it and so
(34:37):
you don't get and it doesn't cost you any postage,
so it saves a little bit more. But I will
personalize every copy. I will write an inscription and every
copy you know best wishes, God bless you or whatever,
and sign it and I'll mail it and personalize it.
My Shopify page is a www. Dot heartof Networking dot net,
(34:57):
not dot com, but dot net because I'm a network
so Heartofnetworking dot net and I think it's twenty three dollars.
I can't remember exactly what it is, but whatever it is,
it's still I think it's twenty nine to ninety five
on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. But get it wherever
you like, and you can if you want to reach
out to me and ask me any questions or whatever,
(35:19):
you can find me at Ricky at Ricky Steele dot net,
Ricky at Rickysteel dot net and ask me a question
or if I can give you some advice, I'll help
you however I can. And then, lastly, seventy two years old,
I had been I think I call myself semi retired. Basically,
I had been working for a while, and about a
month and a half two months ago, I joined a
(35:39):
guy that I worked with twenty years ago at a
great company, fast growing, bunch smart guys company called tech Stream,
And you can get me at Ricky dot Steel at
techstream dot com. But tech String is a amazing staffing
and consulting firm. And the reason I'm so passionate about
working these guys, working with these guys and serving with
(36:01):
them is they have five core principles. And a lot
of people walk the walk, but they excuse me, they
talk the talk, but they don't walk the walk. You
walk the walk. And the five core values are one Passion,
That's to me, what life's all about. Passion is what
separates the ordinary from the extraordinary. Passion makes you extraordinary.
(36:23):
And then focus and honesty and growth and family. Those
five core values are things that speak to my heart
and I think make us a unique company and why
a company continues to get the best places to work
in Atlanta and this, that and the other. So again,
if there's a way I can serve you through staffing
or consulting, I'd be honing to serve you, and I
(36:44):
promise you out out work a lot of folks. And
to me, it's not about providing the service, it's what
can I do all over and above what is the
value add How can I make your business more successful?
And I've got lots of clients stories. I think that's
one in the book, a client story Wry about a
client that gave me some business, and I turned around
and opened the door for them, and they end up
(37:05):
getting a four million dollar sale out of it. So
I didn't get four million dollars out of the entire relationship,
and they got four million dollars out of one introduction.
So that to me is the joy is to give,
to be able to put more back into a company
than I ever see. If I make a thousand dollars,
if I can give you five, then I feel like
it was a good relationship. So again that's that that
(37:28):
that joy of giving and the joy of seeing other
people be successful. It's been a real blessing. And thank
you very much for inviting me to share with you
this morning, and I wishould hope and pray for you
continued success in your career and in this podcast, and
of course in your book as well. That something here
he is your book four or five. I'm in joining
(37:48):
you since I got it the other day. Anyway, much
many blessing to you, Jason, and thank you very much
for this wonderful opportunity.
Speaker 3 (37:56):
Absolutely, Ricky will definitely hang out again in the near future. Folks,
you heard it from the man himself. We'll have all
of Ricky's information in the show notes, you can go
grab a copy of the Heart of Networking.
Speaker 5 (38:10):
We'll also have his email. Reach out to Ricky.
Speaker 3 (38:13):
He's a billionaire of relationships and you will get to
personally see why.
Speaker 5 (38:19):
Folks.
Speaker 3 (38:20):
That's all we've got time for here on the Fortified
Life Podcast. This again has been one of our tools
and resources episodes for that series. You know how we
leave things. Don't compartmentalize your faith in the marketplace and
from the boardroom to the bathroom, God is with you.
We'll see you next time on the Fortified Life Podcast.
Speaker 2 (38:45):
Thank you for listening to the Fortified Life Podcast.
Speaker 1 (38:48):
You can catch us live on Wednesdays at eight thirty
pm Eastern Time and on demand.
Speaker 2 (38:53):
Check out Fortified lifepodcast dot com for more details. So
learn how to live out your faith in the market
take place.
Speaker 1 (39:00):
Grab a copy of Jason Davis's book Fortify Being Rooted
in God's Plan for work in Business, Available on Amazon.
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