GYoung Digital Blog

There’s something that I’ve learned in grad school, a skill that I’ve neglected for many, many years. It’s a skill that’s very important, and it’s important to succeed in today’s professional world, but it’s also very easy to ignore, or perhaps, take for granted.

That skill? Fostering relationships.

In this program, I was assigned a journalism assignment – find someone to interview, and create a video that tells a journalism story.

The problem? I have to find someone.

I’m not assigned the story. I have to find it.

One of the requirements is to tell a story that people will actually care about. Students with this project are forbidden from interviewing their friends, or family; they are required to find something that’s actually worth telling.

The problem with that? Having access to something with that kind of story.

Now, I suppose that students are allowed to interview someone they know, as long as they have a story to tell. But, if we simply interview our mother about what their favorite cookies are, then we will fail. No, we have to find someone who’s actually doing something in the world

The problem that I have with that is that I simply don’t have that kind of access to people, right now. I’ve been moving around so much, and my own personal life circumstances, has made it very difficult to find someone who has a story to tell.

At first, I was thinking that I was required to find someone totally new, by talking to strangers, or whatever, and ask questions, and find out who wants to be interviewed.

Over time, as the stress builds up, and I doubt myself, discovering that it’s not nearly as simple as I originally thought, I found myself reaching out to tons of people, people I know, and waiting to hear back from the first person who’s willing to help out with this project.

Basically, I found myself using the network of people that I already have at my disposal. I went onto LinkedIn, or Facebook, and just sent out messages to people I know, whether or not i’ve seen them for a year or so, or whether or not they actually had a story to tell. I just messaged people, willy-nilly, building as many responses as possible.

Now, on the one hand, that sounds super easy, and simple to do. But on the other hand, it’s been stressful. The reason why it’s stressful is because I have not been fostering the relationships that I already had. Nor did I really ever appreciate the network that I have.

Basically, I had to re-acquaint myself with the people that I have connections with, not knowing how they’d respond.

So, a lot of the messages I sent out there was simply an attempt to find out who might give a crap about helping me out.

Turns out, people are very willing to help out.

Now, i’m very grateful for them who are willing to help out. On the other hand, I feel terrible for a) not appreciating the connections that I already have, and b) taking for granted those relationships.

I’m discovering that it’s worthwhile to foster those relationships, and stay in touch, and stay engaged, and involved, in some way. One way to think about it is, perhaps, to validate their existence.

After all, to be a journalist in today’s world is to have a strong, entrepreneurial spirit.

At the same time, to succeed in today’s world in general requires us to have a strong entrepreneurial spirit.

And, an entrepreneurial spirit requires having an understanding of other people, and to understand the needs of others.

In other words, one needs to be very personable.

In other words, one needs to play well with others.

When you can’t play well with others, you’re phuquered.