Do You Have The "GET IT" Factor?

When I was in college, I had a roommate. We'll call her Diane. Diane was a social butterfly - like honey with all these bees buzzing around her. She had many friends - most of them were rather quirky or on the strange side. But through all of that social activity, she had a powerful yearning to break into the communications and media world. As she neared graduation, she began connecting and getting friendly with many of the communications and media student leaders and professors. Observing all of this as a college student, I thought her methods rather strange and slightly distasteful. Who hung around with professors anyway?

There were a few instances after college I received messages on my answering maching (remember those?) from Diane. I don't think I ever called her back.

Years later, after a long hiatus of not seeing or being in communication with Diane, I was watching the Oscar awards. A lovely woman was walking to the podium to accept an award for best film in a particular category. She looked very familiar. Yes, although it took me a moment, there was a radiant Diane accepting her golden statue.

I did reach out to her (thank goodness for the internet) to congratulate her. We caught up on old times and Diane acted like we were still roommies. Very down to earth, very warm, very interested in me.

Diane is now a very successful producer in Hollywood. Her circle is very much a who's who in the entertainmet biz. Yet, she still has friends from high school, college, and mixes them in with her show biz friends.

Diane has the GET IT factor. Unlike me, she GOT IT very early on that you needed to get to know the right people so that you could access the right opportunities. She also knew that she had to be generous with people. While most of us were figuring out how to cut classes and still get enough credits to graduate, Diane was figuring out the right people to meet to open the doors to her first job in Hollywood.

When Diane lost her funding for her documentary, she had powerful friends at a major studio who wanted to help her. They picked up the tab and she was able to finish the film. The rest is history.

But Diane isn't simply about herself. She knows the GET IT Factor is mostly about helping others. She is as generous with her connections as she is savvy about knowing the right people.

Yet, we all know people who play the networking game and so DON"T GET IT.

I recently introduced two business colleagues who have a lot of synergy in their connections and business dealings. At lunch, one of these colleagues proceeded to talk non-stop about himself, his ideas, his company. I was mortified. He DIDN'T GET how he was monopolizing the conversation and was oblivious to how he was throwing away a wonderful business opportunity.

Ask yourself honestly: Do you really have the "GET IT" Factor?

• Are you meeting the right people?


• Are you being generous with the right people and trying to help them first?


• Are you listening to the right people or are you chewing their ear off making it all about you?

If you realize that you might not have the GET IT factor, it is never too late to start (I know this from personal experience).

To get the GET IT Factor, you have to give it away first - to the right people.