I hop onto a networking call, expecting the usual routine, when someone I know pops up, does a double take in my direction, and with wide eyes blurts out “There you are!”
I’m caught off guard. “What’s going on?”
“I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” he says, sounding almost relieved. “I even attended another networking event, one I almost never go to, hoping to run into you. I need to talk to you.”
I resist the urge to say, “Did you try the group directory? I’m on LinkedIn too,” because clearly there was something else going on. Let’s face it – I’m not that hard to find.
Instead I drop my scheduling link in the chat. Within seconds he grabs a spot on my calendar.
That’s when it hits me: you can have the best Elevator Pitch in the world, but you still need to show up.
Maybe he wasn’t sure what to say, maybe he was waiting for the right moment, or maybe he just needed to see me “in person” to make the connection feel real. In this increasingly digital world, there’s still no substitute for being present.
So, where are you showing up consistently? You never know what opportunities are simmering, waiting for you to appear.
It’s a lesson I learned on both sides. Two days later I found myself doing exactly what had been done to me. I’d been meaning to call my marketing for weeks about a new project. But every time I thought about it, I put it off.
Then I attended his networking meeting. He put his calendar in the chat, and I was the first to grab a spot.
The lesson?
Keep starting conversations.
And more importantly: keep showing up.