Takers United Fan Club

A good friend of mine once told the story of how when he was aspiring to be great in life, gathered almost all the money he had, to pay for and attend a conference where ‘Les Brown’ (a man he had seen and admired from far) would be speaking. My friend is a fine tailor (now one of the world’s best), and at that time, he made ties for men. So, he decided to take one tie along with him to the conference, as a gift for Mr. Les Brown – peradventure, he may get an opportunity to give it to him!

Off he went, to the program, with the tie. Fortunately, on the first day of the conference, he sighted Les. He went after him, said a quick hello and presented his gift. There were dozens of people waiting to see Les, but he was so moved that this young man traveled all the way across continents, and was thoughtful enough to bring him a gift. He asked my friend to come with him. They had lunch and dinner together several times, had great conversations and struck off a great relationship which spiraled into many amazing things – including them writing a book together.

What did he take with him? – A tie! Just as simple as that – a tie.

Now, we don’t know if Les ever went on to the wear the tie. Whether it was a color he liked or not. Whether he liked the pattern, the design or the shape. All we know is that Les was touched by the thoughtfulness, invited the young man into his world, and made room for them to become friends.

There’s a well-known verse of the bible, Proverbs 18:16 which says – ‘A man’s gift will make room for him, and bring him before great men’. Now, this can mean one of two things – first is that your unique God-given ability will take you to great heights.

Understand it, appreciate it, nurture it and it will take you places. The second interpretation, which is the crux of our conversation today, is that ‘the gift or the present which duty or friendship offers to a person whom one wishes to please, can pave a man’s way to a great person’s presence’. In other words – take a gift, with you. It doesn’t matter how small you deem it… Sometimes, a little thoughtful gift may be what you need, to sieve out all the noise around you and cause you to be noticed. Sometimes, it may not be possible to draw from an account in which you have not deposited into. Especially if everyone else is trying to draw from it as well.

There are countless stories about men and women who remembered to take a gift, a gift that ushered them into places they never thought they’ll go. I have my own personal story about taking a box of chocolates to a CEO, who immediately referred me to another well-placed CEO I had been trying to reach. Access – immediately! The power of chocolates. Lol. It cost me 8 pounds only 🙂

We can’t always be ‘takers’. We’ve got to learn to give. Especially to ‘great men and women’ – people who on all counts are assumed to be doing much better than us materially and financially. There’s a general misconception that it’s not necessary to give to those who have so much. That phrase or question, ‘what do you give to a man/woman that has everything?’, is almost always answered with – ‘nothing’.

Contrary to what we think, giving a man or woman of means is one of the most thoughtful things. Because, almost everyone else around them is trying to take from them! It’s like a breath of fresh air, like melody in the midst of cacophony.

Try it. It may not translate to getting a job or securing a contract or a returned gesture immediately. After all, the principle of ‘open arms’ has a natural feedback mechanism that is not time-bound, and giving should come naturally without the pressure of anticipation. But the thoughtfulness always touches a spot, singles you out and gives you access to a world of possibilities. Step out of that takers league please, and join the giving / winning team today 🙂