Success is enabled by who you know

Networking is about collaborating with people and teams to accomplish huge tasks and to create lasting impact. So whenever I showcase a business win, it is always to illustrate the power of what is possible when you think beyond yourself and focus on working with others to solve the big problems and to tackle the hard issues.

We just had a major win at work — you know the kind of win where you can't ask for a stronger new product launch than this type of activity. Our microphones had wonderful placement during a recent NBC livestream with Bebe Rexha over the 4th of July holiday festivities. And as I shared this one around with internal partners and teammates, it got me thinking about some life lessons and business best-practices that I wanted to pass on.

And while this is all inside baseball for my line of work, I happen to believe that these are universal truths for success at any company — no matter what you sell or what services that you offer. Because at the end of the day, all successes stem from who you know.

Adopting a networking mindset allows you to create more opportunities for success

At the level that we’re playing at, everyone knows everyone else. There is nothing that we do that isn’t known or discussed. Of course this goes for our wins. But it cuts both ways and it equally plays for our missteps. We mind a relationship wrong and it’s on the telegraph. We make a miscalculation and bet on the wrong horse and the chickens know. A product fails, and that’s front page news. We don’t make someone whole or right, and that’s a life sentence black mark against the company.

There is a clear reason that we’ve been given permission to play in this space. But that is not a given nor is it a constant. This is an invite only club and every one of our actions and inactions is under constant scrutiny.

Success is not a given and when you are lucky enough to earn it, you have permission to hold on to it until you drop the ball and lose it. Things in motion will stay in motion until you or someone on your team does something stupid.

Every single interaction that we have at every touch point — at every level — matters. You NEVER know who you are talking to but you must assume that every word you say and every stance that you take will be transcribed for the entire industry to judge.

Success comes from being flawless on every level. Always. There is no other way to be.

The backstory. How I got product placed with Bebe Rexha and the NBC 4th of July Livestream

This headline is misleading because I actually have no control or influence over which microphones Bebe Rexha's team chooses to use. That's not my job and implying or pretending that it is simply telegraphs that I don't know what I'm doing. But it is good copy and my job is to capture attention so there's that. My job is also to enable frictionless opportunities for placement and to create amazing products that deliver tremendous value so that people want to use them whenever they can. And so when a friend first introduced me her sound engineer, I was flawless at every level (see above.) And then when we crossed paths again at the NAMM show and talked about my new vocal microphone, once again I over-delivered. I had already established trust and reliability through our first interactions so the second and thirds were simply building upon the foundations. And because the products delivered and because I delivered, the placement was simply the result of everything being better. And that part of the equation I can control. And so can you.

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Mike Dias is a business leader with over 20 years of experience working at the intersection of Pro Audio and Consumer Electronics. He is a huge believer that life is about who you know and that success is about who's in your network. This is why he writes and and speaks so passionately about Why Nobody Likes Networking and What Entertainers can Teach Executives. From time to time, he shares business wins like this to illustrate the power of adopting a networking mindset for work and for life.  If you or your teams need more sales & wins or if you want to infuse your organization with that same can’t fail attitude and work ethic that goes into building out all of your favorite shows and concerts, then simply get in touch.

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