Ever heard the expression, 

“It is not what you know but who you know?” 

It is normally used when people are looking for a job. Have you ever paid real close attention to the way it reads (and sounds)? On one hand, it sounds like favoritism and nepotism. Even though you may have no clue or skills for the job, as long as you know the right people, you can get in. 

Yikes! 

Read the other way, it says just the opposite. That you may be gifted, skilled and excellent but unless you know the right people, you will not get in. 

And again…yikes! 

Having hired hundreds of people over my career, I know that people I was familiar with and possessed some of the skills necessary for the job, had a decided advantage over the unknown candidate with the better resume. It may not always be fair, but in the big corporate world of making widgets, that is just the way it is! 

As it relates to your goals, dreams and purpose, you must apply a different philosophy in building your team. There is a big difference between getting employees for a company and finding partners to be part of your inner circle, to help you Pursue Your Greatness. 

When you are making widgets…you hire. 

When you are pursuing destiny…you select.  

Napoleon Hill called this collective of invaluable people your Mastermind Alliance. Look at your LinkedIn connections. How many of them would you hire? Better question. How many of them would you select as part of your Mastermind Alliance? 

I remember I wanted to be a performer (notice I did not say singer!) when I was younger. A cross between Michael Jackson and Prince. Some friends and I were trying to put a band together, and I was to be the lead singer. We needed a drummer, so we placed an ad in a local paper that catered to musicians. Three candidates responded, but only one of them had a set of drums. 

We picked him. 

You can guess the rest – he was awful. Hey, my goal was not to be a garage band, it was to be an international superstar. I realized at that moment that you do not pick people because you know them, or because they have something you need. You select them for their ability to help you… 

Mastermind Your Success!  Pursue Your Greatness…