Liz Linzer | LinkedIn: I recently traveled to Europe to visit a few of our offices abroad and launch a new, exciting youth employment initiative for 2015. It was a phenomenal trip with a stellar agenda. But one of my favorite and most impactful experiences from the trip was completely unplanned--a result of what has become my new motto: Always say "hello" in the elevator.
7 comments:
To state the obvious, Europe is not America. Our customs are different than those across the pond. Nevertheless, I don't think that either continent glamorizes being outright rude. However, elevator rides are short. There's not enough time to have a meaningful conversation with a person you are only meeting just then. As far as the author's experience in the article goes, this is just a glorified coincidence. Yeah, it's great that this happened, but I'm not going to have a conversation with everyone that happens to be in the elevator at the same time I am. This is not to say that I'm going to ignore them. I'll say hello. In Purnell, I find myself talking to people in the elevator because I usually know them in some capacity or another. However, in other buildings, I really don't talk to people. I don't take the elevator to meet the love of my life or to get a job. I take the elevator to go up or down floors. Call me a coldhearted Bostonian, but I don't care. I'll take my small talk elsewhere, thanks.
I disagree with Katie's comment. Although it's true that Europe is, in fact, not America, It is still good to follow what the article says. I also think the advice shouldn't be taken too literally, it doesn't necessarily mean "always say hello to someone in an elevator" it is more along the lines of be polite and pleasant to other people. When we, as designers, are in a field where a lot of the jobs you get are based on who you know and other such connections, it would be worth saying hello to strangers. Now that doesn't automatically mean that this stranger will run into you in another city and offer you amazing networking opportunities, but being polite to people, like saying a simple "hello" or "good morning" could completely turn somebody's day around and who knows what kind of impact those words will make. And even though you might not get an immediate reward for acting this way, it's a good practice to get into, because who knows who's day you could have turned around by simply saying hello.
In some ways I can agree with Katie because in most cases, I take the elevator to get to a location and not to get a job or network. Usually, people have places to be and they are thinking about getting to that place and what they are going to do when they get there on that short elevator ride. I know that’s what I do. However, there have been many instances- through school and through leadership seminars- where I have been told to work on and perfect my ‘elevator pitch’. I think that it’s great to have a short, concise thing to pitch about yourself to others. I have one and have used it in many instances, only never in an elevator. I am not opposed to the friendly gesture of saying hello in the elevator; however, I will take this advice with a grain of salt and use it’s purpose for other things.
I am a huge fan of this article. I love saying hi to people but often don’t if I am on an elevator with a stranger the odds of me saying hello are fairly slim. Even in purnell, I often find myself on an elevator with someone who I have seen around but have never really talked to and I don’t say hi. I’m not sure why but this article has inspired me to do so. However, I think this goes beyond just saying hi in an elevator. To me saying hello in an elevator speaks to not just taking what comes to you but actively seeking it our. I never thought I would land and internship with the Baltimore Orioles Grounds Crew this past summer and for that reason I never emailed anyone or tried to get it, but when the internship I was setting up fell through I decided I might as well exhaust all possibilities and lo and behold I got the internship. We need to say hello in the elevator more, you never know what will come from that.
I’ve heard this advice multiple times before and I think that it makes a really great point, but better yet serves as something I really need to work on in my own life. Having the confidence to walk into an elevator and say hi to a complete stranger is a power I don’t yet possess. Yes, on some days when I’m feeling good I have the confidence to do anything, so striking up a slight conversation is nothing, but on an average day I don’t know if I really have the guts or motivation to. Of course this article isn’t so much talking about elevator conversations, as it is about putting yourself out there and creating opportunities for yourself. As a bit of an introvert, the idea of advertising myself and stepping into the spotlight seems kind of foreign and even more so uncomfortable. But despite this, feeling comfortable in conversations and being able to speak openly in front of others is something that I’m trying to work on. Really it is a vital skill especially in the entertainment world, where knowing people and having them vouch for your work is what will help you get jobs. Connecting, socializing and getting your name out there is really job networking in our industry, so having the confidence to do so is imperative to snatching up all the opportunities that might come your way.
4. The concept of letting opportunity finding you and being more willing to embarrass ourselves truly may produce great result. A wise women once told me never be afraid to tell someone what you do and like because you never know what might be on their mind. They might know something about what you do that you haven’t heard of before. Or they might be in connection with someone who could be the ticket to help furthering along your career. This is really just basic networking skills that are for our benefit in the end. The elevator just happens to be a lucrative networking spot so often over looked. Too often we are so encompassed in our lives that we don’t stop to remember we are part of a bigger picture. So the elevator doesn’t need to be the 2 minute awkward silence of the day. It hold the potential to be the main tool in your networking bag.
I think the other commenters on this post might be taking the article a bit literally, to be honest. This is an example of putting yourself out there, meeting new people, and embracing the opportunities that often present themselves when you open yourself up to the people we share the world with. Most people clearly aren't piping up in elevators looking for job opportunities. The lesson here is to have an open attitude and make room in your life for these spontaneous things to happen. It might not be in the elevator; maybe you'll meet someone who becomes important to you in the grocery line, or a waiting room, or at the table next to you. And maybe they won't give you a business opportunity, but they could turn out to be a wonderful friend or a great story. And maybe not! But hell, why not try?
Post a Comment