It’s Not Who You Know, It’s Who Knows You
It’s Not Who You Know, It’s Who Knows You
In 1978 The British rock band the Who released their 8th album Who Are You. It received mixed reviews from the critics but peaked at #2 on the US Charts! Listen Here. The Album cover was a photograph of the 4 members of the band, Roger Daltrey on vocals, Pete Townsend on guitar, John Entwistle on bass, and Keith Moon on drums. The album cover gained some notoriety beyond the usual fanfare. It featured the band sitting among some of their sound equipment. Keith Moon was sitting on a backward producer’s chair. Emblazoned across the back of the chair was stenciled “NOT TO BE TAKEN AWAY”. What made the album cover notorious was that Keith Moon died of drugs and alcohol shortly after the cover photograph was taken and the album was released. The stenciled phrase on the back of the producer’s chair left many thinking Moon’s death was a publicity hoax. Sadly, it was not. Keith Moon had indeed passed away. To this day the Who is among Rock’s most well-known bands.
How about you, are you well known? Is your business well-known for the service that it provides? Are your people at work well-known for their teamwork? No doubt you have heard the old success adage, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know”. Did you know that the adage is not really true? It is not what you know. It’s not even who you know. The Secret to one’s success is “Who knows you?”
As An Entrepreneur Are You Well Known In The Marketplace?
Who knows you? That’s a great question, isn’t it? As you begin to answer that question for yourself, it’s probably a good idea to sit down and write down a list of everybody that knows you. But really there is an even deeper question than Who knows you? The even deeper question is “How do they know you”? Not like, well that guy knows me from the gym, or she knows me from work. I’m not talking about that kind of “how”. I’m talking about “how” that asks, “how do they know you to be”?
Do they know you as a good person? Are you trustworthy? Are you loyal? Are you helpful? Are you a giver or are you a taker? Are you in it for the team, or are you in it for yourself? What is it like to experience you? Hmmm… now that’s an interesting question. It takes courage to ask that question. You had better plan to sit mute after you ask that question of your spouse, a loved one, or a work colleague. Like Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise in A Few Good Men, perhaps, “You can’t handle the truth!’ If that’s true of you, that you can’t handle the truth, it would be good for you to learn that about yourself. Perhaps, you should go to work on becoming somebody who can better handle constructive criticism from others.
The Two Questions Every Entrepreneur Should Ask Themself
But, back to the two main questions. Who knows you? And how do they know you to be? The answer to these two questions will determine the amount of success that you will enjoy. Not just Financial success, but also success in your Faith journey. Success in your Family and primary love relationships and relationships at work and in your community. Success in your Fitness, both physical and mental fitness. Success in having Fun, not just fun with friends, family, or a hobby, but fun at work too.
As you begin to take an honest assessment as to how you want others to know you to be, you will begin to understand and value Character traits. You will notice that you want to be known as being trustworthy, honest, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, and generous. In addition, at work, you may want to be known for a strong work ethic, timely, responsible, collaborative, encouraging, creative, and team-oriented. Maybe consider the character traits that you admire in others and begin to embody them in your own personal conduct.
Don’t put this off. It’s way too important to your success. Besides, procrastination is not a good character trait. Perhaps you could begin by listening to character-building podcasts. Attend a good Bible-based Church. Invest in an excellent character development curriculum. (I offer one) or read a good book on the subject. One of my favorites is Louder Than Words-Andy Stanley
