Page 123 - Roy W. Rice - CEO Material How to Be a Leader in Any Organization-McGraw-Hill (2009)

104 • CEO Material: How to Be a Leader in Any Organization

Bruce Lundvall, president of EMI Music’s Jazz Classic Division in
the United States, signed Norah Jones. “People say, ‘How did you sign her?’
and I say, ‘I returned a phone call.’ You return every call,” says Lundvall.
Jon Stewart, Conan O’Brien, Steven Colbert, and Denis Leary were
all unknown struggling young comedians whose careers crisscrossed
20 years ago. Today, they are well-known comedians whose careers criss-
cross still. From day one, you start meeting people in your company,
industry, and city—just don’t lose touch.

Everyone thinks they know what networking is, but as soon as you
start your career, you’re building a network whether you know it or
not—everything you do stays with you forever in some people’s minds.
I ran into some of my peers from when I started my career 20 years
ago. They immediately started kidding me about how serious I was.
It made me think had I been reckless with my reputation, that’s what
they would have remembered 20 years later too.

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It’s fun to stay in touch. Between 70 and 80 times a year I make con-
tact with someone from my past—business or personal. E-mail is
great. You’re not interrupting anyone. You can say, “I was reading
an article about ..., and it reminded me of your work.” Sometimes
it turns into lunch or some business.

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If people want to stay in contact with me, I try to accommodate. Every-
body has a story; you never know what you’ll learn. Unless I’m in the
hospital, I’ll respond. But the person should make it easy. Telling me
I can only call them after business hours or on Saturday or Sunday is
a mistake. Instead, say, “Have your assistant e-mail a time that’s easy
for you,” so that I don’t have to jump through hoops to be available.
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Sometimes people become a “probligation”—meaning a friend
requests help, and you can’t say no. Today, it happens with people
wanting to get linked in with you. Sort of social network climbing,
where being connected with you gives them credibility.