I’ve had the chance to connect and hang out with some pretty high powered individuals. They’re the movers and shakers in the church world or in industry. I’ve also had the chance to meet up with some up-and-comers who are working on doing big things.
Every now and then, I get reached out to by some of these up-and-comers who’d love to meet up either by Skype or in person. The exchange goes a lot like: “Hey, I’d love to meet up with you. Any time you’re free in two or three weeks?”
That’s when I respond, “I have time today. Let’s meet up now.”
They reply after a long pause, “I have meetings all day and tons of stuff in the next three weeks. Can we meet up then?”
I give in and say yes, even though I don’t want to. The reason I’m not so interested in meeting with them after that exchange is because one thing is clear: They’re trying to impress me with how busy they are. Nobody’s that busy.
The reason I know this is because I’ve met with the movers and shakers. And they’re the same types who fit you into their schedule quickly. And they often don’t even send you to their secretary to set up the time. And to me, that’s impressive. I know they’re busy. But when they make time for me quickly, I get impressed.
I’m never impressed with people who are so busy they don’t have time for me. That’s not impressive…that’s self-absorbed.
I get it, some people are in the middle of a move. Some people are over-worked and under-family-timed. I get it when I hear those things. But if that’s a normal thing for you…you might need to re-adjust your priorities. Impress people by being accessible. Don’t try to impress people with how important you are…