I enjoy times in the garden. Family, a cool drink, good food. It’s several years living where I am now in Northumberland and during that time I’ve had the use of three cookers, three BBQ’s.
One of those was a store-bought item, the usual piece of soft metal and Allen keys, combined with plastic and a gas bottle. Turn it on and yer good to go. The second was a custom self-build venture which did not last long. Not so stable(!) It did have a great little grill though!
The latest al-fresco project, undertaken last weekend and I was just putting the finishing bricks and mortar in place when the sister-in-law suggested …
‘Why didn’t you say you were after another BBQ? We have several at home and you are welcome to take one …’
Whilst I was (and almost always I am) grateful for the offer of help, I had to explain to Kath that it’s was not about the having, more the process of finding what fits best. Introduce anything new to me and you need to give me time, time for me to find what works.
In this case, the ritual build of my new baby BBQ, the ceremony of providing the wood (Beech does it for me) and the first fire-up to season and temper the plate, choosing what’s on the menu for different tastes, the gathering of friends, all witness to the spectacle …
I mentioned to Kath, it’s not an instant fix for me, my business networking is the same.
Sure, I could visit any function or gathering that would have me, arriving with thoughts of what to expect. You know, ‘is this really for me?’
As it happens, I don’t do so many alternative dates these days. I’ve found where I’m comfortable. It did take a while though, I had to fight my reservations of what would work, I listened to who was sharing and watched for who was there to simply harvest the enquiries. I observed the process.
To sister-in-law Kath, the BBQ is a functional thing. It cooks. There’s often a change of menu, there’s a change of routine, the comfort zone challenged as dare I say, there’s a different chef!
A little like our networking don’t you think?
Observe the process, find what works and challenge the comfort zone.
CharlieKenny.me 