Last Friday I had the opportunity to volunteer my time at a Charity Golf Tournament supporting Youth Hockey. I wanted to reflect on a few things that stood out on the day of the event.
Kids play in the rain and so should we
The first thing that stood out was the weather. The forecast early in the week looked grim and it got worse as Friday arrived. The countless number of volunteers arrived early in the morning and the rain started shortly after that…. We worried that no one would show up, but 4 by 4 the golfers started to arrive. And so did more and more and more rain…
The support from EVERY volunteer was incredible, not a single complaint. The support from EVERY golfer was just as incredible. I was stationed at the 6th hole, under a pop up tent to sell “beverages”. As each foursome came through they all would gather under the tent, have a drink and say “it’s all for the kids”.
Sometimes work and family does mix well
Everyone agreed that the benefit of this event for the kids and families of the youth hockey organization outweighed the fact that we were all soaked to the bone. After we agreed that yes, it’s all for the kids, we started talking about where we worked and what we did for a living. I learned more about the parents I see 5 days a week at the rink under that rainy tent in the middle of a golf course than at any practice or game.
Of course there were also many great professional networking connections made, but we all had some common interests that made those conversations more genuine: kids and hockey. I know we all try to attend fancy corporate networking events to meet new prospects and like-minded thinkers, but sometimes you can combine work and family and get the best network connections of all.
To prove my point, here is a quote from a VP of sales of a $3 Billion organization who I connected with on LinkedIn after the event: “…It was nice meeting you! It was a great time despite the rain, looking forward to catching up later this week…”
Get involved!
Get involved with your kids teams or organizations, or choose a cause that is meaningful to you. I am lucky to work with a company that values this and encourages it too. Not only are you doing something good, you are meeting other people that are doing something good and those are the best connections to make.
