The Power of Relationships

The Power of Relationships

Last month, our Cody Living article introduced Bring ‘Em Back Home, a method of recruiting business by making connections to people we already know.  Since that time, I’ve had a number of people make positive comments about the concept. And while people like the concept, they felt a little hesitant in kicking off the conversation. While I’d have to agree that it’s kind of like going into battle unarmed, what I do know is that you as community members have greater power with your connections than we as professional economic developers do.  After all, we are paid guns, hired to put the best spin on our community.  

I’m sure you’ve heard the expression, “It’s not what you know, but who you know.”   This is extremely apropos in repatriating former residents. To do so, you don’t need to know everything about our electric grid or broadband speed or even business incentives. All you need to know is that Cody is a great place to live, raise a family and do business. That starts the conversation!

Relationships matter!  The people that you have within your personal network are there because you have something in common.  You share family. You share a work or school history. These common threads tie us together in a powerful network.  In fact, I would wager that every single person in this community knows at least one person who would love to move back and enjoy the great blessing of living here.  

So this month, think about who that person or persons might be, and then think about how you would be affected if they were to come back home.  You see, there’s a lot at stake for you. Whether it be getting your grandkids closer to home or getting reconnected with a high school classmate-your life can be changed in a positive way.  I’d like to think it would be for them as well.

A study conducted by John B. Cromartie and Ryan O. Arthun of the USDA Economic Research Service interviewed over 300 attendees at class reunions across the country. The focus of the study was to ask “Why do people return to their home?“   The key reasons were the obvious ones- family connections, familiarity with the area and a willingness to make a difference in their community.  Many felt compelled to take what they had learned and bring it home. By living in other places, they gained insights to opportunities which they felt could be implemented at home. So surprisingly, many who returned were focused on what they could do for their community-not what they could do for themselves. And that, is absolute gold.

We see their return as a benefit to the community by having talents back. They see a benefit in bringing their talents home. By that study, it’s a match made in heaven.  Forward Cody’s challenge is getting the conversation started. It is our hope that this article helps you understand the power which you have within your network and inspire you to take that next step.  Start the conversation. After that, we’d ask that you make the introduction and we will handle the rest! Our team can answer questions, discuss potential opportunities and guide the process.

It’s a team approach in a game where we all can win!

10 Ways You Can Start the Conversation

Perhaps you’ve had the opportunity to play with one of the Fisher Price toys that make mixed up sentences.  One pull of the string and the voice spits out a silly sentence like “The frog ate a purple banana on the moon.”    The fun part of it was following the same sentence structure-you simply insert different words at key points. So if you struggle thinking about how to start the conversation about Bring ‘Em Back Home, give this a try!

Simply pick a phrase and make up a starting sentence!

Or better yet – plug-in your own timeframe, feature or description and give it a whirl.  it might be really fun-especially if you use it to start talking about Bringing ‘Em Back Home!!!