WHY SOME PEOPLE ARE SUCCESSFUL & OTHERS NOT

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Let’s go back ten or eleven years.  I got a call from Michael Calvert, the President of Operation New Birmingham…the economic development organization for our city center.  At the time I was Chairman of the Board. 

A national consultant was in Birmingham meeting with all the economic development groups to gain support for building a dome stadium.  Michael wanted me to attend.

When Michael & I arrived, there was a young man with the consultant.  I remember being impressed that such a youthful man had such an important job.  I figured he must have been a great athlete or well connected.  By the way, his name is Nick Sellers & as it turned out he was neither a great athlete or well connected.

Now let’s fast forward to last week to a Leadership Birmingham meeting.  Nick was one of the co-chairs & I had an opportunity to talk with him. 

We reminisced about the first time we met & he told me he had been twenty-three years old & had just moved to Birmingham.  He had tried out for arena football, but had been cut after two weeks.  He needed a job badly & single mindedly had decided he wanted to work for a local celebrity, Gene Hallman, the president of the Alabama Sports Foundation.

He didn’t know Gene & was unable to get him to return his phone calls.  Then one day, he saw Gene on TV speaking at a cerebral palsy telethon.  He put on a coat & tie & rushed to the telethon where he basically stalked the guy.  When given the opportunity, he asked him for a job—no matter how menial.

Gene called him the next week to ask if he would consider being a driver for the consultant.

The rest is history. Nick eventually went to work for Alabama Power where his career has been on fire…all because of Nick’s people skills, creativity, & bravery.

This is David Sher your e-Networking Guy saying it’s not what you know, but whOO you know.