Make New Friends, But Keep the Old

There is an old poem, author unknown, which includes a key stanza by which I have always lived my life. It goes like this:

Make new friends,
But keep the old.
One is Silver,
The other Gold.

I have tried to live most of my life and my career this way. Like any principle, it’s easier said than done. But it’s probably the most valuable one I have professionally.

As a businessperson, I have only one asset. My network. I can’t program websites, cure diseases, or fly planes. Yet!

What I do is pretty simple. I help people do their jobs better. If I do that, then I usually am rewarded with more business.

But lately I have been struggling with a unique dilemma. It really came to light when I had to make an important decision about a key supplier recently. Usually I am not involved in those decisions, but in this case two employees wanted me to make the final call. Because it was sensitive.

In the end, we dumped a strong supplier who had done good work for us, but had some hiccups on the last project, for another supplier who we have done a bit of work with but not tons. However, I have known one of the partners forever as he is a former client, and admittedly has become a bit of an “industry” friend.

As I made the final “call,” on who to go with, I commented to my staff: “Supplier X has really gone all-out on several pitches for us they haven’t won, while Supplier Y (the incumbent), hardly ever even touches base with me.” So feeling ignored, I went with the new supplier, which involves an old acquaintance.

Later that night a moment of panic set in. What if my own clients are feeling the same way about me? I have been so busy lately doing pitches, taking on new development tasks for our Partnership Marketing properties, and other things… I haven’t really been as engaged with my clients as I should.

I know they are being well taken care of by my staff, but still I am the (majority) owner of the agency and often the first relationship many of our clients held with us.

So I whipped out some of my Success Magazines and CDs, a few Dale Carnegie books and a Tom Peters tome (The Little Big Things); and started searching for some inspiration, ideas and insights… to stay connected with my current clients.
Wow, I thought. I have a ton of lunches to book. Leaf games to schedule. Raptors games to attend (I can’t believe I missed Lin-sanity this week), coffees to sip and beers to savour.

Then I thought maybe I could send out a joke Valentine’s card to all my clients. Of course I still love you.

Hmm… maybe I could use my blog. Sort of a mass (but impersonal) group hug?

You may think, given the subject of these vowels, that is where I wound up. No it wasn’t. Instead I fished out the poem. Gave it a read. Promised myself I would read it once a day for 21 days and apply the basic principles of habit forming. If you think repeatedly about something, it will become habit.

Repeat as above!

Make new friends,

But keep the old.
One is silver,
The other is gold.

A circle is round,
It has no end.
That’s how long,
I will be your friend.

A fire burns bright,
It warms the heart.
We’ve been friends,
From the very start.

You have one hand,
I have the other.
Put them together,
We have each other.

Silver is precious,
Gold is too.
I am precious,
And so are you.

You help me,
And I’ll help you.
And together,
We will see it through.

The sky is blue,
The Earth is green.
I can help,
To keep it clean.

Across the land,
Across the sea.
Friends forever,
We will always be.