IN THE SADDLE: The value in valuing people

Josh Nuttall is a freelance thinker who works with CN&CO on a number of projects. He is a MAD2Runner and an avid cyclist, and often shares his thoughts on our blog from in the saddle. Here’s his latest instalment, post the 2018 MAD2Run:

I am back on the bicycle and starting to get back into the swing of riding. This means more time for my mind to wander (and wonder!) and to think about my next blog. Here is a little snapshot of one of my latest thoughts.

That’s me in the corner, with some amazing people

I remember the conversation as though it was yesterday!

It was a conversation I had with a good friend’s dad, Gavin, in the year that I left school during the December holiday in St Francis Bay. We were having a conversation around the future and what I was going to be studying in my first years at varsity (a typical out-of-school conversation, where ever one wants to know what you’re doing and why). I really disliked those conversations because the truth was that I didn’t really have a plan as to what I was going to study, but I was going to make it up as my varsity journey went along

I didn’t quite know it then, but one of the things he said to me changed the way I approached my future interactions with people. He said the most important thing in the world today is to be able to communicate with people.

“Skills are one thing… but how you interact with people and the relationships that you build are far more important.”

The world today is so technologically driven. With the latest artificial intelligence (AI) knocking on our door and a mobile phone app to do just about everything, it’s no wonder that people are being left out of the picture.

That’s me with my dad, another amazing person

If you leave people out of the picture and forget about the importance of relationships, it is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. Sure, technology is there to make our lives easier in different ways, just like calculators help us with maths. But people will always be part of our lives, while different technologies may come and go. So, take the time to value people for who they are, learn about their interests and build relationships. It may require you to step outside your comfort zone, but this will help you grow as a person.

Yes, technology is cool and there are lots of things that it can help us with. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed by the “tech take-over”, take a step back and remember how important relationships with people are!

On my journey so far – although there is still so much to learn and experience! – I have been fortunate enough to interact with, learn from and meet a diverse bunch of people. A discussion that I recently had with mentor and friend of mine strongly reminded of the importance of building relationships with people.

So, make time for people! Value them and their relationships because there is a strong possibility that there will be a connection some time in the future. The world has a very strange way of keeping us all connected and it’s A LOT smaller than we think!

That’s me on a bicycle, with some more amazing people