In Top Gun: Maverick (one of the best movies of the decade so far), there is a repeated motif of “It’s not the plane. It’s the pilot.”
It culminates in the climactic battle when Maverick and Rooster end up an old F-14 up against multiple state of the art, fifth generation enemy fighters.
Rooster inspires Maverick to do some of that pilot s#!t by saying, “It’s not the plane. It’s the pilot.”
Very exciting. Very dramatic. Very awesome!
So, maybe it is the pilot?
I’ve also been watching Drive to Survive lately on Netflix. That’s the reality series about Formula One and the stories behind the races.
Many stories focus on the drivers and their skill and confidence and how they drive the car.
But they also talk about the importance of the car.
The best driver in the worst car cannot win.
The worst driver in the best car cannot win.
Only the best driver in the best car can win.
Which brings us to networking
I recently heard someone say that the most important thing in finding success in a networking group is “self initiative.” A good networker with the right mindset and techniques who takes the initiative to take the right action can find success in any networking group.
Technically this is true.
No matter what group you are in, if you take initiative to make connections, provide value, develop relationships, and get introductions, you will eventually be successful.
Anyone you meet can connect you to people who can connect you to people who can give you anything might possibly want.
Likewise, you could put Max Verstappen in my Honda Civic out on a Formula One racetrack, and he’ll get all the way from the starting grid to the finish line.
But he’ll get there a lot faster in an F1 race car.
It’s the pilot AND the plane.
If you don’t have self initiative, if you aren’t a go giver, if you don’t know how to ask for what you want, it doesn’t matter what room I put you in. You won’t have success.
However, if you do have self initiative, if you are a go giver, if you do know how to ask for what you want, then you will do better in a great, well structured networking space full of the right people
Can you be successful in any networking group? Yes.
But with tens of thousands of options of spaces to network in, why would you spend your time in a group that does not have the people you need to meet?
Why would you spend your time in a group that isn’t structured well?
This is why I created JV Connect
I created JV Connect because I want to put the best pilots in the best planes.
I want to see what happens when we put abundance minded, successful, effective people into a space that maximizes connections, facilitates relationships, and does everything possible to make awesome things happen.
And then, I want to create a space where you don’t have to be Pete “Maverick” Mitchell or Charles Leclerc to be successful because the event is structured to guide you to do the right things in the right way.
JV Connect is December 12th and 13th, and you can get into the cockpit here.