- Ricky Steele
Who doesn’t know Ricky Steele?
by Peter Baron, Principal, BaronPR
For so many of us in the Atlanta high tech community, Ricky has been an ever present and towering figure at industry events over the years. It did not take long for most of us to realize that Ricky has a special talent for meeting people and then facilitating introductions that often proved to be mutually beneficial. This winter, Ricky has distilled the essence behind his social networking talent for all to read in a new book, The Heart of Networking.
In his book Ricky reveals that much of the art of networking has to do with your attitude toward others, hence the title. The book asks: are you meeting people with only the selfish aim of finding ways to promote your own cause or career, or are you, as Ricky’s years of experience tell, looking for ways to be helpful to others? If you are contemplating a few personal goals for 2005, and creating better connections is one of them, your future networking success will likely improve as you incorporate some principles in Ricky’s book. A few well known names have interesting things to say about Ricky and his approach: “Ricky Steele’s dedication as a volunteer is an example of how such a commitment to service can make a difference to communities and, indeed, to the nation,” said President Jimmy Carter. “I first heard from my daughter, Michelle, about Ricky Steele and his idea for a new community outreach concept to involve visiting conventioneers in Atlanta service projects. My response-‘Noble theory, but it won’t work.’ Little did I know of Ricky’s connections, energy, and determination. I have never been more pleased to say, ‘I was wrong’, and to be reminded again of Margaret Mead’s quote, ‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world-indeed, it is the only thing that ever has , said former United States Senator, Sam Nunn. From his start in 1986 as the publisher of Georgia Travel Publications, through his years as the senior executive in several technology companies, and including his recent engagements with PricewaterhouseCoopers and Korn/Ferry, Ricky has honed his business and networking skills and now makes the lessons he learned available to all. For a copy of The Heart of Networking, visit www.rickysteele.net.
