The Secret Edge to Succeed in Life
As you become more worldly, it will dawn on you that in life, it is often who you know that matters. Not what you know. This is because opportunities do not always go to the most qualified, but to whomever the decision-maker thinks is the most qualified. This is why guanxi matters.
Guanxi refers to the connection and relationship you have that can be used to open doors for opportunities. As such, a person who has guanxi is in a better position to succeed as the person will have an edge over those who lack it.
Like most things in life, the concept of guanxi is well known but poorly understood. To leverage the concept of guanxi, you must understand the three levels of guanxi.
At the lowest level, guanxi exists as a transactional relationship between you and the target. At this level, you cannot expect any ‘help’ from the target unless you have something to offer in exchange. This level of guanxi usually occurs when you try to build a relationship with the target when the latter is already in a position of influence. Hence, whatever you do, the target will always suspect the real motive behind it and will reciprocate accordingly.
The next level of guanxi is less transactional and is based on what I term “owed” favors. Here, you can expect the target to help you when it is…
