Recognising master keys in relationships

By Betty Murambadoro

“The business of business is relationships; the business of life is human connection”- Robin Sharma

A COLLEAGUE recently challenged me, stating that “being stranded is a sign of the quality of your relationships”. No situation is impossible to navigate if you know someone or if you know someone who knows a person who can influence a desired outcome.

There is a master key, with capacity to unlock any situation or create a conduit for the ideal solution. In the context of relationship management, personalities qualifying to be called “master keys” open doors which ordinarily you would not easily access in your personal capacity. They even open doors which open other doors of opportunities. Their “master-key-ness” is not necessarily because of title held in organisations, political standing or intellectual capacity. It may simply be that they are well-travelled, well-exposed, have friends in higher places or have God-given grace to shift-the-dial and whisper your name in corridors of power.

Betty Murambadoro is executive director, corporate & investment banking at Stanbic Bank Zimbabwe

Identifying influencers or master keys is a critical attribute in successful relationship management. Some of their services flow naturally out of these master key personalities, because they thrive in seeing others succeed. They enjoy referring business to others even when they do not gain anything tangible out of doing so. Master keys take pride in connecting people and making things happen for others. What a privilege it is to have even just one master key in your network. Some deliver just one massive door-opening experience and vanish for good. Some deliver, stick around, resurface multiple times in a lifetime and impactfully open multiple doors. Sometimes you do not get to know these master keys immediately or never at all, only to gather years later who exactly was fighting in your corner for you to win.

Master keys can be so delicate to maintain because of the reputational risk they carry in supporting or vouching for you. They must believe in you to invest and spend their social capital on you. The ideal scenario is for them to refer you not out of compulsion but simply because you are worth it. Sometimes unmerited favour happens when a master key facilitates a grand opening without you having done anything to deserve such favour.

My aunt Cathy, a unique master key, ushered me as a young university student, very much a freshman in Harare. She offered counsel and hand-held me into environments I never dreamt accessible to me, ultimately shaping who I became over the years. My husband, Patrick, an obvious master key, helped in pushing me to attempt several initiatives I was extremely nervous to pursue. In my professional journey, the list is humongous as I recount the victories spanning over three decades. I celebrate game-changers I never imagined possible, turned into reality by the generous support from several master keys. We hear many stories of coaches who trained popular athletes from grassroots, identified master keys who then ushered them to the Olympics. Many too are stories of musicians who started off from humble beginnings until somebody whispered their names in auditions.

Biblical examples of master keys include the Elisha-Shunamite woman relationship, in which the woman saw the significance of hosting Elisha, resulting in victories for the family. Another is the Naomi-Ruth relationship, a rare-find in modern day family life, resulting in a mother-in-law ushering her bereaved daughter-in-law into a new marriage to the wealthy Boaz. Another classic one is the Mordecai-Esther relationship, in which Mordecai prepared and ushered Esther into her destiny. In these three cases, we see master keys playing advisory roles and the beneficiaries aptly recognising these influencers.

So what is the hype about recognising these master keys?
1. The call is not to “worship” these master keys, rather it is for the beneficiaries of such support to give acknowledgement where it is due. It is an error not to acknowledge significance of a particular master key in your advancement in life, business and society. Expressing gratitude gives the master key greater impetus to open more doors not only for you but for others.
2. Know the ideal moments to call on the services of the master key. These should be meaningful and impactful opportune moments where the master key sees the necessity of involvement. They rarely want involvement in worthless pursuits. In my vernacular “havawanzofambiri zvisina basa”.
3. It is humbling to receive that message saying that someone was referred to you and assured of your capacity to deliver on a business opportunity. Or when someone confirms having put your name forward for consideration in an important assignment. So, simply deliver high quality output to enjoy further referrals via the master key personalities.
4. It is therapeutic and fulfilling for the master key to witness the impact they will have made. Again, just deliver excellently in your work, that you cannot be ignored.
So how do we position ourselves for master keys to consider us worth opening that door for?
1. No master key wants to spend their social capital on an erratic personality with inconsistent or questionable behaviours. So, ethics, integrity and excellence should not be foreign to us;
2. Humility is a key ingredient in getting the most out of master key relationships. Once pride and arrogance kick-in, expect the master key to start withdrawing support;
3. Keep improving, polishing and equipping for the task recommended for you.
Let us be grateful to the many master keys who have put-in a word for us, weathered the storm with us and for us. We salute them for impacting our professional growth and personal well-being.

l Murambadoro is executive director, Corporate & Investment Banking at Stanbic Bank Zimbabwe