Members of my career mentoring site know that I believe TOMA (Top Of Mind Awareness) is an important attribute of career success. The other day, I read an article about Shiloh Keo, a Denver Broncos player that really drives home this point.
Shiloh Keo was out of work in early December. He had been released by the Houston Texans after the 2014 season. He played briefly for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2015, but they released him too.
Keo is a Safety. The Broncos have had several injuries at that position this year. In early December, they signed Josh Bush to help them cover for a couple of injured players. Keo sent Broncos Defensive Coordinator, Wade Phillips, a message via Twitter reminding him that he was available. Phillips responded (in true Twitter speak) “u know how much I think of u.”
When another member of the Broncos secondary was injured, Phillips reached out to Keo. The Broncos signed him for the rest of the season. He will be playing in the Super Bowl on Sunday. Pretty cool, right?
But none of this would have happened had Keo not achieved TOMA status with Wade Phillips. It wasn’t as easy as it seems either. Keo said, “I wanted to text Wade, but I didn’t have his cellphone number. I knew that he is a big Twitter guy, so I decided on doing it that way. I wasn’t really sure about it, but my wife was sure it was the right thing to do.”
Keo was top of mind with Phillips because he went the extra mile. He figured out – with the help of his wife — how to get around the cellphone problem, and he went for it. In this case TOMA paid off with a chance to be become a Super Bowl champion.
As you go about building your network, remember the importance of staying in touch with the people you meet. When you are top of mind, you never know what opportunities may come your way. Just ask Shiloh Keo.
Your career mentor,
Bud
PS: I write this blog to help people create the life and career success they want and deserve. Now I’m going one step further. I’ve created a membership site in which I’ve pulled together my best thoughts on success. And, as a reader of this blog, you can become a member for free. Just go to https://budbilanich.com/join to claim your free membership. You’ll be joining a vibrant and growing community of success minded professionals. I hope to see you there.
Speak Your Mind