When I hear someone repeat the cliché, “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know,” I cringe. While it’s true that a great network like dot429 can get you in the door, at the end of the day measurable results are the only thing that matters. Your raw talent, skills, dedication, stamina, creativity and intuition are what you bring to the table. A great network will help you market yourself, but you have to be able to perform once the introductions are over.

Over the course of my career, I’ve hired – and fired – employees, consultants, vendors and even a few clients. In each case, the deciding factor was based on the answer to the following question: Did they do what they said they were going to do? When the answer is no, the decision is easy to make.

The same test can be applied outside of a professional setting. It’s our responsibility to educate ourselves about the local and national political issues that impact our lives as LGBT people, and track the performance of those we elect to office to change them. It’s our responsibility to support the efforts of those working for the benefit of our community, and ask that they show us how well their efforts are working.

It’s not sufficient to simply complain when things aren’t getting done they way you think they should be. It takes two people to allow poor performance to continue – the person performing the task, and the person receiving the completed work. If you’re on the receiving end of poor performance, find someone else to do the job. Use this network to find a better vendor, boss or employee. Use your educated and informed vote to elect better politicians. Use your checkbook to fund the organizations who can demonstrate to you that they are moving our community forward.

Performance matters. In fact it’s all that matters. But it’s not something that will happen without each of our participation. It’s up to all of us to both deliver, and demand it.

Photo Credit:Ian BCNorth