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EARTH ANGELS & MAGIC MOMENTS
family or close friends. We call them Consequential
Strangers. It’s a term coined by Professor Karen
Fingerman in her book Consequential Strangers. These
are your neighbors, coworkers, store clerks, local police
officers, or members of a religious or community
group. They’re tradespeople like the butcher, the baker,
your mechanic, the fresh-fruit lady at the market.
While we take them for granted, they can enrich our
lives in ways we never imagined. For one, job
opportunities and lucky breaks most likely come from
Consequential Strangers.
When Alfred Hamilton lost his job as vice president
of a savings and loan company he didn’t lose his talent
for making connections. Within three weeks he had
gathered the names of 134 people who might be able to
help him in his job search; he had met with thirty-
seven of them and received three job offers.
Alfred’s plan had two steps. First, he tried to have a
face-to-face meeting with whomever he could; second,
he got two referrals from everyone he met with.
Starting with his consequential contacts, he phoned
and said, “I want to talk to you about something. I am
looking for a job. I’m not calling to ask you for a job,
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