Connecting the dots is a skill that can make the difference between success and failure yet few people, especially women in business, spend time thinking about it or, more importantly, attempting to master it.

In my experience, men are more likely than women to effectively use the talent to their advantage. Why? Perhaps because men are more likely to see their life in a linear way. In other words, they live, work, eat and sleep, and in the middle of all that they meet people. Women, on the other hand, compartmentalize their lives. For example, women separate their lives into categories such as: before marriage and after marriage, before kids and after kids, home and work, girlfriends and couple friends, single friends and married friends, workout friends and movie friends, etc.

Connecting the dots in our life means looking for the connections between the people, places and things we experience throughout the journey. Women in business often have very rich experiences along the way, but neglect to make the connections that tie it together.

My husband is always telling me how good I am at "connecting the dots". Perhaps, it is because I spent years as a child drawing a line from number to number connecting the dots to draw a flower as seen here. This truly was one of my favorite activities as once the picture was revealed I got a chance to color it too. As silly as that might sound, it demonstrates how the brain can perceive an outcome before it is disclosed and then provide the individual the belief in that power.

Now the men I know who do this well most likely did not spend their youth connecting the numbered dots - or maybe they did. But what makes them successful at this is their belief in making the connection without worry that the line is straight. In other words, few men worry that by connecting two people they know a break of any kind will effect them adversely - they just do it.

Here's an example of a woman entrepreneur client of mine who was interested in meeting the CEOs of several large corporations. We met to discuss strategies on how to engage in converstion, in this case, two male CEOs of local companies. I went down the list of overlapping people and places where such an opportunity could present itself when my client revealed to me that one of the CEOs was actually her neighbor. Why had this piece of information not come up previously. The answer was she wanted to keep her business and professional life separate.

I took a deep breath and asked if she ever saw this gentlemen (one of the top CEOS in the country) in his yard. She mentioned that he took out his own trash. You know where I'm going with this don't you? I suggested that she take out her trash at the same time she saw him at the end of his driveway. She thought about it and said, "but what would I say to him?" I suggested she introduce herself and mention her company in passing.

The following week on our call, she was thrilled to tell me she had an appointment with the appropriate person at the firm to get her company an opportunity to pitch a proposal. This woman entrepreneur got the business because she connected the dots. This CEO didn't hesitate for a minute to do business with a neighbor whom he respected from afar.

Connecting the dots often results in a win-win  - what you want works out to be what is best for everyone. Take a moment today to see what people, places and things you can connect to change the direction of something important in your life. There is no better feeling than to connect the dots and have it all come back to you.