Tag Archives: networking

Choose your friends with care

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Was at a cafe this morning with my wife and the dog. A guy who works in the same industry as my wife showed up, and he began talking about their ‘shared’ challenges.

He complained of a lack of time, about having too many things to do, and that he doesn’t see an end to this in his business. He was complaining about how busy he is while also mentioning his upcoming three week vacation (how fabulous?!) that was stressing him out…

I asked if he has a target to aim for, an end point for his business, and he shrugged his shoulders to express that he doesn’t, while looking at my wife to join him in agreeing this is always the way in their world.

It was a sixty second encounter but it spoke volumes.

Unless he begins to think differently, it will never end. His first world problems were not uncommon to ‘busy professionals’, but his level of relative misery was crying out for company. I’m sure he finds it often.

Surround yourself with people who hold you to a plan. Who lift you rather than drain you. Who you aspire to learn from and spend time with. Who help you get the best out of your life each day and cheerlead for you constantly.

The rest? Move on from them. Don’t get dragged down to their level.

They’re looking for people who agree with their outlook on life. People who validate their way of operating and share the same perceived challenges as they do.

If you’re on a down day, maybe you’ll feel like agreeing with them. Assume this isn’t going to work out well for you over the long term.

You’ll be keeping misery company soon enough, like two alcoholics propping up a bar, and it’ll become harder and harder to show it the door.

The most valuable skill in business

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The list of business skills is enormous, but which one is the most valuable?

Each non-fiction business book has it’s hot favourite.

Sales is always up there, especially because you can so easily convert the value into the metric of cash.

Communication and leadership skills are also important and often lauded as ones to work on at all opportunities.

One of my favourites is negotiation. It cuts across so many other areas of our lives and has a huge effect when you understand the psychology at play.

And the list goes on…

Marketing, coaching and project management…

Networking and looking after the numbers… 

Their importance can differ depending on who you follow or talk to.

What comes top of your list?

How ‘good’ is your network?

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When talking about networks and networking, it can be understood as a very general term. Our family networks, small or large, are as valid in a discussion as our wider business connections. 

‘Good’ is too broad a term to use, so I’m going to replace it with ‘effective’ – successful in producing a desired or intended result (from the dictionary).

A couple of ways of determining the answer here is to look at its strength and value:

  • Does it help you to answer important questions in your life and work? 
  • Is it a group of guys or gals you meet at the bar or coffee shop and hang out with weekly? 
  • Does being a part of it make you a better person? 
  • Is it somewhere you have fun and meet new people?
  • Does it make you money?

I think an effective network has to have a mixture of these things going on within it. 

Not all networks make money and some of them would never fall into this category directly, but there could be cases where a network can bring up a conversation that leads to a meeting or sale further on down the road.

The informal meetups with your friends can also be strong and supportive networks. Sometimes a chat with a trusted friend makes all the difference if you have a difficult decision to make.

It all takes an investment of time and effort (all the good stuff needs both these things). Even if it’s only making a couple of calls and being the organiser to get a few folks together every now and again, it’s worthwhile.

I’m a member of a couple of formal networks where we pay membership fees and attend regular events. These networks are great because everyone involved is well and truly committed to being a part of it and puts in effort to make sure they get value for the fees they are paying.

But being part of a sports team or a club, a yoga studio community, a book club or a music group can have the same effect. 

The bottom line, for me, is that you get out of it what you put into it. And the same applies to online communities, too… but I’ll save this discussion for another day.

Face-to-face networking never loses its appeal

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For all of the talk about the importance and relevance of social media that comes out of me and many other people, there is still a huge amount to be gained from the face-to-face version. My argument would be that in today’s online world, the value of face-to-face networking at its best has actually increased.

I attended the Sydney CBD BNI networking group this morning and had a great time meeting some new people and hearing about a range of high-performing businesses of all shapes and sizes operating in the city. It’s a great example of networking done well, but my invitation to attend this group came from a face-to-face meeting and a very rambling conversation with one of the members.

I have also had two requests for my services today from two connections who have met me, one of them only once, and neither of whom were connected to me on social platforms before we started talking.

Yes, we need to have a strong presence online and build our businesses this way – this tide is rising quickly and we need to stay afloat in order to reap the benefits – but we must never overlook the strength of the traditional methods. Trust can form much more quickly from having a broader conversation and trust in any relationship is what really matters. Use your social channels to grow the relationship and develop even greater levels of trust and you will see some excellent growth in time.

The importance of building and maintaining strong relationships

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We all make connections throughout our lives from a variety of different places. Some will remain strong no matter what is thrown at them, with others being much more professionally focussed, formal and subject to change at very short notice. The one thing that I know from a few years of experience is that developing lasting relationships in any sphere is a valuable asset and the effort that it takes to stay in touch with people and maintain contact is well worth it in the long run.

Work at it – pick up the phone and say hi to someone who has been off your radar for a while. Make a lunch appointment and switch your phone off and do some active listening and you could be surprised at what you find out. Make it a priority in the long and short term.

“What’s in it for me?” can be the thought that crosses your mind. “How can I get a return on this investment of my valuable time?” is another one that is hard to ignore, too. Well, the reality is that it’s just not possible to quantify the immediate tangible benefits of getting to know people better as a line in a spreadsheet, but the payback comes in time. A strong network can always be helpful and supportive friends who feel valued by you can make a huge difference in times of strife. Getting to know your colleagues better can also bear fruit in time and so make an effort when and where you can. It really is worth it.