Many people believe if they work hard, produce results and maintain a good track record, they will advance. While these are certainly pre-requisites to advancing, once you learned to effectively network, great things will happen.
Key principles relative to effective networking:
1.Building relationships is crucial – there are many smart, talented people who go no where in their career because they don’t have visibility to the “right” people. Use every opportunity to build relationships with a diverse group of people at different levels in the organization. When you meet people, one introduction isn’t enough – maintain contact with them – that’s how relationships are formed – over time – not just by one meeting.
2.Six degrees of separation works – the people you know, know people, who know people. Everyone you encounter has someone in their network with the potential to help you. The best relationships are formed by way of “introductions” or “referrals.” Everyone you meet has someone in their network who may be a potential client, supplier, employee, or employer of yours sometime in the future.
3.It’s not just about what someone else can do for you – what you can do for someone else is equally important. Great relationships are built on give and take. Make sure you can articulate how you can help the person you want help from. When I meet people, I always ask, what can I do to help you? And if I make a commitment to do something…I keep it. Don’t make the mistake of not following up on an action you promised to do.
4.Be Authentic and Sincere – but be yourself. Learn to leverage your strengths. Make sure you know your strengths and weaknesses and are honest about them. When you try to fabricate skills you really don’t have, you lose credibility real fast. Be comfortable with who you are, who you aren’t, and who you may never be.
5.Seek out or volunteer to work on or lead “special projects” or “extra- curricular” work activities. This is often a great way to get visibility to key people in the organization that you may not have normal access to.
6.Always be prepared with a 30 second “elevator speech” – who you are, what your skills are and where you want to go. You never know who you may bump into in the restroom, elevator, hallway or other opportunities for a quick intro with a captive audience.
7.Remember, sometimes we don’t get what we want because we don’t take the time to ask for it. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want. Even if you don’t get it, what have you really lost? But think about what you may lose if the answer would have been yes, but you didn’t take the time to ask!
8.People are busy - with more to do than hours in the day. So respect people’s time. Learn to keep your written and verbal communications net and to the point. If someone asks you what time it is, you don’t have to tell them how to build a clock!
9.Have multiple networks, supporters or mentors – formal, informal, sounding board, career advice, personal advice, coaching etc. Throughout my career and even now as a business owner, I have several networks and mentors that I use for different reasons or situations. Everybody needs at least one person that they can really talk to – no politics, no façade, but really be real with. Make sure you know who that person is for you.
10.Keep your resume current – if you haven’t updated your resume in the past 6 months, update it now!
Effectively network so that you make the best use of your time and the time of others. When you go to a networking event, know what you want to accomplish by attending. State what you want, plan how you’re going to go about getting it, and then act - work your plan. We don’t get what we want when we fail to take action. Write your goals down. The first step to making anything happen is to write it down. Goals in your head are like dreams or fantasies.
The Power of Relationship Building - To learn more about this author, visit Lisa Whaley's Website.
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