Life is a collection of relationships, these relationships often compensate for things in life that we do not have.
What is strategic networking and why is it important for me?
Strategic networking is essential for personal growth, business development and knowledge exchange.
There are three types of bank accounts, let me share with you about one of them called: "emotional bank account".
Emotional bank account is when you show those people favor so deeply that they become emotionally indebted to you.
Now, take note of this; if you show favor or help men without means, when it will be their turn to return the favor, it will be nothing significant!
What I mean by "means" in this context, transcend the fair money, this also includes the network. No man is actually broke until there is no viable network and contacts
Take for example that you find yourself in the heart of Dangote today by showing him favor, in reciprocity, a single favor on his part will change your story for good.
If you want to know what your future will look like, check out the business you keep today. You can not deduce a future man from the companies he keeps today!
This should not deny the essence of showing kindness to the needy or unworthy.
Taking a strategic approach to your own network integrates networking concepts and tools to serve business and business goals.
When was the last time you considered your optimal network to help you discover and exploit new opportunities for you and your organization?
The networking approach as an essential part of your career strategy will help you and your business to reap the rewards of years to come. This session defines the strategic network and presents some practical tools for building and maintaining your own strategic network!
You're going to learn…
• A model and process for evaluating your own strategic network, including identifying your own strengths and areas for improvement.
• To "map" your own professional network, identify network gaps and develop a game plan to create and maintain a more robust network.
• Integrate your strategic network with your own short-term and long-term business goals.
This piece is for you if you want ...
. To gain confidence in the networking process.
• Clear and compelling business goals that optimize your network relationships.
• Understand the relationship between network success, individual and organizational.
• Create links for others and become a central network in the networking circles of others.
• Create more efficiency to achieve your own goals through network relationships.
To illustrate the difference of approach, we take a great analogy which, we believe, perfectly summarizes that. You want to put a new garden lawn. Looking for the best times of the year for sowing, key timing, the most appropriate seeds, how to water and fertilize the area for the best result.
Then the work begins, the plowed land, the sown seeds, the poured fertilizer, the watered soil, the close surveillance and the selective weeding. Another approach is to pick up a bag of random grass seeds, throw them in the garden and what to see them grow.
By stating the obvious, the second approach is likely to lead to much more disappointing results. But that's how many of us build strategic networks.
Networking requires having a game plan and helping others. Its purpose is to build and maintain mutually beneficial relationships.
How to build and nurture your strategic network:
• Plan ahead - building a network and keeping that network alive and healthy is so important and often overlooked until there is an urgent need
• Dig your well before you're thirsty - before you need it, help others get what they want first
• Choose your events wisely - be open to a variety of events
• Go to the event on time
• Take and receive business cards
• Good handshake and sincere smile
• Prepare your elevator speech. Do not let the opportunity meet you unprepared! I hope you know what an elevator speech is! An Elevator Speech is a brief and concise statement that encapsulates everything you are and represents.
• Be up to date on current affairs - "The little conversation is the greatest thing we do"
• Listen - people like to talk about themselves. Ask yourself, what can I offer this person and then offer a suitable product, service, solution or connect them with someone else who can
• Trust to conclude conversations with a positive outcome - pass on your business card and agree to follow up to explore a mutual interest
• Maximize your own visibility and that of the company - with people you already know, recognize and agree to meet you again
• Save longer conversations for another time
• Avoid the temptation to stay with colleagues all the time - what's the point, you can chat in the office!
• Log the contacts, write down the key information on the back of the business cards you receive. Connect with them on * LinkedIn *
• Follow up within 24 hours
• Deliver on the promises you made
• In appropriate cases, send a thank you note - handwritten, if applicable, share links to articles that might interest you.
Feed your network
You will have created a network of "outposts". These will be people you only log in from time to time - 1x month, 2-3 times a year, maybe email, coffee, an invitation to an appropriate event, a link to an interesting article .
Do not forget that networks need a mutual interest
The relationship between a mentor and a protégé must be symbiotic and non-parasitic
Successful leadership transition requires a clearly defined operational network ... It is difficult to move from a life of functional contributions and practical control to the ambiguous process of building and working across networks. Leaders must accept that networking is one of the most important requirements of their new leadership roles and continue to devote sufficient time and effort to make it profitable
The irony here is that the individuals in your network, who are the lifeline for building the big picture, are also individuals who are likely to be outside of your immediate control.
This post was compiled by @penauthor for the Euronation community
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