At the start of the New Year, many businesses jump at the anticipation of meeting new partners for mutual opportunities while employees flood the online job boards with resumes for yet another fresh start at career goals. Regardless of the industry we serve, our largest and most significant contribution in keeping the relationships that we have are key to growing and developing ourselves and our teams.
Truth is, expanding a network on social media is easy, but it takes a dedicated amount of time and energy to build good, strong, lasting business relationships today. An effective network should consist of a good balance of people we count on, tap into and rely on for support, direction and insight.
Remember, all that glitters is not gold so create new adventures with old connections while building a quality network (and reconnecting) by using simple and consistent practices.
1. Be Authentic
Be who you are and accept others as they are. The authenticity of connecting personality, beliefs and point of view can accelerate relationships.
2. Identify Shared Goals and Values
We seek out people in life we like, share similar goals and values with. Are they honest, kind, knowledgeable, helpful? How do they treat others? This is about moral character. Do we respect them? We may not always share the same point of view with everyone, but the shared values are a must.
3. Develop Mutual Respect
We prove ourselves over time and through different activities and experiences. Join a chamber, professional group, or online community which are all great environments to develop relationships. Be patient, selective and watch people in action. Building mutual respect is an essential for growing relationships.
4. Share Some Vulnerability
We are human and sometimes that means sharing and supporting people through difficulty, challenge and change. Showing our vulnerability is part of our authenticity.
5. Seek Opinions
People love doling out advice. One of the main reasons we network with people is to take advantage of their experience, skills, or knowledge at some point in time, even if it’s just reading articles they post.
6. Do Some Housekeeping
Let’s be honest, we connect with so many people on professional networking sites it’s easy to lose track of who’s who. Set aside some time maybe once a month to perform connection housekeeping.
7. Celebrate Others
Showing genuine interest and sending congrats also opens the door to ask questions or seek advice on what they’ve been doing effectively.
January 11, 2018