Networking Makes Work, Work Make Money!

Do you ever sit there and say, "What should I do first?"  I am doing that right now!  I should be.....

1.  Texting my graphic artist with the next dates of the mini classes so he can get busy!
2.  Creating my second list of business friends to invite to our BNI visitor day.
3.  Deciding what to feed the incoming family this weekend and writing up the shopping list.
4.  Getting an appointment scheduled for after the chamber meeting tomorrow.
5.  Writing my month's worth of weekly presentations for November.
6.  Working out.
7.  Communicating with the current CN students.
8.  Calling the members from RRC for the membership committee
9.  Calling new BNI members
10.Recruiting new BOA members

There now that I'm totally overwhelmed, at least I have my list for the day!   But now that it is out of my head I can prioritize and start knocking each one off the list!

Sometimes networking is the same. Where do I start.  I think if you sit down and write down all the thing you are trying to achieve as a result of networking, then you can just start and peg away at your list.  Want to make new connections?  Call or email someone you met at the last event  you attended to see if they will meet you for coffee.

OK, got to go kick my list into gear!

Don's October Book Report is all about Trust!

Ever ready with a new book for us to read, Don Kardux's recommendation this month looks like a great read!  And it takes on the topic of trust which is integral to all that we hope to accomplish in CN!

Don shares, "Rob Falke, president of The National Comfort Institute (NCI), based in Cleveland, and my dear friend and client for over twenty-two years recommended that our team read and review this book.

Thanks Rob.

Great choice!

Stephen M.R. Covey is the son of Stephen M. Covey of 'Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People' fame, and the great grandson of Stephen Mack Covey and the father of Stephen Covey.

Do you see a pattern here? I do and it is in patterns.

'The Speed of Trust' reveals patterns of behavior which when discovered and more importantly applied can 'Change Everything'  for the better.

The 'Speed' refers to the truth that when people 'Trust' each other, good outcomes take less time than when there is less trust.

Some believe you have trust or you don't.

Covey says, "We can increase trust - much faster than we might think - and in doing so will have a huge impact, both in the quality of our lives and in the results we are able to achieve."

He divides trust into five waves.

They are: Self, Relationship, Organizational, Market, and Social trust.

Sounds kind of dry doesn't it.

But it isn't.

This book is filled with great experiences.

Some are from the author and many more are pulled from others.

All focus on a visual metaphor introduced on page fifty-seven.

A complete tree has parts that are the four cores of credibility which are essential to trust.

Core 1 - Integrity - Are you Congruent? - The roots.

Core 2- Intent- What's your agenda?- The trunk .

Core 3- Capabilities - Are you Relevant?- The branches.

Core 4- Results - What's your track record? - The fruit produced.

The second wave of trust, Relationship, clarifies thirteen behaviors, which when understood and used can strengthen and even repair broken trust.

A most hopeful  revelation happens on page three hundred. 'Restoring Trust  When It Has Been Lost'.

Stephen writes, "As I said in Chapter 1, the ideas that trust cannot be restored once it is lost is a myth. Though it may be difficult, in most cases, lost trust can be restored - and often even enhanced."

Like his Father and Great Grandfather before him Stephen M.R. Covey presents a practical way to make things better.

If you believe that you or a group you belong to has trust issues, this book can be illuminating and helpful.

 

Tales from the Networking Word

Not knowing how to network the right way can damage your credibility in the business world.  One aspect that some sales people break ALL the time is not knowing that networking and sales are two different animals.  Each event should be evaluated first to determine the correct behavior.

Several months ago Connext Nation was hosting an early morning event.  We had a huge contingent of grads of our course and they all know how to network the right way.  Then we also had some guests, one who seemed to have a memorized script in his head that came out of his mouth when he opened it! I actually tried to engage him three different times during the time we were together.  He could just not carry on a conversation that took him away from his prepared sales talk.  His last act before he left was to go around to each person and pass out his card (without asking for anyone's in return.)  But that's a whole other topic!

So to make sure that we're all on the same page, at a networking event, the best thing to do is to ask questions to engage other people and begin a friendly relationship that can be elevated in the future.  At a sales type event (like a trade show where you are the exhibitor), again asking questions will give you a lot more information than if you just spout off!  But you can of course talk about what you do for a living in this situation!

Networking 101 is a new course we are offering and it will address topics just like the one above!

Are You Coming from Scarcity?

Many years ago now, I asked one of my fellow BNI members to attend some Connext Nation event.  I don’t remember what it was, but it was probably free.  He launched into a verbal attack saying that all I wanted was money from him.  This diatribe went on for what seemed liked eternity, but probably only lasted a few long seconds.  I was so puzzled, because I am not the take it all, leave nothing behind type of sales person.

I mentioned this unfortunate incident to a friend who is much smarter than I and she said, “Debby, he is coming from scarcity.”  I had not heard this terminology before and asked for more explanation from her.  She explained that when people feel that they are not getting enough that fear takes over.  They will lash out inappropriately when pushed beyond a certain line that has been drawn in the sand by their mind.  Hence the attack that seemed to come from nowhere had been brewing for awhile and I was the unknowing trigger.  To say the least I kept my distance from this man at all times in the future.

Scarcity makes us all act in ways that we probably are not proud.  Beyond the lashing out mentioned above, we also tend to hoard or hold on tightly to anything we perceive as our own.  We don’t easily collaborate or give freely of ourselves. Recognizing these actions is important because most of us don’t want to push others out of our lives permanently.  Our emotions want more, but our actions are gaining less.

Years ago, the late Thomas Leonard, was an expert at sharing online coaching and marketing concepts.  He was way ahead of his time when he founded TeleClass.com in 1998 and had 100 TeleClasses being delivered in any one week.  I listened to many of his classes and was fortunate enough to even be on some with Thomas “live.”  A participant asked one time, “Aren’t you afraid that people are going to steal your ideas?”  I’ll never forget his reply.  He said, “I hope they do so, because I think you should give away 60% of what you have and know, but charge dearly for the remaining 40%.”  That phrase has been running through my life ever since then.

Scarcity behavior has a way of driving people and money away from you.  Is that the vibe you are putting out and if so, is it what you really want?

Getting Traction

Don Kardux is back with his most recent highlighted book.  Always fruit for thought, I hope you enjoy the read.

Don shares: 

Michael Matheson some nineteen years ago signed a Letter of Agreement with Business Navigators and now this spring he has asked us to work with his company again.

It is gratifying when clients who have graduated want to come back.

Michael is no longer the General Manage and son of the owner. He is now the President and owner of Matheson Heating , Air Conditioning, Plumbing and Electrical.

His company is over four times the size it was in 1997.

Michael and his leadership team have studied many of the books I have recommended and so, of course, it is time for him to recommend a book to me.

Gino Wickman is the Author of 'Traction' and the creator and head of a group called EOS which stands for 'The Entrepreneurial Operating System'.  This very practical book clarifies the six key components of EOS.

Practical?  Read what Gino writes in the introduction. 

"This book is not another silver bullet management book or flavor-of-the-month strategy. It contains no theory. It's based on real-world experience, practical wisdom, and timeless truths. More importantly, it works. Through hands-on experience, I have developed a practical but thorough method to help strengthen and re-energize your business."

The six key components are:

1.       Vision

2.       People

3.       Data

4.       Issues

5.       Process

6.       Traction

Each of the component chapters is filled with useful tools. For example I really liked  ' The Vision / Traction Organizer (V/TO) which simplifies strategic planning.

This metaphor is  illustrative of the clever wisdom found throughout the book and the difficulty of letting go of behavior which isn't working.

"An entrepreneur slips and falls off the edge of a cliff. On his way down, he manages to grab onto the end of a vine. He's hanging there, a thousand feet from the top and a thousand feet from the bottom. His situation seems hopeless, so he looks up to the clouds, and decides for the first time to pray. 'Is anybody up there?' he asks. After a long silence, a deep voice bellows down from the clouds: 'Do you believe?' 'Yes,' replies the entrepreneur. 'Then, then let go of the vine,' says the voice. The entrepreneur pauses for a second, looks up again, and finally responds, 'Is there anybody else up there?'"

You can also go to the EOS web site and sign up for weekly tips.

You receive some really good observations.

The Dutchman, in me, really likes that it is free.

Summer Book Read About Leadership

Don Kardux doesn't disappoint us this month with his choice of book to share with us.

 Don begins, "I've probably read over two hundred management and leadership books in the past thirty years.

Too many were overblown and overly complex. Or as Bill Treasurer, (who is - a real Treasure) says, "The complexification of leadership."'

By the way, don't look for the correct spelling. I think Bill coined the word.

So when Bill stated in the book’s preface, "I resign from the legion of Leadership Complexifiers," I was encouraged. 

He did not disappoint. 

This book, 'Leaders Open Doors' has a clearly stated premise with two parts, nine chapters, a conclusion and all within a relatively short one hundred and ten pages.

On the last page of the preface Bill writes, "The approach to leadership described in this book is based on the simple and well-tested idea that leaders help people and organizations grow when they focus on creating opportunities for others. But just because the idea is simple doesn't mean it is easy. Open-door leadership takes work. So let's get started. How do you start opening doors for people, and what's in it for you if you do?"

In the preface he outlines each chapter with a matrix which includes three columns. Chapter/ You'll Learn / Key takeaways.

What a wonderful contribution to clarity

For example:

·         Chapter 3- Purposeful Discomfort

·         Why is making people uncomfortable - in a way they can absorb- is every leader's primary job

·         Create discomfort for both yourself and others to inspire them to grow.

I particularly liked 'Ways to increase accountability' pg. 84, chapter 9, The Door to Personal Transformation.

As with many good leadership books, Open-door Leadership is chock full of wonderful examples of people and situations which clearly illustrate the point in focus.

It's worth the read and I'd like to thank my client and good friend Roy Hauser for literally putting this book in my hands.