You will need these materials for this lesson: Form 2.1, Form 2.1a
Estimated time for this lesson - 40 min
Today’s Training Will Include:

• Step 1 of Networlding
• What makes you tick (what are your top values)?
• Values in your work life and home life
• Smart goals and strategy
• The Process

 

 

Values are the principles that guide your actions on a daily basis. Becoming strongly aware of your values and creating goals that reflect those values builds a foundation for success. Living your personal and work lives according to those values creates a feeling of authenticity in the way you present yourself. Authenticity inspires trust and confidence and leads to credibility.Values clarification is both the first and final step in laying that foundation for success. If you understand what is important to you and what drives you, you can align your work to your values and increase your level of passion and satisfaction in your personal life and at work.Values clarification is also an imperative step in the transition from doing the things you are skilled at to doing the things you are passionate about. You can be competent without being passionate about a job, project or task. When you identify an overlap between what motivates you and where you excel, you’ve found a passion!

You’ll know a job, project or task is a passion when it’s easy, fun and time slips away because you are totally engaged!

You are at your most productive when you are passionate about a job or task. You are better able to achieve your goals and objectives when you are engaged in tasks about which you are passionate.

Achieving a top level of performance begins with you. As you identify the things that are important to you and find your passions you create an environment that facilitates success. The first step is in this process is identifying your values.

Know What Makes You Tick

In order to create the foundation for a base of sources and repeat referral opportunities that will last a lifetime, you must begin by analyzing yourself. Find out what makes you tick.

When we talk about what makes us tick, there are a couple of things involved. First, what is really important to you? Is it yourself, your family, the things that you can acquire in life? Is it your spiritual devotion? Now, all of these things might be important to you, but if you could draw a pie and put down which areas represent what percentage of what matters to you, how would that pie look?

I find that creating some type of visual representation of where you spend your time helps you focus on what really matters to you today. This exercise also helps you discover that certain areas of your life, at this time, aren’t that important. As you draw this pie, you will find that there are areas that are very important that you might have overlooked in the past. What you are looking for are not only things that you find interesting, but also areas that you might not be developing right now that you may want to develop in the future. These areas represent the bridges that will create opportunities for you through the efforts of other people. As you recognize what those areas are, you will be more selective as to where you focus your energy. However, this will take some time. There is nothing that can replace the quiet time when you can sit down and figure out what is right for you.

Once you have drawn your pie, write down the activities that you are most skilled at and which you most enjoy. Second, list the skills that you would like to create or develop. Where can you go, or whom can you ask, to assist you in skill creation and improvements? Are there courses or seminars that you can attend?

You might say: “There isn’t any time to plan.” However, you must make time to plan. What I find useful is to make time one day a week for planning. Keep a journal. Get one that appeals to you, such as a blank lined hardcover book. What you’ll find over time is that there is a pattern to your learning. You begin to unearth the things that really do matter to you — the things you are proud of achieving and the things that you long to achieve. This strategy is also very useful for discovering the things that don’t really matter to you.

If you have trouble finding out what does matter to you, I recommend starting with the things that you don’t want to do. When you have completed the first step of finding what you enjoy doing, what does matter to you, then take a very realistic look at your strengths — developed skills and areas of improvement — underdeveloped or undeveloped skills. Rather than areas of weakness, I choose to call them areas of improvement, because there are very few areas that, if you focused on over a period of time, won’t become stronger.

Keep Your Goals Simple

Start by setting just a few networking goals. For example:

Goal #1 — attend one networking event

Goal #2 — call an old friend you haven’t spoken with lately

Now if you meet Goal #1, you can move to Goal #2. Try to keep it simple — everyone is inundated with information. One request made clearly and concisely can create dozens of opportunities.

Not everything comes to us at once — sometimes you have to move to an intermediate idea in order to access, understand or be ready for an idea.

Don’t over plan and under act — one form of action would be to learn from other people’s actions.

One Step at a Time

Set aside at least two hours a week to plan your networking. Monday mornings and Friday afternoons are often good times for this.

“If you clearly define the goal, you are halfway to achieving it.”

Robert Holmes & Court.

“Studies indicate that 80% of the results you desire will flow from 20% of your activities — especially if those activities involve preparation and relationship building. If you spend 100% of your efforts on managing crises, you will only continue traveling — very efficiently — in the same vicious cycle.”

Janet Hauter

Management Consultant

When you set aside specific time for planning, begin by writing down where you are now. What does your network look like? What is good about it? What would you like to change? If you could have a network that really works for you, what would it look like? How many referrals would you be receiving weekly, monthly, yearly?

Once you have written these desires out, categorize them. I recommend creating three-month, six-month, ten-month and twelve-month goals. I have found that focusing on the shorter-term goals is much more effective than focusing on a one-year, two-year and three-year plan. It takes at least 21 days to form a new habit; therefore, attention to the short-term will enable you to achieve smaller roles that will add up over a year.

Also, track your weekly results. At a past firm I worked at we were responsible for filing weekly status reports. Each week I grumbled that I had to do it. But remember, those things that are measured have a way of being met. It’s easier to get off track when your attention is on some nebulous goal a year away. You need to meet the weekly goals that are tied to your daily activities.

The Process

Continually refocus on your relationships, first, and opportunities, second. This means that you don’t have conversations about opportunities, first, when you meet with a good Networlding partner; instead you first get to know that person, know what matters to them, know what you have in common, and, then, first, ask for support in finding out the information, knowledge (which includes someone’s experiences) and wisdom (the 80/20 rule) a particular person has regarding a targeted company, position and person you might be working with before you ask for an introduction.

Your skill at developing relationships will improve over time. However, if you continue to think, “I’m no good at networking,” you will limit your ability to improve. If you make this statement, alter it by saying, “Up until now I’ve not been good at sales or networking, but now I am quickly building the skills to be effective.” In this way you give yourself permission to improve — which you will.

Ask questions, and listen to understand. Work hard at actually hearing what others have to say. Listening — and remembering facts about other people — makes them feel important. You might say, “My experience is that _________ and __________ are the most important things happening in your industry. Do you agree?” Give those with whom you are networking the opportunity to share what they think rather than just what you think first. By asking, exploring, listening and then digesting information, you can build to another level of understanding and rapport. Then it will be much easier to get introduced and referred in many opportunities.

 

- lesson|Index