Look, I’m not going to sugar coat it. The most important thing in a career is your net worth. One of the quickest ways to boost it is to build your network. You spend time investing your money into things like mentors, coaches and service providers, but when it comes down to it, do you invest in your relationships?
Take the Time to Invest
The online space places emphasis on the same things over and over again. It’s like this constant need to COLLABORATE!!!! NETWORK!!!!! COFFEE CHAT!!!!! *yawn* — aren’t we getting sick of this yet?
Networking is not schmoozing. It is not transactional — it is transformational.
It is about building authentic relationships, not one and done partnerships. It is about building deeply rooted partnerships, not contacts. It is about listening and caring, not selling. It is about putting 10x energy into giving, not receiving.
I Don’t Care if You Have 5,000 Connections…
That doesn’t impress me. What I care about is the deep connections, the transformational ones. If you have 50 good connections, that will outweigh the 5,000 that have no energy invested in them.
But why? We’ve been trained to see in numbers! But what we often forget is that every single person in YOUR network is an extension of YOU: your personal and professional brand. They are an example of your passion, purpose, and values. They set the tone for the boundaries and respect you demand.
Your NETWORK boosts your NETWORTH:
You do take on the traits, personalities, and habits of the people you surround yourself with. If you spend time with people that don’t inspire you to create, to succeed, and be your best self and bring your best self to the table on the daily- you need to reconsider who you’re around.
Really.
