More to Give by Cindy Galvin

Author:Cindy Galvin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Panoma Press Ltd

The skills you’ll need to make this work

You should be clear now about how a solid network will serve you. And you have ideas of how to network with people who could join your group. You also know the importance of figuring out areas you need help with so you’re ready to act when someone you meet has a background you could use.

There is one last thing to cover, and that’s what’s expected from you. Throughout this chapter, the emphasis has been on fulfilling your needs and what you should expect from your network. But to make this work, there are skills you need to have or develop to make sure the system works most efficiently and beneficially for You, Ltd.

The first is that you need to be a careful and attentive listener. Quiet the inner chatter in your mind and focus on listening to what someone in your network is saying. It’s natural for your mind to start comparing and contrasting what this person is saying as your brain likes to make sense of data as it comes in. But this will prevent you from hearing what the person you’re speaking to has to say. Resist the temptation to immediately start writing down what they’re saying and listen. Listen until you are sure you understand. What they say will stick with you more if you do this.

If you’re the person who usually races in with a ‘yes, but,’ STOP. Notice when this is happening and make a conscious effort to stop yourself. This is someone you can learn from, so be open to what they say. Even if you feel that what they’re saying is old news, they may say it in a different way that gets you thinking in a way you hadn’t before.

Next, let go of your ego. This is more specific than the point I just made. We can be protective of our ideas and feel we know better than others what we want to achieve and how to go about it. After all, we’ve invested a lot to get where we are today. If someone in your network says something that doesn’t match your enthusiasm for your idea, that’s a great learning opportunity. Think of them as a potential customer and take the opportunity to explain to them why the product or service is good for them.

It will be tempting to tune out comments you’ve decided are irrelevant but having that belief will shut down your brain. You will lose attention, and any wisdom your network person delivers will be lost. If you had all the resources you needed, you wouldn’t need anyone else. But that’s not how things work. You need people to point out your blind spots.

The point of having a network is to have objective feedback and receive different points of views that reflect their unique and varying experiences. You don’t have to take on board everything someone in your network tells you, but you won’t be able to make that call if you haven’t listened with an open mind to what’s been said.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.