One of my favorite speakers and masters of networking is Jason Alba. He always gives an interesting story or tip. Here is his latest on networking re: the art of giving to get fulfilled. See if this works for you.
Yesterday I shared a post I wrote about my first networking meetings as a job seeker.
It made me think about my biggest mistake trying to “network.”
For a long time I didn’t get much out of the meetings, until I changed something.
My mistake wasn’t that I didn’t have business cards, or that my 30 second commercial was as bad as everyone else’s.
My mistake was that I went to those meetings with the wrong purpose in mind. I was hoping to get filled, and get questions answered. Week after week I went, hoping to get. And I didn’t get as much as I needed, and I felt unfulfilled. Then, I realized I should go to those meetings and GIVE. I listened for opportunities to give leads, or introduce contacts. I looked for chances to help, and strengthen, and encourage.
When I switched from hoping to GET to wanting to GIVE, the meetings, and the results, completely changed. I finally looked forward to going to those meetings. I made more meaningful contacts (since I was a giver). I always left feeling fulfilled.
And I started to get more. I got leads, and ideas, and encouragement, in a way that I wasn’t getting before. I don’t know what your mistakes are right now, but if you are networking to GET, I encourage you to take a few months and concentrate on GIVING, and see how that goes… see what’s different.
For me, it made all the difference!
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