I love getting on here and sharing some words with you on Wednesday mornings.
But today, many of the words I share will not be my own. They’ll be from leaders like Lindsay Fox, who said, “Personal relationships are always the key to good business. You can buy networking; you can’t buy friendships.” And from Lewis Howes who said, “One of the most powerful networking practices is to provide immediate value to a new connection. This means the moment you identify a way to help someone, take action.”
Networking is all about leveraging the power of others. And we have so many resources, all around us.
Sonia Sotomayor said, “Sometimes, idealistic people are put off by the whole business of networking as something tainted by flattery and the pursuit of selfish advantage. But virtue in obscurity is rewarded only in Heaven. To succeed in this world you have to be known to people.”
Lewis Howes also said, “What’s your routine after attending a networking event or meal? If your answer is, ‘I go home,’ you’re probably going to miss out on opportunities.” I have to admit that one stung a little, but only because he’s right. And I realize that there’s even more I can do between our meetings. What are *you* doing to maximize this living breathing resource?
And I don’t just mean us — the people — but even the meetings themselves. Consider that each meeting is like it’s own organism — new guests and visitors, new info from the members, new presentations, new asks, etc. What’s your routine when engaging with each meeting? Do you have one?
Jay Samit said, “Networking is all about connecting with people. But then again, isn’t that what life is about? The more time you can find to get out of the office and build true friendships, the farther your startup will go. Entrepreneurs need to remember to spend as much time working on their business as they do in their business.”
And Zig Ziglar said, “If people like you, they’ll listen to you, but if they trust you, they’ll do business with you.”
You might check in and ask yourself, “How am I building trust? How has trust been going lately?”
Joel A. Barker said, “Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.”
John C. Maxwell said, “Growth is the great separator between those who succeed and those who do not. When I see a person beginning to separate themselves from the pack, it’s almost always due to personal growth.”
And lastly, perhaps Jocko Willink was thinking of Elevate when he said, “The temptation to take the easy road is always there. It is as easy as staying in bed in the morning and sleeping in. But discipline is paramount to ultimate success and victory for any leader and any team.”
So let’s trust ourselves, and let’s learn to leverage the power, experience, and resources of others.
For a closer look at these quotes, they’ll be up on the Blog — or reach out to me and I’ll send them to you.
There is so much potential in the world, and especially in this room.
