networking strategy

One of the keys to successful networking is to focus on your network rather than just expect your network to focus on you. That is easily said but to do so takes a degree of thought and effort rather than just good intent. 

According to Anthony Hilton in The Independent last month, law firms face the prospect of losing their 'comfortable life' as deregulation of their market introduces competition in fields they have traditionally dominated.

After introducing the concept of Mastermind Groups in the first in this series of blogs and then sharing the first five steps to setting up your own successful mastermind groups in part two, I'd now like to share Steps 6-10. 

In my last blog we talked about the power of mastermind groups and how effective they can be for your career or your business. As promised at the end of that post, here are the first five of my top ten steps to help you get just that value:

1. The right ingredients

You don’t have to do it alone. Whatever you want to achieve, whether in developing your own business or progressing your career, you will get much closer to achieving your true potential if you are open to support from your network.

How often do you ask for feedback from your network? Honest, genuine, no holds barred feedback? 

We all like to know when we're doing something well but one of the advantages of a strong network is having people who genuinely want you to succeed and who will be honest with you when you need to do things better, differently or not at all.

I'm frequently asked about the best ways to keep in touch with your network, particularly when our schedules are so tightly packed. There are a number of approaches that make up an effective relationship-building strategy, including one to one meetings and proactive use of social media, but often the simplest approaches are the most powerful.

My good friend Mikael Arndt, who runs the business network Arndts FC in Sweden, asked me last week for my three top tips for networking in 2013 to share with members of his network. My suggestions were: 

Happy New Year, I hope you had an enjoyable break.

The two weeks over Christmas is traditionally a time to take stock, look back at the previous twelve months and think ahead, making resolutions of things we must change over the coming year, whether in our personal or in our professional lives.