Collaborative Networking

The Helen Keller quote "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much" has never been so important as right now. 

It's more important than ever to build a network of collaborative-minded people. The marketplace is changing fast. Geopolitics. Tariffs. Cryptocurrency. Fraud. Artificial Intelligence. Add to that rising costs, budgets being cut, decision makers being harder to access, and clients changing alliances. You're being asked to upskill, innovate, be resilient, and earn more money all at the same time. It's complicated and exhausting trying to keep up with it all. We’re hyperconnected. And that seems to make networking complicated and confusing. Passing business cards and increasing followers on social media is important. But it’s simply not enough.

Networking matters – but collaborative networking matters more. Collaborative networking matters because being a successful business leader is a collective effort. It's not just about handing out business cards or amassing followers on LinkedIn. 

If it were only about social media followers or a contact list of people met at networking events, we'd all be successful. But there's a deeper, more fundamental element to networking. It's about having the right people, and it's about being able to leverage and share our resources in a mutually beneficial way.

Having the right associates can propel you further than you could ever imagine. The right people enhance your productivity, elevate your strategic thinking, encourage and energize you, and boost your revenue growth beyond what you alone can do.

I know this works. If you knew me 24 years ago, you'd know I was shy and hated networking. I’d established a short-lived strategy to avoid networking that lasted a few years. But the day came when I needed a bigger network. It was around that time I took a leadership dev't  program with a guy named Brian Klemmer. Brian taught me how to connect authentically with people and I was off to the races.

He was my mentor first. And smart me, I proposed we collaborate. And smart him he said yes. I helped him earn more than $1 million dollars. I kept collaborating again and again as I helped others my business grew. And of course I failed many times. I also won more times than not, and I know this whole collaborating thing is the best thing going and can help you face seemingly insurmountable challenges today and in the future. It's people we need. There are no self made people.

Networking matters but being able to collaborate matters more. So who inspires you? Who guides you in the right direction? Who shares market insights? When you fall down, who raises you back up? Who recommends you and brings you referrals?

When I meet with professionals they tell me it’s hard to find the right people. They try to collaborate and it fails. I personally know this – I’ve done lots of collaborations that didn’t turn out as good as we thought. And it’s frustrating.

• You agree to collaborate and then nothing.
• You agree to collaborate and you give lots but the other doesn’t do their part
• You agree to collaborate, it works, and then fizzles out. Why is that?

Let’s unpack this networking thing to figure out what needs to happen so we get these promises.

3 Mindsets

There’s 3 mindsets when it comes to networking. There’s people who just do it and don’t think much about it. And they’re happy about it all.

Then there’s those like me 24 years ago who have a lot of anxiety around meeting people. What do I say? Will they like me? What if they reject me? The problem I see is people will avoid networking if it feels too stressful.

And there’s people like me now who enjoy networking. We know it’s just a capability and wherever we are is fine. We keep learning how to do it better and better.

Networking is simply a skill and the more you do it the better you get. Think of it like an adventure of sorts similar to climbing a ladder. The ladder has two halves:

On the bottom half is where you avoid building relationships. We'll call this DISENGAGED.

The top half is where you build relationships. We'll call this ENGAGED.

Looking at the Disengaged half, at the lowest rung of the ladder are the leaders who anguish over networking, who we’ll call Soloists. Soloists often get here because it’s lonely at the top. The more success you have, the more alone you become. With nose down in the daily grind, leaders often just don’t make time to network and become disengaged. Their motto is “if it’s going to be, it’s up to me.” Sure you delegate to your team. But failing to build a network beyond your company is a grind and causes you stress.

Up next is the Networker. Networkers build their network for their own personal gain. With a motto similar to “my network is my net worth,” they tend to see networking as a way to prospect for new clients. Networking is a good way to get clients fast. But if it were enough, we’d be successful just handing out business cards and getting more followers. And to do it at a rate where it does work, is hard, leaving you feeling pressured.

If you’re open to learning, there comes a turning point where a big shift occurs: you move from serving yourself to serving others. 

As you begin to reciprocate with others, you are now becoming a Connector. You start to build your relationships with great care and intention. You’re wanting to learn more and build better, more reciprocal connections. As you do, it becomes easier. 

Networking is no longer about how many contacts you have – it’s all about the quality of your relationships and what you are able to do together. 

With further awareness, practice and experience, your capability increases, and that’s when you get this big breakthrough where referrals and new opportunities flow. People start bringing you in on bigger projects. You likely start initiating them too. Strategic Partners emerge, and together you innovate for bigger and better results. The payoff is you profit more together than doing it alone. 

Your motto is now: “Our power lies in our ability to connect and collaborate”. You are memorable, and your allies keep you top of mind for opportunities.

By continuing to serve others consistently, one day, without even trying, you find you’re at the center of a community of Ambassadors. Your ambassadors bring you referrals consistently. They write reviews and recommend you to others. As a Community Builder, people are drawn to you. And you begin to realize a great truth, as Aristotle said: “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” You realize the opportunities to collaborate are endlessly fruitful and so your journey to engage deeper and more authentically becomes a deeply engrained habit.

You may continue to rise, and become an influencer or thought leader. You find yourselve in the center of diverse networks of followers, contacts, connections, strategic alliances and ambassadors. Here you make your greatest impact and contribution. And you feel gratified.

Pause for a moment and consider where you see yourself. And where would you like to be? 

Are you networking simply to acquire clients?

Are you building strong relationships with people?

Do you have allies who help you achieve your goals?

When you look at the ladder, what’s the next step for you?

 BE OPEN TO COLLABORATION

Consider this quote by award-winning actor, Amy Poehler: 

“As you navigate through the rest of your life, be open to collaboration. Other people and other people’s ideas are often better than your own. Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.” 

Here is the key: be open to collaboration. One of the easiest and most profitable collaborations to start with is Referral Partnerhips.

Here's the three key things you need to put into place:

To start build a better network with the right Core Connections. Design a Connection Strategy so you build strong relationships. And set up a Connection System to remain time efficient.

 CORE CONNECTIONS:

When it comes to people you only need about 10 to 20 Core Connections. That’s easy to manage. The people you select will help you in vaious ways. They: 

•  help you with strategic positioning in the marketplace.
• provide guidance, helping you solve problems, implement your plans, and stay committed. 
• support you in achieving your goals. You can trust them, always helping you sharpen your saw. 
• promote you to others. They lend you credibility, referring clients and opening doors to new opportunities. 

CONNECTION STRATEGY & SYSTEM

To get the cooperation of others, you need intention and consistent engagement to build trust. This can be achieved best by building a Connection Strategy and a Connection System. The former ensures you provide value that will strengthen the relationship ongoing. 

It can get lonely as you rise to the top. Don't go solo. Build your better network. In this ever changing marketplace you are going to need to do more with less. Collaborative network is the way. 

If at any time on your journey to building a collaborative network you want some deeper insights, schedule a collaboration strategy session: https://www.jenniferbeale.com/ScheduleChat

To building a better network!

 

Jennifer Beale helps leaders build strategic partnerships for business growth. Her clients call her "the Queen of Connecting," "formidably connected," and an "ace" at matching people. Jennifer cuts through the networking confusion so you build the right connections fast. An award winning networker and event producer, her connection strategies have helped hundreds of business professionals earn hundreds of millions of dollars.

If you want to get more referrals and build strategic partnerships, Jennifer leads workshops, trainings, and interactive keynotes. Her ideas have been featured in major media including the National Post and on Global TV. If you're looking to get bigger results in a shorter amount of time through strategic partnerships, connect with Jennifer at https://www.JenniferBeale.com