It’s not just WHAT you know that counts; it’s WHO you know
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Maybe you think this is wrong. But these days employers are being inundated with CV’s and often don’t want to advertise jobs, because it will bring in a flood of CV’s. Now days many jobs are being filled discretely though word of mouth. I often get phone calls from employers asking do I know of anybody who could do a particular job.
So being able to develop and maintain a good network of “business friendships” is a critical skill for every career professional. It also helps people to be higher performers.
Over 20 years ago, Bell labs found the key difference between their “star” and “mediocre” performers was that star performers had better relationships. They knew more because they had a wider circle of friends and when they had a problem, they could simply lift up the phone and get an answer. They relied less on the formal power structures and used informal power structures more. So when there was a dispute or conflict they could talk to key people and get a resolution rather than issue memos or run to their boss.
People put time into their friendships, recognising they need to meet up to maintain friendships. We need to do the same for our business relationships. It’s not about “using other people” it’s about helping each other to be more successful.
So are you putting time into developing your business contacts on a regular basis?
In the next post I’ll give some tips on developing your networking skills
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Tags: networking