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by Rick Baker
On Jun 3, 2010
For business, I define networking as: meeting new people and re-meeting people in a business or social context.
People will succeed at networking when they understand themselves, recognize other people have their own interests, and spend the time and expend the effort to do the necessary work.
Understanding Oneself: generally, we have a pretty good idea of what we like and we dislike. Do we like crowds? Some do, some do not. Are we proficient with computers? Some are some are not. Could we walk up to a complete stranger, introduce ourselves, and walk away 5 minutes later with a pretty good idea about whether or not we could ever do business with that stranger? Some could, some could not. Could we go to our LinkedIn account, do some quick searching, press some keys, and within 5 minutes find a probable client for one of our friends, who had asked for a quick favour? Some could, some could not. The main things are to understand our strengths and understand our weaknesses. It will be a shame to not fix certain weaknesses. It will be a shame to not take full advantage of all strengths.
Other People Have Their Own Interests: that statement surprises none of us…or, at least, very few of us. Many people are preoccupied with what’s in it for me? in a huge way. None of those people are good networkers. That bears repeating: people who are preoccupied with what’s in it for me? can not be good at networking. Networking is a two-person process. While there may be many people on a chat line or gathered in a group at an event, networking boils down to a one-on-one interpersonal process. Both people must connect with one another. Networking is a process of growing positive feelings between two people and finding the extent of the common ground shared by those two people. A person consumed by what’s in it for me? has no room for common ground and that sort of personality quickly pushes away most folks.
Spend the Time and Expend the Effort to do the Necessary Work: networking is a process that can not be rushed. Rushing the process will result in failure. Networking is about doing work to connect with people who you believe you could do business with at some point in the future. The future could be 10 seconds after your 30-second commercial ends – however, for most of us that is highly unlikely. That’s one of the reasons I am not that keen on 30-second commercials. There is a fascinating fine line between being efficient at networking and being just another what’s in it for me? person. To be efficient at networking we must be able to meet many people, quickly initiate interchanges with them, quickly impress them in a positive way [even if just a little], quickly understand whether they positively impress us, quickly understand whether or not we could do business with them at some point in the future, and quickly terminate all the interchanges without undoing the good stuff that was accomplished. As mentioned, there’s a fascinating fine line between that work and the work done by all those unsuccessful what’s in it for me? people. The key is being truly interested in the other person.
Links to other blogs about networking:
More about networking in future blogs…
by Rick Baker
On Jun 1, 2010
Lately, I have been spending quite a bit of time talking with quite a few people about networking.
The people I meet have disparate views about networking.
Some folks tweet dozens of times a day, follow other folks on Twitter and Facebook, and tell me ‘getting your name out there’ is what it is all about. Other folks tell me they attend local business-social events and don’t find this networking to be productive.
For business, I define networking as: meeting new people and re-meeting people in a business or social context.
3 points for networking success:
- understanding yourself…that’s the best starting point
- networking is a people-process…it takes 2 and it takes time
- to obtain value from networking be prepared…you must work at it
Q: Are Facebook and LinkedIn and Twitter networking?
A: Yes, under the above definition, networking does not have to be face-to-face it can be face-to Facebook, etc. In other words social networking is a type of networking. Face-to-face networking is another type of networking. And, for most business people both types are networking can provide value.
Q: How do selling and business networking differ?
A: A successful selling process happens when one party feels persuaded to purchase something from another party. A successful business networking process happens when two people understand enough about one another to assess whether or not there is a probability for them to do business together at some future time. Networking is distinct from selling/buying. It is a good precursor to selling/buying…networking paves the path to selling/buying.
Links to other blogs about networking:
More about networking in future blogs…
by Rick Baker
On May 27, 2010
Lately, I have been spending quite a bit of time talking with quite a few people about networking.
The people I meet have disparate views about networking.
At one extreme, some think every person they meet is a potential client. They spend a great deal of time explaining [to almost anyone and everyone they meet] what they do and why that’s so important, etc. At the other extreme, some cringe at the thought of attending another cocktail party. As the years pass they get deeper and deeper into their shells, isolating themselves. In between the extremes, the majority of people go about doing what they describe as ‘networking’ without setting plans or guidelines or assessing the results of their activity.
In addition, many people are now saying, “What used to work does not work any more”.
Many have asked for simple answers…”How can I improve my networking?”
Obviously, everyone is different. What works for some folks will not work for others. One person’s comfort zone will not necessarily be the same as the next person’s comfort zone.
So, the first Networking step is spending some time thinking about oneself:
- What are my interpersonal strengths?
- What are my interpersonal weaknesses?
- Have I educated myself and learned enough about 21st Century networking?
- What do the results of my past-actions tell me about my networking skills?
- On a scale of 1-to-10, how do I rate my networking talent?
For business:
Networking is meeting new people and re-meeting people in a business or social context.
That’s the way I define networking.
More on networking in future blogs…
by Rick Baker
On May 25, 2010
My friend Paul Hogendoorn is President of OES, Inc in London, Ontario.
OES is a leader in the advanced electronics sector…check out their website www.oes-inc.com .
Since a summary will not capture his message anywhere near as well as Paul conveys it, I have provided a complete copy of his May 2010 column “Passion: The Fourth Ingredient”.
Enjoy!
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Passion: The Fourth Ingredient
By Paul Hogendoorn
George Harrison, a Dallas Mavericks’ game, and a cab ride to the airport. How could these topics have anything at all to do with a column about the manufacturing industry today? The editors of this fine magazine have graciously extended me a lot of latitude over years – let’s see if they let me try to put this one together!
Actually, it won’t be too much of a stretch at all. In previous columns, I have written about what I believe are 3 of the key ingredients for survival in the manufacturing industry today: adaptability, excellence and attitude. The fourth ingredient, in my mind, is “passion”.
Last month I was in Dallas and was watching the Maverick’s play the Lakers. One of my company’s divisions designs and manufactures scoreboards, and Dallas is one of “our” venues. During one break in the action, the camera spotted a couple of celebrities in attendance and put their faces on the big video board. The crowd erupted in spontaneous applause and the celebrities smiled and waved graciously. I had no idea who they were, so I leaned over and asked a colleague sitting beside me. But, since he was in my age bracket, he was equally clueless. We started polling the people immediately around us until we got to a couple in their late teens or early twenties. “It’s Beyonce and Jay Z” they said incredulously, amazed that we didn’t recognize these two mega-stars.
I had heard of the names and through my kids, probably had heard some of their music too. But it wasn’t “my” music, from my era – an era that I would describe as “when music mattered”. I don’t want to argue that music in my era was the best, or most creative, or most popular, but I think I can make a strong case that music in my era – the last 60’s and early 70’s – mattered more than music before it or after it. The music of that day tried to actually change the world, a truly audacious objective - and in a lot of ways it did. There were all the songs about “peace” trying to stop the war in Viet Nam; about “love”, trying to change society’s focus from capitalism to personal enlightenment; about a new generation coming of age, with anti-establishment protest songs heralding their arrival. And then there was George Harrison’s classic two-record masterpiece, drawing our attention to the poverty and misery in Bangladesh.
My colleague was in complete agreement with me. John Lennon, The Who, CCR – so many of the bands and musicians of that day had something important to say. It wasn’t really their music that was trying to change the world though – it was their passion that was. Their music was their means of change, but the power that drove it was their passion to effect change. There are many today that suggest that the changes in the USSR that led to the eventual dismantling of the Iron Curtain and the tearing down of the Berlin Wall began when the Beatles first toured Russia and a new generation had been awakened with a fresh sense of their own ideals, ambition and identity.
Today, we have many companies in need of life saving change. They are holding on by their fingernails, hoping for “the economy to turn around”, or a life saving concession from their workforce, or a government guarantee or bailout. But what they really need is what I wrote about in 3 of my previous columns – an ability to adapt quickly, a focus on excellence, and an all-inclusive change in attitudes. And, they need world changing passion; a passion strong enough to change their world.
The next morning, I took the shuttle to the airport. In a casual conversation with the driver, he told me was from Bangladesh. “Do you know anything about Bangladesh?” he asked me. “Only what I know from George Harrison” I replied. “Oh, George Harrison” he says breaking into a reverent smile, “He is a true hero in my country, everyone knows about him!”. He goes on to tell me that in his hometown there is a big museum dedicated solely to him, about how he drew the world’s attention to that country, how the country has never been the same, and that there’s a picture of his face that covers an entire wall. George Harrison did change their world with his music, but it was far more than his talent for writing words and creating melodies, it was his passion and commitment for that cause.
Passion is what makes you go on when logic tells you to stop. Passion is what makes you deaf to unbelievers and blind to distractions. A good idea may attract people to your cause for a quick look- and-see, but passion is what keeps them there. Passion is what makes your efforts powerful beyond simple strength; it’s the critical ingredient needed to change a world.
Paul Hogendoorn is president of OES, Inc. and chair of the London Region Manufacturing Council. He can be reached at [email protected]. This column was originally published in the May 2010 edition of Manufacturing Automation.
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Thank you, Paul.
by Rick Baker
On May 20, 2010
Through the Greater Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber of Commerce, I had the pleasure of attending a presentation on the Waterloo Manufacturing Innovation Network (Waterloo MIN) last week.
Valerie Machado, Business Development Officer for the City of Kitchener and Chair of the Waterloo MIN Advisory Board and Rod Regier, Executive Director, Economic Development for the City of Kitchener presented the update about Waterloo MIN. www.cityofkitchener.com
Waterloo MIN is supported by many local organizations, including the City of Kitchener and the Greater Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber of Commerce.
Many communities are watching us here at Waterloo Region…and they are watching the Waterloo MIN…they see it as a social networking business vehicle they should emulate. [that’s great news!]
Here are a few of the highlights Valerie and Rod presented:
About Waterloo MIN’s members & participants:
- 173 ‘Full’ Manufacturing Members
- 105 Limited Members – outside the region, government, academic, institutions, consortiums
- 48 Promotional Members – advertisers, sponsors, expert bloggers
- 182 Service Providers and Suppliers
- 193 ‘Basic’ Members
About the most-visited pages of the Waterloo MIN website:
- Homepage
- Job Board - over 300,000 individual views and received over 13,000 applications for local manufacturing jobs
- Blogs
- Company Directory - Did you know 30% of Waterloo Region Manufacturers don’t have a website? Waterloo MIN provides these companies with a no-cost, branded web presence.
- Calendar
As a Waterloo MIN blogger, I was pleased to see the blogs registering in the top 5 areas of website activity. I am sure most Waterloo MIN bloggers will be pleased to know this. They will be pleased to understand their blogs are of value to the Waterloo MIN members and supporters.
I mean – that’s what blogging as all about.
Blogging = sharing what we have learned and the way we think with others…in an effort to help them.
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by Rick Baker
On May 18, 2010
This year, 2010, Chip Heath and Dan Heath published their book, `SWITCH – How to Make Change When Change is Hard` www.heathbrothers.com
This book by the Heath brothers builds on the analogy set by Haidt: that is, the rider, the elephant, and their path.
For Dr Haidt, the way humans go about things brought to mind a rider on an elephant. The rider represents our logical side and the elephant represents our emotional side. Our logical side is constantly struggling to control our emotional side.
The choice of elephant bangs home the point we are often under the control of our emotions rather than vice-versa.
The Heath brothers provide many examples of how we can use the Rider-Elephant-Path analogy to understand how to bring about positive change.
The Heath brothers recommend a 3-part frameworkto guide you when you need to change behaviour:
- What looks like a people problem is often a situation problem
So, we must Shape the Path
- What looks like laziness is often exhaustion
So we must Motivate the Elephant
- What looks like resistance is often a lack of clarity
So, we must Direct the Rider
The Heaths provide a convincing argument…we should consider all three factors – the rider, the elephant, and their path – when we work to create positive change. And, there are several strategies and tactics for helping people with each of these three factors.
We can build the Haidt-Heath thinking into our methods for creating positive change.
More on creating positive change in future blogs…
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