“True joy in life comes from giving without a guarantee of receiving anything in return.” ~Adele Theron
It’s important to be a “giver” in our life and relationships, not simply a “taker.”
This is certainly true as we engage in networking activities – meeting new people, forming new relationships, and asking for help.
As we network and connect with people, always be looking for ways that you can contribute to these relationships, not just reaching out to people simply because you want something out of them.
A Challenge for Many
In declaring this, I realize that for many, believing this idea is exactly what keeps them from networking in the first place. They think that reaching out and asking for help, even from people that they know, is extremely selfish. So instead, they keep to themselves.
That’s not helpful either!
For example, I had a client I was working with who was struggling reaching out to some old coworkers that were friends of his as he was dealing with unemployment. These individuals were leaders in companies he was interested in working with. Even though he had their phone numbers, he felt reticent to reach out.
So, I told him to get over himself. I suggested he swap roles in his mind.
If they were in his situation and reached out to him, wouldn’t he do everything he could to help them? Absolutely. 100%. And he would be grateful they cared enough about the friendship to ask him to help.
So he took the step and reached out. A few days later, he had a job interview with a market-leading company. A few days after that, he had a job offer.
Ways You Can Give
There are many ways you can be a giver in your relationships, even with new networking connections you are making.
Sometimes, just simply showing genuine interest in other people can validate them and help them feel helpful and important.
You can offer any insights or connections you might have that could be helpful to them.
You might consider a skill that you bring to the table that might be useful or provide value to something they are working on.
Each situation and person is unique, you’ll have to figure that out for yourself.
Yet if you have a “giver” attitude and seek to provide value in each instance, your networking activities will flourish.
See more in the video below!
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