One of the best things that you could ever do for your growth as an individual is to invest in yourself. This includes reading, getting an education and even traveling… the list goes on.
Now with that being said, networking is currently all the buzz with events promising to enable you to connect with some of the best minds. But what happens after? How do you really get people to give you more than 5 minutes of their time? Communications expert and CEO of Redrick PR, Ijeoma Balogun reiterates that for a person to consider you worth the time and effort, they have to be invested in you.
How then, do I get the people I admire to take a look at me and say, “I want to have a stake in that lady”, I ask. She says it’s simple.
Think of it as a friendship. You visit your friend’s house, you check up on them frequently, you get to know them well enough to understand where you could add value and in turn they’ll add value to you. People need to have a vested interest and for that to happen you need to build a relationship with them.
When last did you take your potential mentor out to coffee? Or initiate a meeting with someone you considered your role model? If social media hasn’t benefitted you in any way, one of the major advantages could be that people are no longer inaccessible. You can easily go from the dm to the dinner table in no time. So ditch your nerves and start going out on a limb.
You think that person’s exceptional and want them to invest in you? You have to do the work in reaching out to them and being deliberate about building a friendship. That’s the best way to get to where you need to be.
This week, make it a point to invest in relationships that are worthwhile. Let’s do an exercise. Think of two people with whom an interaction will do you a wealth of good. List them and make arrangements to meet with them. Getting out of your own way is the theme this year, building a better network of great minds isn’t where it stops, it’s in making this network work for you in your growth and all round, balance as an individual.
Leave a Reply