Leveraging Relationships by Giving First and Giving Often

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This is the second post in a series focused on Leveraging Your Relationships for Career Success.  Relationship leverage is one of the three foundational strategies I talk about in my upcoming eBook, "The Career Security Guarantee -- 3 Strategies That Guarantee You'll Never Have to Look for a Job Again," due out this Spring (more to come on that in later posts).  

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"I don't think you ever stop giving. I really don't. I think it's an on-going process.
And it's not just about being able to write a check. It's being able to touch somebody's life."
- Oprah Winfrey

Your network of relationships is the single greatest business and professional development asset you "own".  Properly nourished, your network is an excellent source of new business, ideas, advice, fellowship, learning opportunities, and yes....job leads should you need them now or in the future (whether solicited or unsolicited).  Yet, most people fail to develop, grow and maintain their network effectively.

Your network is the single greatest business
and professional development asset you "own".

Want to know the real secret to growing your network?  Make a habit of HELPING OTHER PEOPLE. Make it your goal to help people you meet, speak with or otherwise communicate with on a day-to-day basis. Be intentional. Look for ways to help work colleagues, neighbors, business contacts, people in your professional organizations, people at conferences, people in clubs in which you're a member and every new person you meet.

You've got to GIVE FIRST.  Giving first launches the rule of reciprocity, which says that if you help people, they will be favorably inclined to return the favor in the future. By helping others you are making deposits in accounts that you can withdraw later. 

Relationships (your network) are established and maintained
through the process of reciprocal giving (and receiving).

So what is it that you can give?  What exactly do you have to offer others?  Simple .... Whatever might be helpful to them, AND .... it doesn’t have to be a big deal. The important thing is to cultivate a habit of being interested in the needs of others. Once you discover their needs, you are well on the way to finding a simple way that you can help them.

Ideas for Ways to Give to Your Network:

• Share relevant and useful information -- Send newspaper and trade journal articles, blog articles and announcements.  Social media applications such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter make it VERY easy and effective to share useful information with your network.

• Recommend others or offer testimonials to others (solicited or, better yet, unsolicited testimonials).  "Public" recommendation or testimonials through services such as LinkedIn offer a powerful way to offer testimonials to your business and professional contacts.

• Make yourself available to others - Listen!-- "Be there" for support, advice and counsel.  Let others know you care.  Give advice, when asked.  Many times, it's simply being there to listen .... without judgment.

• Send congratulations for key business and personal accomplishments.  Send a card, a handwritten note, or letter congratulating your friends, contacts and business associates when you hear about some achievement they are very likely proud of.

• Send birthday cards and holiday cards to let others know you are thinking about them.

• Send "thank you" notes when someone helps you in some way.  A brief, handwritten thank you note is a wonderful "gift" to another person.

• Distribute a newsletter to your contacts offering useful information.  A weekly, monthly or quarterly newsletter is an excellent tool for giving the gift of information to others.

• Be a positive influence.  Smile, be friendly, offer an optimistic viewpoint, and encourage others in a positive way.

Begin the habit of giving to others today.  Sustain that habit, and you'll
develop a powerful and meaningful network .... guaranteed.

Suggested NEXT ACTION Steps to Take Today:

1. 10-Minute Quickie - Review the above ideas for giving to your network, then take 7 quick minutes, and write the names of THREE PEOPLE for whom you can give one of those gifts TODAY.  Then take 3 quick minutes and GIVE one of those gifts NOW.
2. SHARE this article with a friend -- sharing is a great way to give to others you care about.
3. TALK ABOUT this article today with a friend or work associate who might be interested in the ideas presented.
4. "Evernote It" -- Save this article to your Evernote account for future reference or for re-reading at a later date.  Click HERE to install Evernote Web Clipper, which lets you save interesting stuff you see on the web directly to your Evernote account.

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The NEXT ARTICLE in this series of Leveraging Your Relationships for Career Success will be on the topic of "Developing Advocates, Fans and Cheerleaders," a powerful way to leverage your relationships.

Want to ensure you read ALL of the articles in this and future series?  Then subscribe to my Weekly Career Success Newsletter (click to subscribe).  

All of the articles in this series will be featured in my eBook, "The Career Security Guarantee -- 3 Strategies That Guarantee You'll Never Have to Look for a Job Again," due to be released this Spring.  The eBook, will also be chock full of free useful tools and resources designed to help you implement the ideas, advice and tips offered in the book.  Subscribe to my Weekly Career Success Newsletter on or before April 1st, 2012, to receive a FREE copy of my eBook when it is released (a $25 value).

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Andy Robinson, Executive Career Coach
Co-host, Career Success Radio Show
A leading authority on career success; 15-year executive coaching veteran
Contact: [email protected], 239-285-5575

Photo Credit: BigStockPhoto.com