On a recent business trip I noticed that about 5 or 6 people I spoke to knew the same person – someone totally unconnected with the event. The person we all knew is not famous in the conventional way. He isn’t an actor, pop star or TV personality.
But he seems to know a lot of people…and a lot of people know him.
This man is very successful. Which made me wonder – is he so well known because he is successful or is he successful because he is so well known?
And, if it is the latter, are there lessons here for us all?
How many people would know your name?
In business there’s a lot of talk of networking. It has a questionable image. It’s associated with schmoozing, the hard sell, rounds of golf and the old school tie. But I like to think of a network in a different way. The more people who know who you are, the more likely it is that great opportunities will come your way. And notice a distinction here – other people need to know who you are. Having a huge contacts list is useless if, when you call, the person on the other end of the line can’t place you!
A word of warning before you read on!
Relationships need to be two-way for them to be healthy. If you read the following suggestions and think, “That sounds a bit selfish” remember that what goes around comes around. You have an obligation when you know lots of people to be as generous to them as they are to you!
One final point – this isn’t about having 200 close friends! Think of it as having an inner circle (your close friends and family) and an outer circle (your contacts and acquaintances).
Does it matter?
Having a large network can benefit you in many ways:
- In your organisation, who gets promoted? Those people who are known. You can be excellent at your work but you will be passed over if people don’t know who you are.
- When individuals are made redundant, who walks in to a new job quickest? Those who have good contacts and who therefore find out about the largest number of opportunities.
- Which business people seem to get lucky with great clients, contracts and opportunities? Those who know the most people and so increase the likelihood that the phone keeps ringing.
- Who seems to go on the best holidays, stay in the coolest resorts and get all kinds of freebies? Those people who have great contacts!
1. Put yourself in front of new people
The first step to getting famous is putting yourself into situations where you meet new people. These could be social or work related. Think about how many opportunities you currently have to meet new people…and figure out how to double it!
2. What impact do you make?
Do people remember who you are? And do they remember you for the right reasons? Consider how you come across and how to make yourself memorable. You don’t need to have a huge extrovert personality to do this. Some people are remembered for being warm, for being a great listener, for having ideas or for being a good host.
3. Manage your network
The odd email, phone call or invitation to an event may be all it takes. Think of ways you can help other people in your network. One day, when you need help, they will be there for you!
Do you think it matters if you are "known" or not? Have you managed to get things done without a network? We at Let's Be Successful Again would love to hear your tips.
This is a question I have posed to myself a number of times, just how famous am I?
I know my "inner" circle is very small, but I also feel that my outer one is exceptionally large, my business card collection runs into thousands, my personal CRM database is even bigger, and when I walk into a room I always feel like I know people and they know me. But I also wanted to add a word of caution to the excellent piece above, and that is this. So many of the people in your outer circle are only there when they need you, or when they want something from you. However that is not a negitive it is just a matter of fact.
Once you understand this, once you come to terms with this aspect of "who you know", then you can start to utilise your outer circle. For me this is best done by adding another circle to the equation. A middle circle, the one which draws the real people out of the pack of the outer one and into a closer middle one. These people will always be there for you, you will add the word loyality to the tags of this group. These people, and yourself, will share a bond that is beyond friendship but below family, and the loyality, and reward, of this relationship will always be a positive.
This of course does not answer the question of how famous am I, but does make using my fame a little more beneficial and rewarding.
Posted by: Paul Kavanagh | February 27, 2009 at 09:00 AM