Growing your network – Part 3

May 30, 2009

Network both within and outside your comfort zones.  You need to constantly challenge and be challenged in your thinking and ways of doing things as you network. How much are you going to grow if you only interact with people in the same field, same industry, same geographical location to mention but a few?  Your long term goals and objectives could lie outside your current area and industry. How are you going to get there?  I know that a number of people will do totally different things when they retire. They have been building and developing other skills during their working years. Right now there are already experts and gurus where you hope to be and go. Make use of them.

Assess the value you are getting from and adding to your network periodically.  Every now and then you need to find out if your network is providing the results you were looking for. When you set out your goals and objectives initially there were timelines linked to these. How are you doing on this scale? If things are not moving as fast as you would like, what are you going to do about it without irritating people in your network.

Innovate, rebrand and share within your network.  Many things are going to happen as you grow your network.  You are going to do the same things better, you are going to move to different things, your role will evolve. Keep your network updated of where you are, what you are doing and how you are doing it.  Your brand is growing all the time. Sometimes you will decide that the brand needs some tweaking or even a complete makeover. Keep your network in the loop about the new you, the new brand. Share the information and let’s keep things in motion. Your network will not be impressed if they discover that you changed roles years ago, are now in a different space altogether and never bothered to update them.

Just get in touch. Some people only get in touch when they need a hand or need help. Do not become all too predictable when people get mail from you or take your calls. What do you want this time? You can’t do it with everyone but you need to get in touch with your network and just catch up. You are not looking for any favours. You just want to find out how someone is doing. That said there are also pitfalls of just getting in touch with nothing in mind in particular. Some people want to get straight to the point. Handling such people comes with experience. Don’t be discouraged if calls come to an abrupt end.

Move with your network wherever you go.  Changing jobs, moving house, relocating to another city should be no reason to lose your network. You need to invest time in getting all the contact details of your network. You must make sure you do regular backups of your network. Even print in hardcopy if you have to. I know people who have lost all the contact details after a cellphone was stolen or the work computer crashed. You can’t afford to have contact details only saved in one place.

Consider integrating business and social networking. Tread with caution on this one. I am specifically referring to business and social networking sites such as Myspace, Facebook, Xing, LinkedIn etc.  You need to think very, very carefully about whether you want your business contacts getting to know the nitty gritties about your personal space and whether you want your circle of family and close friends getting to know about your business and the like.  Many people have lost jobs after posting inappropriate comments about their work on social networking sites that leaked to their employers. As some might put it, they never mix business with pleasure. This is really yours to decide. If you are undecided I believe the safe option is keep the two separate as much as possible.

Use the degrees of separation. According to the theory on six degrees of separation everyone on this planet is separated from any other person by no more than 6 people.  Below is a formal definition of this theory from a Wikipedia page.

(Six degrees of Separation (also referred to as the “Human Web”) refers to the idea that, if a person is one step away from each person they know and two steps away from each person who is known by one of the people they know, then everyone is at most six steps away from any other person on Earth. -  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_degrees_of_separation

I am more concerned about the underlying principle behind this theory than the factual accuracy of whether its six degrees or seven degrees. The world is shrinking all the time with all the massive strides in communication. We are getting more and more interconnected all the time. This means as a networker if there is someone you believe could add immense value to your network, you only have to look at the people you currently know to come up with a strategy on how that person can eventually become a part of your network. Try it.

Keeping contact details constant if you can. Some people are in the habit of changing numbers so often that you just can’t keep up.  At times it’s unavoidable if our situation and circumstances dictate and demand this. However, this disadvantages you greatly when it comes to networking. You never know when someone will need to get in touch with you. You will need to decide whether you are going to have a different number for work and for home and who you will give those numbers to. A major source of problems is that telephone numbers and other contact details are given indiscriminately to every Tom, Dick and Harry and then we are struggling with unwelcome calls made at inopportune moments.

Talk to people and get a network! Some people interact with several people during the course of their work and in their personal lives but have no network. Is this situation actually possible? Some days ago I talked to one such person. This person had been in the corporate world for at least 2 decades but had precious little to show in the form of contacts. I suggested that we work on a strategy of getting contact details for all the contacts. This was going to be a big project but at the end of the day a worthwhile one.

Lastly it’s never too late to improve the networking whatever stage you are at.  There is no one size fits all approach with networking. Consider your unique circumstances and situation, think what would work best for you and give it a go.

Happy networking! BTM

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Posted by Bruce

Much ado about nothing

May 30, 2009

It’s a chilly Saturday morning. I got up a few hours ago and read up some articles on the net. While eating breakfast I suddenly got some ideas on some stuff I wrote some time back on networking. I have done Parts 1 and 2 of Growing your network. I didn’t think I could write another part without repeating myself. I looked up the articles I wrote and decided that I could add one or two ideas. I will be posting the article shortly shortly.

I was also thinking about my brother who can read a 400-500 page book in a day or two. I have no idea how he does it. We have argued a few times about whether he actually reads everything which he insists he does. I hope to talk to him soon for some ideas to improve my own reading speed. In the two weeks he has been here he has covered 7 thick books and he needs another supply as a matter of urgency.  Over the years we have built a small library at home and at the rate I am reading, I won’t have have covered half if I live for the next 100 years.

It’s going to be a busy weekend.  Have some things to finish at work and will probably be there for some hours today and possibly tomorrow. Hopefully things on that front will be looking much better come Monday.

There are sirens right outside my bedroom window, all is not well in the hood.

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Posted by Bruce

Ready to punch above your weight?

May 27, 2009

You have been putting in the hours. You have shown the commitment. You have done all that is required of you. You know it’s time to step it up.  You anticipated this moment; you imagined that it would come and indeed it has. You have been here for a while, you know your way around but you know it’s time to take it further. There is nothing new for you here.

You have the people in your corner that believe in you  but more importantly you know yourself and you believe in yourself. When you start to lose your self-belief and doubt is creeping in, the team in your corner  and in the distance urge you on.  They give  instructions and without thinking, you follow instinctively. They can be trusted. People are chanting your name, they have kept the faith in you. They believed in you before you believed in yourself. They are waiting for you to do them proud.

The excitement and anticipation you feel now does not diminish your focus and singlemindness to get the job done.  The job to achieve those goals and objectives. You will prevail. You will overcome all those obstacles and challenges in your way.

The first round was tough but it was as expected. You showed hesitation in taking the right steps at the right time and missed the fantastic opportunities that came your way. You toyed with the ideas, you wrote them down. You pondered over the vision. However, you didn’t do enough. You did not follow through.

A few more rounds and you were jumping around with excitement.    Though you took your chances there were some wild misses and you almost lost your balance yet you regained composure and got back into your corner to regroup. When the going got tough in the ring you floated like a bee just like the great champions, you found a way of staying on without losing perspective.  When the time was right you stung like a bee, making more headway in achieving your dreams.

Refreshed and energised by the confidence of those around you, you gave it another go, this time with much more focus and determination. It was painful as you made bold sacrifices. You were trying hard to knock down the targets yet you felt that something was hitting you back even harder.

Then in a moment of inspiration, brilliance and genius you overcome with a flurry of combinations,  rapid movement and excellent tactics. Going completely for broke!  You have not only overcome the obstacles but you have done in style and convincingly too. It’s a total knock-out! TKO!  You are the  winner! You celebrate the victory and savour the moment. This victory is not just about you. It’s about everyone who helped you in one way or another.

What was holding you back? You just needed to get into the ring of obstacles, getting your trusted team in the corner and set about purposefully on overcoming the challenges.

From here on its bigger challenges and bigger obstacles. You are now ready to punch above your weight! – BTM

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Posted by Bruce

New beginnings, Happy Endings!

May 27, 2009

Beginnings and endings will always be with us. They are part of the reality. Right now, if we are not in the middle of something we are probably starting something or ending something.

Let’s embrace these two sides of the same coin, two sides of the same equation and two sides of the same scale. You cannot have one without the other.  What began will come to an end. We can’t have an ending where there was never a beginning.

The beginning of one thing is possibility and dreams coming to life. Here we go!  Without beginnings there would be no growth.  Things would never get off the ground. They would float in the realm of thought, what-ifs, possibilities and dreams. Beginnings see these coming into being.  With beginnings we take the first steps of what we hope will be a long and eventful journey.

Without endings there would be no renewal. We might never have conclusion of that which is past its time and prime.  Would we achieve completion without endings? Endings give us the means to escape monotony and achieve the  logical summary to the course of events. Endings give us the opportunity to peg and mark off one chapter, era, epoch, event whatever the case may be.

As we move further away from any one of these pillars we are getting closer to the other. Like the rays of the sun that greet us at the break of dawn, with the sun reaching its zenith at midday, till we have the twilight followed by the pitch darkness of the night, so does the beginning hold our attention till we get to finality, the ending.

Endings cannot happen without beginnings.  With the ending comes the closing of one chapter. However, this also marks the beginning of a new one. For with the ending we are preparing the ground for the new seed, the origins, and the inspiration for the new chapter. As we are saying goodbye to one thing today, tomorrow we usher in the new beginning.

The end need not be all doom and gloom. The end is an opportunity to celebrate what we have had since the very beginning. Whatever it is that was started must have a fitting ending.

In the ending we are summing it all up.  These are the last steps. We have had our glorious chances and opportunities and are drawing to a close. This is it. It’s been a good innings! It was great while it lasted. Time is up! Time to go!

Start what you are going to finish and finish what you started. If you must start and end with a bang!

Start without much fuss. Finish and end gracefully.

Here is to new beginnings and happy endings! – BTM

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Posted by Bruce

Master, Captain, Commander!

May 25, 2009

You are the master, the captain and the commander. You determine where and how your ship will go. You have control over what you think, how you react.  With each thought and action you take, you are getting closer to the destination whether it’s one of choice or not.

Will you ride the tides, the challenges that life is throwing at you or will you drown beneath, will you give in and give up? Will you succumb?

Master the tides, the adversity you are facing,  command your ship, muster your courage and strength and sail through the rough waters.

Take charge of your ship.  Do not be a passenger where you are captain by birth. That is your birthright. No one can take it from you. No one can run your ship as if it were his own. If you abandon your ship it has no hope of arriving.

Even as the gale force winds of immense challenges blow fiercely yet you withstand the raging storm, you are rising above it all in your life. You use the powerful wind to set and maintain sail, you are using adversity in your favour. You are drawing strength when others are weak.

You are shaken from side to side, shuffled  up and down, stirred like a martini but not toppled, the ship continues to navigate the unpredictable waters of life. Remaining resolute towards your fixed destination, your ship will not be stopped by anything, not even the gigantic glaciers, the most terrible of circumstances which you sail through with courage.

With your trusted compass in hand, your values and your principles that even in the dead of the night, you know the direction and more importantly take it. In your ship you always know your bearings, your position on any given situation.

You will reach your destination of choice in the journey of life and not be shipwrecked to resignation, failure & desperation. You only drop the anchor of victory at the harbour of your choice destination. You study the stars and pick out The Great Bear, Orion the Hunter, you are getting there using the landmarks in life that have guided many others before you. Long after your journey is complete, many others will sail after you and marvel at those guidelines that you used. The same guides used by others to navigate the vast waters of always a unique journey.

How many knots you travel at in your ship, your speed and pace of doing things in life, is entirely up to you. You do well not to imitate another for you have no idea where on the seas he heads, how and why.  Not only do you want the ship to arrive in one piece, having made a good journey, a good life, you want to enjoy the trip as well.

You are constantly watching out from the signals of the Lighthouse tower, advice and rebukes from trusted friends and companions to keep you from troubled waters, the situations we do best to stay away from in life lest we crash into the rocks, the disasters that can suddenly end trips. The tower will  guide you in the fog,  those situations in life when everything is not so clear, you honk your horn as you pass others in the rough, you are asking others to help out, you need a sounding board.

There will smooth and calm seas of life when everything is going well, when life is like one long holiday. There will be crystal clear seas  and there will be murky waters when nothing in life is clear or straightforward at all.

With the speed you build up powerful momentum, energy to go through any sea, any challenges in life. You are ready for any situation on the sea, in the middle of nowhere in life you are prepared to give it a go. You are watchful for any change in the currents and the winds.

Singing “Yellow Submarine” you recall and recite words of encouragement, you do not feel the cold on a blistery wintery night, in the most depressing of circumstances. If you go down in the seas it’s certainly with a smile on your face. To the very end in life you will be grateful and positive.

When your ship goes down with it, when things take a turn for the worse you take it on the chin. You do not blame the sailors, the people in your life, You are ultimately in charge. You are after all the captain, the master, the commander, of your ship, our life in the high seas and tides and even the low seas and tides.

Sail on captain, master, commander! I salute you! – BTM

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Posted by Bruce

Wait patiently for the peaks!

May 25, 2009

You might need to attend to a number of things which at the time seem completely unrelated, different pieces of the same puzzle before the clear picture begins to immerge. Unless others own the pieces to your puzzle, the pieces mean nothing to them. They can have no idea of the beautiful picture the pieces combine to form. If only they knew.  Some might question why you torture yourself for so long when there is nothing to reap from your hard labour and commitment. But you know the plan which for now remains a secret. You know what lies ahead. What can be built without a plan, without the details and without a vision? The reality is the same thought taken our your head and given form and substance. Yet others cannot see beyond the present they grapple with.

Sometimes the results of your perseverance and determination will come only in glimpses, as suddenly as bolts of lightning that illuminate everything in the dark but very briefly.  At other times with the persistence of a drizzle in drips and drabs but enough to betray what lies ahead . We are starting to emerge from the trough. We are seeing the signs of encouragement and we need more of them. Like a treasure hunt where we are picking up vital clues and getting closer with each one to the all important prize. You cannot lay claim to the ultimate prize until and unless you have followed through on all the clues.

Wait patiently for the peaks. When they do some come ride them for as long as they last.  Do not be bitter on the wane. That is a time to build your strength again as you look to the next ascent. For what goes up must come down. Descend gracefully like a great champion. What comes down will rise again.

As your gradient and slope increases, which are a sign that we are now surely on the ascent, so will it be easier to slip and lose valuable ground. Proceed with caution but always forward. You are not yet there at the peak. You will know when you get there. Everything will click into place. It will become ever more difficult to climb. At some stage no matter how much you climb or move, you will not get any higher! You have reached the peak! Congratulations!

Your output will fluctuate sometimes even though you give the very best of yourself at all times. Just focus on doing a good job. The peaks which mark the culmination of your excellence, the determination and grittiness you have shown, all the hours put in, all the practice. While you were tilling and watering where no one knew there was any seed at all. But you knew better. You stayed true to the purpose and vision. Long before anyone had any idea of your vision, you were already pursuing it.  You waited patiently for the peaks. The peaks of your powers, concentration! Your prime! – BTM

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Posted by Bruce

Tap into people

May 25, 2009

 Look back over the years in your life, going back as far as you can remember. From the first syllables you put together until your words could be understood to the clear and articulate ideas you now propose today, there have been thousands of people in between. Where you stand today, could you have been there without other people?  Where you are going tomorrow, are you going to walk alone?

Think of all those people who have come into your life. Many have come and gone. Some have been a part of your life for a very long time and you are heavily indebted to them for their friendship, camaraderie, what you have learned and gained from interacting with them. Do not underestimate yourself. You are source of strength and inspiration to many though they will never come to thank you personally. You are parted ways with some people and there were lessons you took from that. You might not have liked the people but you sure do appreciate the lessons they have served you well.

Some of us prefer to work or be alone. Others favour having company around them whether at work or at home.  Those who prefer to work alone  will need to interface or interact with other people at some stage. This is often not out of choice but absolute necessity.  Those living a life of complete solitude impact on some with whom they will never speak.  Even if you work alone, someone is going to  be impacted by what to do in one way or another. Instead of working against the system, work with the system, use it to your advantage. Work with the people!

The mere presence of people is sometimes underestimated. We need people around us, in the form of friends, critics, confidants, mentors, coaches, role models, bosses, subordinates even rivals to mention but a few. Sometimes our biggest competitors will bring out the best in us. They will be push to our limits as we seek to be very best and in the process we will excel.  Some of the great sportsmen, achievers, inventors, role models  could not have gone so far in their pursuits without  rivals and adversaries to push to their limits, without people who doubted them and they worked hard to prove wrong, without people who believed them and inspired them to the very end. Whether people were working for , against or with them, they kept pushing.  These people had different items of their agendas but the result was consummate, brilliant and fulfilled persons? Could these great legacies have been secure without everyone else.  

Sometimes people will be the wind blowing in your sail, sometimes against it but whichever is the case, you will keep moving. Stick your wet finger in the air, see were the wind is blowing and plan appropriately. People will give you energy whether it’s positive energy uplifting you or negative energy capable of setting you back.  When something or someone  sets you back, gets you upset don’t dwell on it. There are people looking at you to be strong. Don’t let  them down.

Don’t lose sleep because of people. People will say and do things that you are going to happy about and that you going to be unhappy about. That is a fact of life. The sooner you get used to it the better.  When people are playing to your tune all the time, you got a problem! You are playing the wrong tune. When people are complaining about you all the time, you need a new tune.

People of like minds and goals will push each other to greater level, as iron sharpens iron. People opposing will bring new insights and ideas. Take time to know people, Take time to listen to people. Take time to understand people and then you can make the most of your interactions with people. We are living a life full of interactions with other people whether direct, indirect, personal and impersonal. What kind of meaning would have in our life without people. If we experienced the greatest of joy yet there were no people to share it with, how much it would be worth?  And if we sufferered great pain yet there was no one to console us, would our tears ever dry? 

Science is confirming what man has known since time immemorial that no one is an island. Our happiness is inherently linked to that of others. This is most evident within a nuclear family but still applies beyond such a familiar example to broader contexts such as work and life in general. Where people have cut themselves completely from the rest of  society the benefits are debatable.

The history of mankind is filled with luminaries, giants across the spheres of the arts, commerce, sciences and other walks of life. Yet even those without any mention are still significant. Everyone played their part.  

Tap into people. To into this energy and presence around you.  It’s all about the people. – BTM

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Posted by Bruce

Projects in progress

May 25, 2009

I will be publishing my first book between yearend (2009)  and May next year. The book will be entitled “The Motivational Journey”. Most of the material for the book has already been written. A poetry collection will also be published in 2010 or 2011. The poetry has already been written. However, I would prefer to release the motivational book before the poetry.  Definite timelines for the publications will be realeased in due course. I am very excited about this project. I have wanted to publish for several years but for one reason or another it was just not happening. After the poetry collection was turned down by some publishers years ago, I decided that this was one avenue I would rather not try again.  Time certainly brings new possibilities and realities!  I did not believe I could do it. Now the question I ask myself is why has it taken so long. 

After experimenting last week with recording at home, the way forward is to work in  a recording studio with the proper equipment. I need to get it right the first time!  Don’t we always? The challenges of background noise, static and quality of voice are just some of the issues I could not overcome on my own. I will update as soon as there is more progress on this. I should be getting in touch with a few studios shortly to make this vision a reality. The initial focus will be on the voice recordings and depending on how that goes, then we can move to the video recordings.

The last project will be the art project.  I won’t write much about this since I haven’t done any serious artwork in a year or so but I think about art a great deal. The canvas and paints are there. All I need to do now  is paint!

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Posted by Bruce

This point in time

May 21, 2009

This is my first voice upload. I have experienced great difficulty in uploading the file though in retrospect the process is quite simple.

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Voice recordings

May 21, 2009

I am currently working on the voice recordings. I have been looking forward to this stage of the project  For now it will be a few voice recordings.  At some stage in future then we can move to the video recordings on You Tube. I am hoping to overcome the technology challenges soon so that we can have something to post soon. – BTM

I have done a number of voice  recordings but theyall  sound flat and  lifeless.  This is not me! That’s probably because I am reading and recording at the same time. I will try something different this time. I will recite what I can remember from memory. I have a feeling it will have a lot more life then maybe I can upload that.

Recording without reading is definitely the way to go. I am forgetting quite a bit but I love the spontaneity of the whole process. When I forget, I quickly have to come up with something before the silence becomes too long. This is the route I will take. I will study what I want to write and recite from memory. I am close to uploadind. I will do a few more takes, hopefully there will be less mistakes.

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Posted by Bruce

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