1 00:00:03,400 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,280 --> 00:00:15,240 Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:16,520 --> 00:00:22,680 Speaker 1: Today's tip is to think connection, not networking. When you 4 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:26,480 Speaker 1: have a broad and diverse group of people who like you, 5 00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:30,680 Speaker 1: you can accomplish your professional goals. You can achieve those 6 00:00:30,720 --> 00:00:35,800 Speaker 1: broad and diverse connections simply by being a helpful, kind, 7 00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:40,479 Speaker 1: and engaging human being. That feels a lot better than 8 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:46,080 Speaker 1: handing out business cards and trading favors. Today's tip, like 9 00:00:46,159 --> 00:00:49,880 Speaker 1: some others this week, comes from Ashley Stall's book You Turn, 10 00:00:50,720 --> 00:00:55,280 Speaker 1: Get Unstuck, Discover your Direction, and design your dream career. 11 00:00:56,600 --> 00:00:59,560 Speaker 1: Ashley is a career coach who helps people figure out 12 00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:02,920 Speaker 1: what they want to be doing in life. In her book, 13 00:01:02,960 --> 00:01:06,039 Speaker 1: she details some of her time in Washington when she 14 00:01:06,160 --> 00:01:10,200 Speaker 1: was working for the Pentagon in counter terrorism. When she 15 00:01:10,319 --> 00:01:12,759 Speaker 1: was freshly in d C. Trying to get to know people, 16 00:01:13,280 --> 00:01:17,360 Speaker 1: she went to networking events as one does, but it 17 00:01:17,360 --> 00:01:20,320 Speaker 1: turns out that one of the most interesting and useful 18 00:01:20,360 --> 00:01:24,319 Speaker 1: connections she made was a cab driver. He hadn't even 19 00:01:24,400 --> 00:01:27,800 Speaker 1: been her driver. What happened is that she had been 20 00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:31,120 Speaker 1: talking with a homeless man in a metro station and 21 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:34,080 Speaker 1: giving him a granola bar, and he mentioned that he 22 00:01:34,120 --> 00:01:36,400 Speaker 1: knew someone who drove a cab and was often in 23 00:01:36,440 --> 00:01:38,440 Speaker 1: line at the place where she was going to a 24 00:01:38,480 --> 00:01:41,920 Speaker 1: particular event. She went and said hello to that driver 25 00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:44,240 Speaker 1: and mentioned that she talked with his friend who had 26 00:01:44,240 --> 00:01:47,800 Speaker 1: been at the station. After a while with her going 27 00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:50,000 Speaker 1: in and out of the event to talk with the driver, 28 00:01:50,320 --> 00:01:52,559 Speaker 1: who seemed a little bit more interesting than the suits 29 00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:55,200 Speaker 1: at the event. He mentioned that he sometimes drove for 30 00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:58,080 Speaker 1: some people at the White House and could help Ashley 31 00:01:58,120 --> 00:02:02,560 Speaker 1: get a meeting with them. Not bad right now. I 32 00:02:02,600 --> 00:02:05,240 Speaker 1: am not saying that this is what always happens in life, 33 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:09,200 Speaker 1: and in fact it usually doesn't. But in general, connection 34 00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:13,040 Speaker 1: is a good thing. And connection is so much better 35 00:02:13,639 --> 00:02:17,040 Speaker 1: than trying to evaluate who is useful and who is 36 00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:20,600 Speaker 1: it and only talking with the people who seem immediately 37 00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:23,680 Speaker 1: useful and then hitting them up for favors when you 38 00:02:23,760 --> 00:02:28,760 Speaker 1: don't really know them. So instead of networking, I think connection, 39 00:02:29,800 --> 00:02:33,160 Speaker 1: and then make sure you are connecting with lots of people. 40 00:02:34,320 --> 00:02:36,840 Speaker 1: The upside of this mindset is that it makes any 41 00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:41,360 Speaker 1: conversation useful, at least on some level, and I mean 42 00:02:41,800 --> 00:02:45,800 Speaker 1: with anyone the postal clerk. You get to know every 43 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:48,480 Speaker 1: time you bring in samples to mail to potential clients, 44 00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:52,200 Speaker 1: the people in your running group, the lady who is 45 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:54,600 Speaker 1: always out on her porch two blocks away from your house, 46 00:02:55,639 --> 00:02:58,760 Speaker 1: people at your house of worship, or the other parents 47 00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:00,520 Speaker 1: who are always there when you bring your kids to 48 00:03:00,600 --> 00:03:04,360 Speaker 1: dance class. Now, I am not saying don't bother with 49 00:03:04,400 --> 00:03:10,000 Speaker 1: professional networking events. Your hit rate for immediately valuable professional 50 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:13,760 Speaker 1: opportunities is obviously going to be higher at an event 51 00:03:13,800 --> 00:03:16,840 Speaker 1: that is for your industry and involves people who have 52 00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:20,320 Speaker 1: the ability to make decisions. Of course you should go 53 00:03:20,360 --> 00:03:24,760 Speaker 1: to those, but again, go with the goal of connection, 54 00:03:25,720 --> 00:03:30,840 Speaker 1: not networking. Get to know people, make friends, even if 55 00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:33,440 Speaker 1: it doesn't lead to anything professionally. You will have really 56 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:36,160 Speaker 1: cool people to hang out with at the next networking event. 57 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:41,280 Speaker 1: And that is fun too. And it also happens that 58 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:44,400 Speaker 1: we often need different things in life, and it is 59 00:03:44,440 --> 00:03:47,880 Speaker 1: the randomness of knowing lots of different people that can 60 00:03:47,920 --> 00:03:51,440 Speaker 1: help there, including the random people that the people you 61 00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:55,440 Speaker 1: know happen to know. I was reminded of this recently 62 00:03:55,440 --> 00:03:57,960 Speaker 1: while reading a blog post by Kristen Over at The 63 00:03:57,960 --> 00:04:01,119 Speaker 1: Frugal Girl. She had been living with her parents after 64 00:04:01,160 --> 00:04:04,040 Speaker 1: a personal crisis and she wanted to find her own 65 00:04:04,080 --> 00:04:08,200 Speaker 1: place where she and her girls could live. Multiple places 66 00:04:08,240 --> 00:04:11,440 Speaker 1: fell through, and since she is self employed, the approval 67 00:04:11,480 --> 00:04:15,240 Speaker 1: process was always harder. Then in the midst of this, 68 00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:18,479 Speaker 1: her mom went to her Bible study and shared what 69 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:21,480 Speaker 1: Kristen was going through. One of the women in the 70 00:04:21,520 --> 00:04:24,880 Speaker 1: group informed her that her son's tenants had just informed 71 00:04:24,960 --> 00:04:27,360 Speaker 1: him that they were moving out in a few weeks. 72 00:04:28,520 --> 00:04:31,440 Speaker 1: Kristen applied before the home was even listed for rent 73 00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:36,760 Speaker 1: and was approved to move in. All sorts of connections matter. 74 00:04:37,720 --> 00:04:41,919 Speaker 1: The more you have, the better, So instead of networking, 75 00:04:42,520 --> 00:04:46,599 Speaker 1: I think connection. You'll connect with more and different people 76 00:04:47,360 --> 00:04:52,000 Speaker 1: and probably enjoy the process more too. In the meantime, 77 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:57,200 Speaker 1: this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making 78 00:04:57,240 --> 00:05:07,240 Speaker 1: the most of our time. M Hey, everybody, I'd love 79 00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:09,480 Speaker 1: to hear from you. You can send me your tips, 80 00:05:09,560 --> 00:05:13,240 Speaker 1: your questions, or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, 81 00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:19,080 Speaker 1: Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod that's b the 82 00:05:19,200 --> 00:05:23,400 Speaker 1: number four, then Breakfast p o D. You can also 83 00:05:23,440 --> 00:05:26,800 Speaker 1: shoot me an email at Before Breakfast Podcast at i 84 00:05:26,920 --> 00:05:29,920 Speaker 1: heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled out 85 00:05:29,960 --> 00:05:32,400 Speaker 1: with all the letters. Thanks so much, should I look 86 00:05:32,440 --> 00:05:40,800 Speaker 1: forward to staying in touch? Before Breakfast is a production 87 00:05:40,839 --> 00:05:44,239 Speaker 1: of I heart Radio. 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