WEBVTT - Treat your network like a garden

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is to treat your network like a garden. If

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<v Speaker 1>you've got blooming plants in your yard, you know that

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<v Speaker 1>you generally can't just plant a garden and forget it

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<v Speaker 1>and trust the garden will be amazing anytime you visit.

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<v Speaker 1>Tending a garden is an ongoing project, but if you

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<v Speaker 1>do tend regularly, you can create something that is pretty amazing.

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<v Speaker 1>So I have been thinking of this topic lately as

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<v Speaker 1>my yard has been blooming. I love watching all of

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<v Speaker 1>the flowering trees bloom and sequence through spring, everything from

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<v Speaker 1>hell to roses show their colors. I also know that

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<v Speaker 1>all of this beauty is nothing close to an accident.

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<v Speaker 1>We have spent a lot of time and effort planting

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<v Speaker 1>things and pruning and waiting and hacking back vines and

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<v Speaker 1>helping a long anything that doesn't seem to get enough

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<v Speaker 1>rain or that might get nibbled on by deer. There

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<v Speaker 1>is a close analogy here to having a thriving professional network.

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<v Speaker 1>It is easy, in the busy seasons of life to

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<v Speaker 1>just ignore all this. Who has time to go to

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<v Speaker 1>that conference, or to reach out to former colleagues, or

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<v Speaker 1>to send that extra email checking in with someone, or

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<v Speaker 1>to do a favor for someone that requires a few

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<v Speaker 1>uncertain steps. While it is great to have a network,

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<v Speaker 1>at least in theory, you may be telling yourself that

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<v Speaker 1>you will do all this when this busy season of

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<v Speaker 1>life passes. But it turns out that years can pass

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<v Speaker 1>without the busyness letting up, and then all of a

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<v Speaker 1>sudden something happens. You need to fill a vital position

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<v Speaker 1>on your team, or maybe you yourself are suddenly looking

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<v Speaker 1>for a new job. You are scrambling to reach out

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<v Speaker 1>to people who haven't heard from you in ages. It's

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<v Speaker 1>better to be intentional about all of this watering and pruning.

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<v Speaker 1>I think the best approach is to truly make it

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<v Speaker 1>a habit. Every single workday, do something to tend to

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<v Speaker 1>your network. Put it on your daily to do list,

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<v Speaker 1>and cross it off at the end of the week.

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<v Speaker 1>Look at what you've done. You can plan things in

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<v Speaker 1>and you can make a note of whatever comes up

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<v Speaker 1>that you do. This doesn't have to be complicated, but

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<v Speaker 1>don't let yourself off the hook too easy. Either. Liking

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<v Speaker 1>something on social media isn't really building a network, but

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<v Speaker 1>a well placed comment or direct message to someone about

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<v Speaker 1>something they posted just might be. If you will be

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<v Speaker 1>attending an industry event in the near future, reach out

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<v Speaker 1>to people to see if they will be attending as well.

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<v Speaker 1>If they do, plan to say hello in person. Do

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<v Speaker 1>favors whenever you can. If someone asks for your advice

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<v Speaker 1>on something, give it and offer to find other resources

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<v Speaker 1>as you think of them. Introduce people to each other.

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<v Speaker 1>That is often a great way to make lots of

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<v Speaker 1>people happier. Help a colleague figure out the right person

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<v Speaker 1>to talk with about something. Send an article to some

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<v Speaker 1>one if you see a mutual friend mentioned, or if

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<v Speaker 1>you read something you think the person might find of interest.

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<v Speaker 1>You might also try something more elaborate. One of the

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<v Speaker 1>wonderful things about being in the content business is that

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<v Speaker 1>I have been able to interview all sorts of wonderful

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<v Speaker 1>people for articles and books and podcasts over the years.

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<v Speaker 1>Many times we stay in touch. Maybe you could write

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<v Speaker 1>an interview series for your company blog or for an

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<v Speaker 1>industry newsletter. Maybe you would like to start a podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe you could organize a panel for a conference, or

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<v Speaker 1>even for a company brown bag lunch. Series, and then

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<v Speaker 1>you would have a reason to reach out to people

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<v Speaker 1>you would like to get to know better. The good

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<v Speaker 1>news is that all of this adds up. One action

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<v Speaker 1>per workday is over two hundred per year. If you

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<v Speaker 1>plant two hundred plants, you're going to have a pretty

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<v Speaker 1>nice garden. And if they are perennials and you keep

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<v Speaker 1>planting two hundred plants a year, all this bounty will

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<v Speaker 1>soon be almost overwhelming. Well, probably not really overwhelming, because

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<v Speaker 1>obviously not all of your network tending will lead to anything,

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<v Speaker 1>but it is rarely a bad thing to talk to

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<v Speaker 1>other people and to have other people know your name.

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<v Speaker 1>Not all the plants in a garden workout, Deer eat some,

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<v Speaker 1>and others just don't thrive. But very few gardens just happen.

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<v Speaker 1>They require ongoing effort to enjoy the beauty, so what

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<v Speaker 1>it is all worth it in the end. It's the

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<v Speaker 1>same thing with tending your network. There is no set

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<v Speaker 1>it and forget it, but the process can be pretty

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<v Speaker 1>enriching too. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening,

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<v Speaker 1>and here's to making the most of our times. Thanks

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<v Speaker 1>for listening to before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas

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<v Speaker 1>or feedback. You can reach me at Laura at Laura

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<v Speaker 1>vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia.

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<v Speaker 1>For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app,

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