How much time do you invest in your relationships every week? How often do you reach out to people in your network without asking for anything?
Just a guess: You could do it more often. And the people you know would thank you for it and appreciate you a lot more.
A great way is through…
POWERFUL CONVERSATIONS
A meaningful conversation means you’re focused on the conversation and nothing else. Take away most chances for distractions and…
Turn your phone on airplane mode for 25 minutes. Spend time with a friend, client, business connection, mentor, mentee WITHOUT any distractions. No push notifications, no email announcement bells or anything else. This could be in person or on the phone; if it’s on the phone shut off your computer (link to my blog post – respect). Then… And this is important…
Don’t just “spend time with them”. Spend time LISTENING to them. Ask more about THEM than you talk about yourself. The key here is asking them what they’re passionate about directly asking “What are you most passionate about right now?” or discovering what they’re passionate about indirectly by asking things like “What is your favorite project you’re working on these days and why do you love it?”
Once they start sharing Idea Climb with them; keep the conversation going by jumping from passion point to passion point. Keep the energy up! Ask them what challenges they’re facing and “What’s Next?” What opportunities would they like to create that haven’t happened yet?
Don’t advise or lecture at this point; just listen.
“The most powerful conversations are spent talking about the other person’s passions in life.
Those are conversations you BOTH can learn and grow from.”
Connect them to someone who shares their passion. Now it’s time to talk – but keep with the don’t advise or lecture theme. Make an introduction to someone who can help them with advice, support or connections to solve a problem or create opportunities for that project they’re working on or want to kick off.
See how this all comes together? If you don’t LISTEN you don’t know who to offer to connect them to. Here’s…
A CHALLENGE AND WHY IT ALL COMES BACK TO YOU
Great ideas are useless without a call to action (followed up with action) – so here’s yours:
Spend 25 minutes a day (during the business week) having powerful conversations (using the three stages above) for three months. That’s more than enough time for a conversation because you’re keeping it all about them.
Watch what happens. YOU will get results, grow your career and build your business by connecting OTHER people.
The only way you can connect that person you’re talking to someone new is for YOU to reach out to someone new or reconnect with someone in your network. This means at the end of three months you will have created 120 connections or reconnections (two people day, five days a week for 12 weeks). Give or take; and that’s a heck of a lot of progress even if you miss a day or connect the same person a couple of times.
Who will YOU connect with today for a powerful conversation?
