5 Ways to Strengthen Your Network

Tuesday, July 3, 2007 at 01:24pm by David Askaripour in Operations

Don’t we just love our networks… all of our business contacts, our friends, and acquaintances. Our networks are great, but we need to make sure that we nourish and maintain our networks, or they’ll wither away. Here are a few ways to keep your networks intact and healthy.

1. Make Connections:

   Connect people with other people who are inside of your network. When you combine people and they go off to work together or help one another out, that’s a great way to expand your network and also increase your value as a connector, a linchpin that knows how to connect the right people with the right people. That’s what leaders do.

2. Educate:

   If you just read an awesome article on jiu-jitsu and someone in your network absolutely loves practicing jiu-jitsu, direct them to that article — or if you read it online, send them a link. Feed your network with information whenever you can.

3. Give honest advice:

   Always give direct and honest advice to anyone in your network. Never be scared to give your honest insight into something. Be real with everyone in your network and they will love you for that. They know that they will be able to count on you for your helpful and critical feedback.

4. Bring more people in:

   Attend events and gatherings to meet new people. Get to know them and understand how they can bring value to your network and also your organization. When you actively work at expanding your network with new minds, your entire network benefits. Synergy. And guess what? You’re the one who was behind it all.

5. Keep in contact:

   If you fall of the face of the Earth and don’t maintain communication between you and your network, your ties will become weak and your value to the network will diminish. Make sure to send out emails or pick up the phone to remain in the loop of things and what’s going on in your network.

The more you work at your network, the more powerful you will become as an entrepreneur, as a connector, and as someone who is in the know of everything that’s going on. It takes work to maintain a network, but it’ll pay off big time.

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