Building mutually beneficial partnerships is about getting to know others and sharing, building trust, exchanging ideas, and then helping each other achieve goals.

One way to build partnerships is to talk to individuals you have never met before. In order to get comfortable with this, you can:

1) Partner up with a buddy to increase comfort levels

2) Use questions to build on understanding such as

– what do you love most about what you do?

– what’s been the toughest challenge you have faced in the past year?

– who do you find inspiring in your field?

3) Cultivate a curiosity about others

4)Practice speaking with new people inside and outside of your normal circle at your organization
Another way to build partnerships would be to turn contacts into allys. A few ways to do this would be by:

1) Helping the contact remember details about you

2) Lead with generosity by focusing on how you can help them

3) Remember and express gratitude to the people who connect you to others

Happy Connecting!

The Golden Circle Concept – you may or may not have heard of it.

The concept originates from acclaimed author Simon Sinek who tells us to think about the importance of operating and starting from the “why” and not “how”.

In the below video, Simon elaborates on this concept using Apple as an example:

Try to apply the Golden Circle Concept to your career, especially if you are having trouble figuring out where you would like to explore next. This concept can help you see what types of jobs or functions achieve your “why.” This could lead you to meet new people and opportunities.

Starting with the “why” can help you see the “what” in a brand new light.

There are some people who love to network (and meet new people) while others view it as a necessary evil.

When you are at a networking event it is important to not enter with an agenda, as you never know who you are going to meet. This is extremely important as you do not want to limit yourself; you never know who is in the network of the person you are meeting with (and who in turn they can connect you with). The best strategy is to enter the event with the hope of developing as many genuine relationships as possible -you never know where they will lead. The number of people you talk to doesn’t matter, the depth of your conversation matters – this can then turn into a meaningful business relationship. Always try to connect on a human level with the person you are networking with – so that you can have a vested interest in one another.

After attending a networking event, be sure to follow up with a thank you. Remember that a hand written thank you is always a nice touch as it shows genuineness and effort. Continue to follow up and develop the relationship by getting to know the person better, whether it is asking that person’s thoughts on an article or asking how you can assist them.

Be sure to continue to cultivate the relationship. This can be done in many ways. One example is to offer to connect that person with a contact of yours. This shows that you can add value to the relationship. The wider your network, the more you can connect people. You never know when you will be able to help someone or they will be able to help you.

Networking doesn’t have to be scary- you just need to be open to meeting new people and cultivating those relationships.

Here are some more links to some great articles on networking:

Business Insider 

Forbes