It s a shame I've been sitting on this book for about two years now. A friend of mine gave me Never Eat Alone , by Keith Ferrazzi a couple years ago (thanks Rey), and it s been on my bookcase ever since. It was resting there not because I didn't want to read it, but because I already had so many others in the pipeline. I finally got around to reading it last month and I definitely recommend it. In very simple terms, Ferrazzi explains why networking is important and how to do it. From how to make call lists to planning dinners to personal branding to goal setting, it s all here. He also maintains a valuable blog .
Inevitably there will be times when you have setbacks or things don t go your way. Maybe you didn't get a job you thought you were sure to get. Maybe you lost a job unexpectedly, didn't win a contract, or lost a major client. Your car always seems to break down right after you've had some other unexpected expense. These kinds of situations immediately place us in crisis. They don t feel good, but sometimes they re what we need in order to grow. The beautiful thing about crises is that they force us to take a step back and reevaluate what s going on in our lives and rediscover what we truly want and need. When we get over that initial shock and feeling of disappointment, we might realize that maybe that job wasn't really the best for us anyway. Maybe, just maybe, that wasn't what you really wanted to spend your life doing. Maybe that friend was holding you back instead of pushing you forward. The way I deal with crises of these sorts is simple: If something doesn't go my way professionally, I try to create a situation that would be more rewarding than the situation originally planned. A while ago, I was offered a job that looked very promising. After I accepted the offer, they pushed the start date back three times, later informing me (via e-mail) that they wanted to bring me on in the near future but I should feel free to explore other options. I was extremely disappointed. I felt disrespected and angry, but decided to make the best of the situation and follow my dream of working internationally. I then flew to Santiago, Chile and had great professional and personal experiences I wouldn't have had otherwise. Later, reflecting back on the original opportunity, I realized that working for a company that avoids a start date three times and then can t pick up the phone to explain the situation is probably not where I need to spend my time. Use setbacks as an opportunity to put your goals in order and act on them. In the moment, it s difficult to look at a setback as temporary, but they are. They happen to everybody. It s how you respond to them that will determine how they affect you.
Feedback, Feedback, Feedback. Feedback is likely the most important component in the communications loop. It’s the thing that’s necessary to gauge the impact we are making in each individual as well as the community at large. It lets us know exactly what we are doing right and what we are doing wrong. Negative feedback, when constructive, is probably the most valuable of all feedback because it gives us a chance to improve, exceed expectations, and show who how well we respond to concerns. Most people just want to know they are being listened to. Are we listening?
We need to make sure we have a system that allows and encourages easy internal and external feedback in both our work and personal lives. For some reason, the standard communication model almost completely ignores the recipient of the message. Real communication never ends when the receipient receives the message. We don’t communicate at people. We communicate with people. In business, it’s especially important to implement feedback into the research and development of services and products. With social media and new forms of communication, your customers can and will tell you exactly what they want, and quickly. This allows us to significantly streamline the development process and introduce quality products and services to market faster than ever.
We always want people to listen to us. It’s equally if not more important for us to listen to them.
