We all need to have someone or several someones to bounce ideas off of. Having a team or contributors helps us gather information and make informed decisions rather than just maintaining in a vacuum.
Do you have collaborators or informal advisers?
My colleague, Peggy, and I meet face to face about once every two years at a late winter aviation trade show. While we do trade emails and talk on the phone throughout the year, it isn’t until we have this biennial lunch that we actually get to talk to one another in person. Our most recent conversation is the inspiration for this post.
“I’m buying lunch because I need to pick your brain,” Peggy told me as we walked toward the restaurant from her booth at the show. She had a particular employee communication concern she wanted to run by me and, since she is a “one-man-band” of a department at her company, she was relying on me, one of her many collaborators. Flattering, but also good exercise for me. In fact, I would question who got more out of it–I always learn something from my exchanges with Peggy.
Being a source of information–one source of many–is important to you as a networker because you get to both exercise your brain around your expertise and you get to help someone at the same time. It is important if you are the requester as it shows you know where to look and what to ask. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and don’t hold back answering questions if you are asked. Just remember to ask the question that has been asked.
Collaborators are good for both sides and one of the fun and substantive parts of networking.
Relentless
