Five ways to build meaningful associations with these groups:
- Be honest with yourself and with others, and own up to your mistakes. We’ve all seen too many examples lately where leaders lie, cover up and then lose all credibility. Leadership development author John Baldoni offers a helpful nugget for handling these situations: “Demonstrate through words and passion that you have done what you think is best. At the same time, do not be defensive. Act with honest confidence, even when you admit mistakes.”
- Be generous with your time. Don’t get caught in the trap of thinking you’re too busy to meet people for coffee, chat for a few minutes after a meeting or take in the occasional networking event. People want affiliation, so be the one who gives it to them.
- Take some advice from Tony Schwartz, president of the Energy Project, and view the world through “a reverse lens.” Of course, we want to get the sales report to the boss as soon as we can; yet when a colleague drops in unexpectedly, think of it as an opportunity to engage and influence rather than as an interruption.
- Champion and/or adopt others’ ideas. Being open-minded and practicing reciprocity belong on every leader’s playlist. If you want people to play in your sandbox, you must play in theirs from time to time.
- Be an information and connection broker. Share information (what you can), introduce people, make recommendations, pass along the names of articles and books, etc. Being viewed as a subject matter expert or the “go-to” person for ideas boost both personal and professional connections.
Read the entire article at http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2011/06/21/you-dont-have-to-be-a-ceo-to-connect/
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