Motivate Your Networking This Year With Mentoring and A 30-Day Network Building Challenge
Happy New Year — and new networking.
I know, groan! it’s the start of the new year and the LAST thing you want to think about is networking. However, there is no better time to rethink your strategies to connect with clients, colleagues and customers than NOW — and heck, why not have some FUN with it too (hey, networking doesn’t have to always be serious informational interviews, meet & greets, and business lunches).
I took a look at some of the “days” celebrated in January — did you know these existed? — as these days could ignite atypical, humorous and delightfully enjoyable networking ideas:
✔️January 3 is 🍰 Fruitcake Toss Day.
✔️January 4 is 🍝 🍅 Spaghetti Sauce Day.
✔️Elvis’ Birthday is January 8 😎
Plus, there’s Handwriting Day and so many more “days” to inspire your networking in a month where you’d rather not think about it (but I’d strongly suggest you do) that I share in this episode of the Build Your Dream Networking podcast.
January is also national mentoring month. Yes, mentoring falls into the Build Your Dream Network definition of networking.
In his up-the-corporate-ladder internal network building expert interview, Joe Styler shares (at page 76):
Being prepared to seek help and mentoring from others within the company, as well as investing in my own professional development, has been invaluable not only for advancing my career but also in how I get my job done day-to-day. I have advocates across the company in various departments and function areas. I have numerous trusted relationships and mentors I can seek advice from.
Then there is Devon Brooks, who used her experience as a founder to mentor other startup founders as a way to activate a career ambition: landing on a corporate board. From page 116 of Build Your Dream Network:
Devon took her startup founder’s experience — along with her ability to innovate industry standards, build scalable operating systems, and create a world-class corporate culture — and started mentoring other startup founders. She also started to plan and set her next professional goal in motion: a board seat on a prominent, national organization.
The Build Your Dream Network networking takeaway: amp-up your mentoring in January to activate your career long-term professional goals and intermediate career ambitions.
More ideas on the podcast — take 10 minutes to inspire your networking in January — and take my 30-day network building challenge! The what and how of doing ONE THING every day to build a stronger, more vibrant network in 2020 is on the podcast.
And before your New Year’s resolutions stagnate or you decide to ditch them, celebrate each step contributing to your successes (and remember you have 365 days to achieve your goals this year).
