Treat your network like a garden

Make it a habit to check in with your connections.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,
This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is to treat your network like a garden. If
you've got blooming plants in your yard, you know that

(00:26):
you generally can't just plant a garden and forget it
and trust the garden will be amazing anytime you visit.
Tending a garden is an ongoing project, but if you
do tend regularly, you can create something that is pretty amazing.

(00:48):
So I have been thinking of this topic lately as
my yard has been blooming. I love watching all of
the flowering trees bloom and sequence through spring, everything from
hell to roses show their colors. I also know that
all of this beauty is nothing close to an accident.

(01:09):
We have spent a lot of time and effort planting
things and pruning and waiting and hacking back vines and
helping a long anything that doesn't seem to get enough
rain or that might get nibbled on by deer. There
is a close analogy here to having a thriving professional network.

(01:32):
It is easy, in the busy seasons of life to
just ignore all this. Who has time to go to
that conference, or to reach out to former colleagues, or
to send that extra email checking in with someone, or
to do a favor for someone that requires a few
uncertain steps. While it is great to have a network,

(01:55):
at least in theory, you may be telling yourself that
you will do all this when this busy season of
life passes. But it turns out that years can pass
without the busyness letting up, and then all of a
sudden something happens. You need to fill a vital position

(02:18):
on your team, or maybe you yourself are suddenly looking
for a new job. You are scrambling to reach out
to people who haven't heard from you in ages. It's
better to be intentional about all of this watering and pruning.
I think the best approach is to truly make it

(02:40):
a habit. Every single workday, do something to tend to
your network. Put it on your daily to do list,
and cross it off at the end of the week.
Look at what you've done. You can plan things in
and you can make a note of whatever comes up

(03:02):
that you do. This doesn't have to be complicated, but
don't let yourself off the hook too easy. Either. Liking
something on social media isn't really building a network, but
a well placed comment or direct message to someone about
something they posted just might be. If you will be

(03:26):
attending an industry event in the near future, reach out
to people to see if they will be attending as well.
If they do, plan to say hello in person. Do
favors whenever you can. If someone asks for your advice
on something, give it and offer to find other resources

(03:50):
as you think of them. Introduce people to each other.
That is often a great way to make lots of
people happier. Help a colleague figure out the right person
to talk with about something. Send an article to some
one if you see a mutual friend mentioned, or if
you read something you think the person might find of interest.

(04:14):
You might also try something more elaborate. One of the
wonderful things about being in the content business is that
I have been able to interview all sorts of wonderful
people for articles and books and podcasts over the years.
Many times we stay in touch. Maybe you could write

(04:34):
an interview series for your company blog or for an
industry newsletter. Maybe you would like to start a podcast.
Maybe you could organize a panel for a conference, or
even for a company brown bag lunch. Series, and then
you would have a reason to reach out to people
you would like to get to know better. The good

(04:55):
news is that all of this adds up. One action
per workday is over two hundred per year. If you
plant two hundred plants, you're going to have a pretty
nice garden. And if they are perennials and you keep
planting two hundred plants a year, all this bounty will
soon be almost overwhelming. Well, probably not really overwhelming, because

(05:21):
obviously not all of your network tending will lead to anything,
but it is rarely a bad thing to talk to
other people and to have other people know your name.
Not all the plants in a garden workout, Deer eat some,
and others just don't thrive. But very few gardens just happen.

(05:44):
They require ongoing effort to enjoy the beauty, so what
it is all worth it in the end. It's the
same thing with tending your network. There is no set
it and forget it, but the process can be pretty
enriching too. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening,

(06:12):
and here's to making the most of our times. Thanks
for listening to before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas
or feedback. You can reach me at Laura at Laura
vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia.

(06:40):
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