Personal Networking: How to Make Your Connections Count

Networking has undergone a complete transformation. From a time when it had distatesful connotations with power-hungry megalomaniacs, who would develop social relationships to turn to their business advantage, it has become an essential but altruistic tool for those wishing to be the best they can be. Relationships are critical to success; so often, knowing the right person to ask is as valuable as knowing the answer yourself, if not more so. Being well-connected is the ultimate source of personal effectivess and advantage. And it's now a case of shared success - with what you can give being as important as what you get out of your networking success. So many networking books either focus on the social 'meeting people and making friends' or the overly formal 'influencing and connecting'  sides to networking. Personal Networking provides a straightforward approach to building and working within networks. It delivers a practical guide to creating the kind of network that you need, and becoming a natural and effective networked communicator.

Table of Contents:
Contents  Preface – Turn Personal Capital into Personal Success This book is the third in a trilogy of books that define how we need to be successful in the new world. Bye bye steady job, safe office and soft landing options, hello free agent working, free market operation, and open network business architecture. The three books deal with the critical success factors of Personal Leadership, Personal Value, and Personal Networking. Although you might act on one of these areas in isolation, only by tackling all three will you really optimize your personal capital in the market. The important point about the networking book is that doing 1 and 2 will lead to immediate success but only by taking what we know and do to market through a social network can we have to create synergistic success. Chapter 1 – Amplify your Personal Capital into Social Capital Chapter 2 – What me network? Everyone networks, but we don’t always realise it. Your network – just think about those people who you call when you need a hand with moving the furniture, writing a report or fixing up a blind date, these people are your network. The trick is to use the same process, but in this case to enhance the positing of your personal capital in the market. Specifically to not to just let it happen but to be conscious of the process. Networks network – think about the growth or mergers and acquisitions that run riot across industry. Although many of them seek to achieve cost reductions and economies of scale, a large element are designed to exploit the synergies of bringing diverse networks of people together. Chapter 3 - Networking as social capital Chapter 4 – Making your net-work The 6 factors that will help you to make your net-work are: Activate the abundance – Good networking is a process grounded in integrity, working within areas of shared interest where all players benefit. Build a bridge – You can easily categorize your different relationships in the form of a relationship bridge, to quickly gauge your level of interaction. This bridge will indicate the strength of the relationship s- ranging from inactive to interactive. Chart the connections – Take the time to explore the richness of your network. Your value will be more extensively realized when your network is mapped, measured and managed Dare to be Different – A key action within any networking process is stickiness. How can you keep to the front of your colleagues mind? Once way to do this is to help them understand how you are different form everyone else in their network. Entrust each other – the level of trust in your network is directly proportional to the quality and quantity of value that it will create. By creating a network link with someone, you are entrusting that persona with your brand, market value and personal reputation. This is not something to be given lightly. Fuel the flow – people will always be part of more than one network, so you need to seek to refresh and re-energize your network such that is stays attractive to others. Any system in this universe has a natural tendency to entropy, and networks need maintenance work! You fuel the flow not just to maintain the network but to maintain and grow the level and value of human connectivity. Chapter 5 – Activate abundance Chapter 6 – Build bridges Chapter 7 – Chart the connections Chapter 8 – Dare to be different Chapter 9 –Entrust others Chapter 10 - Fuel the flow

About the Author :
Mick Cope is founder of WizOz – a network based organisation that seeks to help people and businesses optimise their potential. WizOz offers a range of different products and services, all of which are based around the ideas outlined his books. More information on WizOz can be found on his web site www.wizoz.co.uk.   As an author he has published seven books; Leading the Organisation to Learn; Seven Cs of Consulting; Know your value? Value what you know; Lead Yourself , Float-You, Personal Networking, and 7Cs of Coaching. He has a number of goals in life, the simple one is to live a life of personal freedom where he is able to think, feel and behave according to his values and not succumb to the demands of others. The more challenging one is to help 1000 people achieve the same in their life. He would love any feedback on any concepts offered in this book. Contact him at mick@wizoz.co.uk

Review :
"...useful for people taking a fresh look at networking because it provides a solid framework for building mutually beneficial professional relationships" People Management, June 03