Inspired Action For Imperfect Humans – S2EP12: “Oops… I Fell Asleep On My Network”
“Oops… I Fell Asleep On My Network” Brief Summary of Show:
In this episode learn to take inspired action as we ask the questions, “How do we reconnect with our network, when we are out of practice with connecting with others?” Host Kyle Kalloo tells a story about how he fell asleep on his network, and some tips on staying connected even when you don’t feel like it.
Calls to Action:
Tell us your “inspired stories” stories by visiting www.InspiredActionPodcast.ca
Christopher Lawrence LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/career-life-coach-christopher-lawrence/
Kyle Kalloo LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-kalloo/
Change My Life Coaching & Strategic Leader LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/6446498/admin/
Change My Life Coaching: https://changemylifecoaching.ca
Strategic Leader: https://strategicleader.ca
Resources:
https://review42.com/resources/networking-statistics/
“Oops… I Fell Asleep On My Network” Transcript:
So why we were so successful in our network is we did that work. We helped others see how that is valuable. And then in turn, they want to help us.
Is the thought of being imperfect keeping you from taking action? Welcome to Inspired Action for Imperfect Humans. Each week, we give you real life stories and thought provoking research that inspires your soul to live a more fulfilled life through your own actions. From the heart of Calgary, Canada, here are your hosts, award winning coaches Christopher Lawrence and Kyle Kalloo.
Hello everyone. Welcome to another exciting week. I am really, really, really really excited about this week’s podcast. Christopher. I know you want to know why.
You know what Kyle, I’m barely gonna talk through this because you give me crap all of the time.
From a previous week, I’m just, I want to come out today. I want to come out.
Listen, can we talk about that in a second?
I need you to speed this up. We’re running out of time.
He just had to say it. Guys, he just had to say it because I’m like, this is my week’s podcast, so I want, I want to come out, um, because, oops, I fell asleep on my networking. I fell asleep on my networking and that happens to so many people in personal, in their personal lives, as well as their business, as well as their leadership, as well as their team, we fall asleep. And I did. And let me tell you what let me tell you what, what happened. Okay. So I was with a networking group and I was with this net group for a long time, very successful networking group. And I’m gonna to tell you why it was so successful in a second, but I was with this networking group for a long time. So many things were habitual about it and we did it. We saw what we needed to do. And I did the thing that people will tell you not to do in in the workforce where they say don’t quit your job before you get another job. I know some people are old school that way, thinking that. Now I think of the new day and age, oh no, if it’s not working, we’re going to quit, right? And I did something quite similar. I actually left my networking, my professional networking group without having another networking group set up or organized, or even a strategy to keep networking going. You know, I’m a big fan of networking. You know, I enjoy networking. I, we see the results, the things that we’ve done in our business has grown because of our networking our social circles have grown because of networking. And so when I was a part of these networking groups like maybe some of our listeners today, we saw growth not only personally in ourself but we saw growth financially in our businesses as well. Right?
I think most people actually dislike networking. I can tell you with my clients we just calculated our numbers, I have over 7,000 coaching hours. And I can tell you that every time I bring up networking with my clients, they’re like
Why do people feel, why, why are they feeling that way?
Well because it feels like work. But I think that people don’t understand what the purpose of, like, I don’t think they understand how to like, they they all think it’s like schmoozing, kissing babies and trying to bid for attention and affection and trying to get something from the person they’re networking with. But you and I both being award-winning networkers, we know that that’s actually not what networking is for.
Right. And that is true. But here’s the thing you have to keep in mind as well is there’s a few people, like most things, ruined it for the rest of us, right? Because they did exactly that. And people are, people experiencing that right now in this day and age of this pandemic of everything being online, the amount of requests mean you and I both know, we look at our LinkedIn requests all the time, our inboxes, emails.
I get five requests a day, who’s, somebody’s, I get five requests a day, and their tagline is always I help coaches, something about six or seven figures or move their programs to online. I appreciate that we’re all just out there trying to get their stuff but there’s more noise than real connections happening. Everybody’s fishing, trying to catch something. But what they’re not doing is, is casting a net saying, how can I help?
Not only that, they, I was just going to say to you some of them are saying that, but where it actually changes, is they’re not genuine. Cause as soon as you think, okay, maybe this guy can help me and you get on the phone with them, the sell starts and I’ve just thought, oh, I thought you could help. Like, but doesn’t sound like you’re helping, if you’re trying to sell me something, right? Or they fake you up by saying, tell me more about this. What are you doing about this? Right. So they’re not really being genuine on it. And I think that’s what I’m saying is I think why some of your clients may, uh, and mine too, that don’t like the networking is because of what they’ve experienced. And here’s the thing, I want to help people do better with their networking. Here’s how I think, Christopher, and I know you’ll agree with this, how we were able to be successful networkers. Only because –
Wait, can you go back a second here? Cause I want to hear this oops part,
Well –
Cause that impacts me, so I want you to come out to the rest of the world about how you screwed up.
It’s not oops, I screwed up. It’s oops, you know, I fell asleep on doing the things that I know worked. And what I want to talk about is when we were, which is where I was getting to, but because he’s so impatient, I couldn’t even get to the story, cause he wanted to know the story. Now, what I’m going to lead to is the oops part is why we were so successful in networking because we were with a group of people who actually did the networking. They did the work and the networking work is truly about how am I going to help you? How do I actually find opportunities and get more, like really, you know we heard of servant leaders all the time. How do you serve your team? And all these other stuff, in the networking you truly have to genuinely want to help this other person. And sometimes they want to be connected with someone. Sometimes it’s they want information, sometimes it’s about how you can actually support them, validate them. So it’s, there’s a lot of different things that’s happening. It’s not always transactional money, money, money. Yes, that plays a role. But it’s, think about what a network is. It’s that connection. It’s that involvement. It’s that support. It’s that something you can count on. So why we were so successful in our network is we did that work. We helped others see how that is valuable. And then, in turn they want to help us, right? It really is about, because, think about that. If you have someone in your, in your inner circle in your network, who’s always saying, Christopher, let me help you with this. Hey, I made this happen for you. Hey, I want to connect you with this. Hey, I got this for you. After a while, you’re just like, shoot, I need to find a way to help this guy. Right? And it just becomes so organic that they just feel they want to help. So what I’m saying is what, when I fell asleep on that and I really want to disclose that to, um, people, is I stopped actually doing that. I actually stopped. I stopped finding ways to help someone else, right? In their business and their life of things where I could say, listen I don’t know what you need, but let’s have a conversation. I don’t go into it with like seven people I can refer them to. I go into it by saying let me truly understand what’s happening for you. Where do you want to go from, where are you at right now? Where do you want to go? And so from my perspective, it’s about falling asleep of not doing that. So I’m actually curious while we’ve been chatting, were you able to actually get any stats on what the benefits of networking? Cause I want to give some tips on –
Yeah, totally. So here’s some things I’m going to talk about from a professional perspective. But professional includes both business owners, leaders team members, employees, the whole gamut, the unemployed. Okay. So –
Right up my alley, yeah.
So here’s, here’s some fascinating, uh, statistics on networking, uh, and this comes from review42.com. Okay. This was updated February 26th of 2021. So this year, okay?
Wow.
85% of positions are filled through networking.
Oh, hands, hands down. I, I can’t remember the last time I applied for a position, really. Someone else –
Yeah. We just hired – sorry Kyle.
Well, I was just going to say –
Well that’s because you’re a business owner.
Okay. No, but, but even before, even before like it’s been many years, I’ve had to apply for a position. If someone says, hey, such and such is looking for such and such, hey did you ever thought about such and such company?
Actually in my professional career of, uh, I had, uh three, nevermind the positions I had cause you’ll switch positions within a company, I have three professional organizations that I worked for, only one of them was a cold application. The other two were, I was placed in networking. We just hired three brand new people, and two of them came from our network. Only one of them was a cold interview from, from nowhere else. Yeah.
Yeah, and so, I agree with that stat. I agree with that stat. It’s always, and I think that’s where people are sleeping on that too. Right, and so that’s going to lead into my call to action because I believe people are sleeping on their own network.
I 100% percent agree and they think, they think they can’t do it because it’s digital. But that actually, this is your opportunity. So, and it’s easier to do it digitally than it is to go to a networking event. So, so here’s a couple more statistics
Okay
Uh, 95 of professionals consider face-to-face communication vital for long-term business. 95. I don’t know what those other 5% are doing that they’re getting business,
But, but networking connections, um, uh, are extremely important. 70% of people found a job through connections in a company, and I’m just looking
Yeah, that makes sense, the whole face-to-face piece of it, when you look at it, people want to do business with people. People want to connect with people, right? And that’s why, you know, even those people are like, ah I dunno if I don’t have to talk, like, again I hear you, maybe that’s the 5% but people still want to be connected with people.
There’s one more stat here for business owners.
Okay
So we talk about close rates in business. So basically, like, how many deals are you closing?
Yeah.
Uh, the close rate for face-to-face meetings is 40%.
Yeah. Hands down, hands down.
So that’s big.
Yeah. It’s huge. So the stats are obviously out there. And so I think as you’re thinking about your networking and you’re thinking about your, for yourself what can you do? What are some things that you can do to to wake up your network? The number one thing I was saying, and you you did an article on this, uh, Christopher for those people who are in jobs. And I hope we could provide that in the, in the show notes as well, um, because I think there’s some valuable information on that. When you’re reading that, I want you to pivot to your business, to your leadership, to your other parts, cause they’re really the same thing but, uh, keeping it relevant. Number one is take an inventory of your network, who do you actually have in your network, right? And it’s, and again, bringing that top of mind. And the second part of that is what would reengage your network? You already heard the stats, it’s about face-to-face. Could you jump on FaceTime? Can you jump on Zoom? Can you jump on a phone call? Absolutely. Once you know, who’s in your network you will be able to say, how do I want to re-engage? And the third thing I would say is find out what’s happening in their life and listen to ways you can help them. Right? Cause sometimes we don’t know what we need. Right? Sometimes it’s hard when you say to someone, hey, what can I do for you? Hey, can I, right Sometimes it’s about listen to what you, uh, they’re saying and you know, make an, make an observation, see what you can help, right? I remember one situation where someone was just going on about something. They would, I have to do this, I do this after the and I didn’t know who to recommend. I didn’t know how to help them. And I just simply say, okay, if I could donate my two hands to you, how could that help you? And that person said, wow if I had an extra pair of hands, this would be helpful. Right? So sometimes don’t, don’t feel that you have to go in and solve everything. You can just simply say, if I can give you my time, right, my energy, or hey, if I could throw a buck or two to this thing, how could that help you? Right, but listen with the intent to actually see how you can do that.
I think even asking people, you know, what are one, or two, or three things that you’re working on right now and what are one, or two, or three of your biggest challenges, roadblocks or opportunities with those, and then just listening for opportunities to connect them with others to connect them. Sometimes it is connecting it with your skillset, for sure. But don’t be so deliberate and focused on that because I think the overselling part of it is where people fall apart. It is really about how can I help you so that you feel like you want to help me too. So we’re not going to a networking meeting with our hands out, we’re going to our networking meeting with a basket full of goodies that we’re gonna to give to them, if there’s something in our basket that we can connect them to, right? And then at the end of that, then you can say, oh, you know, would it be all right if I shared a way that you could help me, you know?
Absolutely, or even that step five I would say, is don’t be afraid to come back and say, how did that work out with that guy I connected you with? How did that work out when we did this? How did that like, come back and close that loop or keep that loop going, right? Where you can come back and maybe then you can say, you know what’s interesting, I could actually use a pair of hands myself, you know, would you be interested? People are hardwired to help people. You know, if you said to someone, I need some help we’re like, I don’t even know what it is. I’m gonna to say, yeah, sure. What, let me see if I can help, right? But the moment you start the conversation by saying hey, I need a favor. We’re a little bit hesitant, we’re like oh, I don’t know, right? But when you say, listen, I need some help. So again, find ways to help someone out. So, with that said, I’m curious, what imperfect inspired action you’re going to take this week when it comes to waking up on your network, I want to hear about it. What have you done? Cause there’s a lot of people like Christopher said in the beginning, that don’t like it. Sometimes a lot of people are looking for tips and tricks and strategies and tactics. So if you have those, share those with us. Thanks for listening this week.
Thanks folks, good luck, and let us know how it goes.
It’s our goal to build a global community of inspired action takers. And we can only do that with your help. So if you love Inspired Action, please leave a review on your favorite podcasting app and share us on your socials. You’ve heard from us, now we want to hear from you. Go to inspiredactionpodcast.ca and tell us what is the inspired action you took this week? Next week on Inspired Action for Imperfect Humans,
In organizational politics, manipulation of power is exercised, or parties will compete for power by playing the politicking game. To those who don’t have good tactics, they will lose the game and may be jeopardizing their position in the organization.
