July 28

You Only Need 4 People In Your Network – Here’s Who They Are

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Who are your Core Four? These four personality types should be your starting point when building a network. When you begin to create a strategic network, your aim should be to have one person in each of the four quadrants.

This will ensure it remains balanced and diverse enough to enable you to achieve any kind of success.

Promoter—makes noise about potential possibilities and inspires you to dream big

A Promoter, or sponsor, is your own personal champion. They are with you, by your side, through thick or thin, never giving up on you, always dreaming big with you. Promoters pull you towards your future dreams, make a noise about potential opportunities,spend time with you to explore how you’re going to achieve your goals, and inspire you to become more.

Promoters are positive. They cheer you on through the tough times and celebrate the good. They rave about you, make connections for you and open doors. They stretch your thinking to become more than you are or ever thought possible.

Put simply, Promoters believe in you and they want to see you succeed so they tell the world about you.

But don’t just take my word for it. According to research from the Center for Talent Innovation (a Manhattan-based think tank), people with Promoters (or sponsors) are 23 per cent more likely to move up in their career than those without them. In addition,a 2011 study from the Center for Work-Life Policy published by the Harvard Business Review found that active promotion of others can result in a 30 per cent increase in promotions, pay rises and projects for the person being sponsored.

Your Promoter always looks out for you. They invite you to join them at meetings, events and functions. They introduce you to people in their network and encourage you to connect and share value.

I have no doubt that my Promoters are absolutely there for me,and I will be forever grateful for this. They have played a crucial part in everything I have achieved so far, and they continue to cheer me on from the sidelines, encouraging me to do more, be more, live more.

Pit Crew—keeps you on track and nurtures you

Your Pit Crew keep you true and on track. They nurture you,ensure you are okay at all times and that your emotions aren’t getting the better of you. They keep you connected with the present as much as with your future dreams.

Climbing the ladder of success can be a lonely task. Whether you are just starting out, working non-stop in a corporate environment, or pursuing your own entrepreneurial enterprise,the journey requires grit, determination and perseverance.

We all experience days of frustration and disappointment, days when we have to face our fears, make tough decisions or calls,push past failures, recalibrate our reality and keep focused on opportunities that lie outside our comfort zone. Having the right crew to help you overcome these difficulties, keeping you mentally tough and balanced, is not just crucial—it’s essential.

In American psychologist Angela Duckworth’s TED talk The Key to Success? “Grit”, she says, “Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals. Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future, day-in, day out. Not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years. And working really hard to make that future a reality. Grit is living life like it’s a marathon, not a sprint.”

This describes your crew. In a nutshell, they add stamina—the stamina to run the marathon of your dreams, to navigate complexities and recover from setbacks.Your Pit Crew help you learn from mistakes and keep pushing on anyway. They celebrate your wins, remind you of your achievements and keep it real.

Teacher—helps you develop knowledge, wisdom and foresight

A life of continuous learning is essential to growth. But here’s the thing: it’s up to you to include in your core network a Teacher who can support you in this way. A Teacher expands your knowledge and pushes you to become better every single day. Successful people know this; that’s why they have an insatiable desire and commitment to learn more, in more ways than one.

Learning doesn’t just happen in the classroom. It’s not about the letters that come after your name. It’s about learning what you do well, how you can do it better and where you can find the Teacher who can help you. Teachers spark inspiration, they instil values, feed curiosity, help you look for answers.

You need to have the right Teacher in your network. The right Teacher and guide stretches your thinking, challenges your ideas and encourages you to push further and keep learning, because they know that this constant curiosity creates real opportunity for growth, achievement and success.

Learning is a self-directed desire and a choice. You must choose to keep learning. You must choose the right Teacher in your network. Harvard professor Linda Hill says, “You can’t think of something new unless you are being pushed to think in new directions, and you can’t do that unless you are engaging with people who have a different viewpoint.”

Butt-kicker—accelerates your journey and pushes you to do more

Having goals and aspirations is one thing; actually accomplishing them is quite another. We find a million and one excuses not to do what we say we’re going to do. We suffer from ‘paralysis by analysis’.

Or, if you are anything like me, you get attracted by the shiny stuff—a better idea, a more exciting plan—which whisks you off track and zaps your time, energy and focus into the ether. As Lewis Carroll says,”Any road will get you there, if you don’t know where you are going.”

Cue Butt-kicker please! You need a Butt-kicker to whip you into shape and help keep your eye on the prize. They are your wake-up call, your ‘Seriously? Just get on with it’. Butt-kickers are masters of delivery. They listen to your dreams and accelerate your goals by making sure you stick to them.

They hold you accountable for your actions and decisions, and ensure you do what you say you are going to do—and then some. Your Butt-kicker is equivalent to your personal trainer at the gym.They count your push-ups and pull-ups, and they always make you do one extra for good measure.

Many people wrongly assume that their Butt-kicker is their boss (or their mum). Sure, your boss may drive you to manage your workload, personal development and career, or even to cleanup your desk. Sometimes they may also feel like an unwelcome monkey on your back. But your boss is not your Butt-kicker unless they’re encouraging you along the path towards your future goals. A true Butt-kicker has your back—they’re not riding on it.

This is an edited extract from It’s Who You Know (Wiley, $27.95) by Janine Garner, available now.


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