Not something I have ever been good at, and about to have to be very good at as TheXpert.Network evolves, develops and launches.
The phrase only came to me a couple of weeks ago listening to my newest favourite podcast,’Without Fail‘ hosted by Gimlet Media founder and CEO Alex Blumberg. In a recent episode he interviews Evan Marwell. He is the dude that put hi-speed wifi into every American school so the kids could play Fortnite. Not really but I bet they do.
The problem he faced was unbelievably massive. The thing that most people don’t get about America is why it’s called the USA. The United States of America is a collective of 50 states which have their own government, laws and taxes. Governors of states have far more power than is widely known and in many cases make presidential runs. So getting 50 state education departments and their associated school boards to agree on anything was going to take more than a smile. As Al Capone once said, “You get further with a smile and gun than just a smile.” He didn’t own a gun and neither do I. He did, however, have President Barrack Obama in his speed dial.
My approach to networking has been rather passive. I only get hit up on LinkedIn by spammers trying to scam me or scammers sending me spam. I’ve never been a ‘collector’ of LinkedIn contacts or Facebook friends. Speaking of which, the annual cull is fast approaching. I’ve never seen the point in filling my feeds with streams of irrelevant content simply time is too precious to waste looking at what I consider rubbish. This project is the first time I’ve created a consistent relevant series that could be considered strategically aligned with my core values. FFS!
And that all comes from a place of value; what value do I bring to the table? Some people believe they bring immense value to every interaction. I’ve met some who believe they are the most valuable of humans. I respectfully disagree with their fucked up self-analysis.
I hate putting people in boxes unless I murder them and the box is a coffin, but there seem to be two types when it comes to networking. Firstly, those who have so much self-confidence that their past pays no part in their future. They are most content when talking up what they are going to do, what they can do as opposed to what they have done. Then there are peeps like me. We think that future success is based on credibility born from past success or at least vast experience; runs on the board,
Perhaps my takeout from Project L is that my value doesn’t have to be on display from the first moment. It can unfurl like a flower.
Oh fuck, I think I lose a man card for that.