Happy New Year
What are you cooking up for 2012 self-improvements? No matter how often we fail to lose 5 lbs., return phone calls within 24 hours, or ignore negative comments, January rolls around, and the time to start something new is upon us. I’ve seen several advice columns this year about making realistic resolutions. One even told me I’m already doing a good job, so I should give myself a break, but this year has to be serious: I am going to improve my networking skills.
Resolutions fail for a number of reason, and certainly unrealistic expectations top the list, but even when the goal is within our capacity, it’s usually harder than we realize. That magical number – 3 weeks – to form a habit, might as well be a year, if we’re unprepared for the task. Forgetting to set time or money aside for the new project is another reason we can fail. Poor understanding of what it will take to see results. Becoming discouraged when the results don’t appear in time to boost our moral. Upfront cost, distance, bad weather…
So, if I’m really going to improve my networking skills (and, believe me, there’s no where to go but up!), I need to do more than just say the words. I’m making a list of goalposts, so I can track my progress. Ex: Attend at least 3 events this month; Give my card to 5 families per day; Increase my Twitter following, Facebook presence, website SEO, etc. I’ve even given myself three new “golden rules,” so I don’t get lost:
- Use my new acquaintance’s name, in conversation, and in my thoughts about them
- Ask intelligent questions AND remember the answers
- Follow up each new meeting with contact in some form within 24 hours
And most importantly, I’m going to seek out advice from people who are good at what I want to do. This may seem obvious, since networking is my goal, but it holds true for everything. If you don’t know any joggers, and you decide to start jogging, there’s a good chance you’ll lose your motivation before the habit forms, unless there’s someone helping you out.
Good luck to everyone this year! Don’t forget, making the resolution is the first step on a long path, but it’s still a step, and it counts as progress!
