NETWORKSMART. Assessment

NETWORKSMART Assessment

NETWORKSMART Assessment Table of Contents Introduction...1 NETWORKSMART Activity...3 How Can You Plan for Success?...4 What Stages Are Your Partners In?...5 Is Your Network Well-Balanced?...6 Plot Your Network...7 How Can You Develop Trust?...8 Broaden and Deepen Your Network...9 Plan Your Next Steps... 10-13 Lee Hecht Harrison All Rights Reserved LHH.com

NETWORKSMART Assessment 1 Introduction Networking: How can you benefit? Make networking a way of life. A broad, deep network of supportive people is a prerequisite for mastering both your personal and professional lives. The NETWORKSMART Assessment will help you to identify members of your network and how they can benefit you. As time seems to go by faster and faster, as you are pressured to do more with less, as the number of internal and external customers requiring service stretches your personal resources to the breaking point, you need the help of others. Knowing a wide variety of people will help you leverage your time and expand your knowledge. You need people to turn to for information, access, support, brainstorming, ideas, resources and favors. The broader your network of support, the more far-reaching your influence. Power these days shows up in many ways: meeting deadlines; inventing or providing distinctive products and services; innovating; coping with work crises; or having friends or neighbors who can bail you out when personal or family needs are overwhelming. Power is the ongoing ability to take effective action in your work, in your profession, in your industry, and at home. If you have this kind of multifaceted backup support, you will be more relaxed and more resilient. You will be confident that you can deliver the goods in all aspects of your life. You will be influential and powerful. How does networking work? Focus on giving, and the getting comes naturally. Networking concerns creating and nourishing trusting relationships. It's a two-way street. To deepen a relationship with a contact, listen so that you can give. Masterful networkers listen so intently that they walk away from encounters knowing how to help their contacts. For example: You work with a colleague who is thinking about getting an advanced degree. You offer to connect her with three of your contacts who are brand new advanced degrees from different universities. After meeting these new grads, your colleague develops new insights and information. She selects a school she wouldn't even have thought of before meeting your contacts. A new neighbor from out of state moves in across the street. He needs to find an orthodontist. You consult several contacts and call your neighbor with the names of the two most highly recommended orthodontists in the area. At a professional association meeting, an acquaintance talks about the difficulty of learning a new software program. You know a college student who is very skilled with computers and who is interested in tutoring. You give your acquaintance his name, e-mail and phone number. Coached by the college student, your acquaintance conquers the software program. You enhanced each relationship by listening generously. You enlarged your own support network. These three contacts now know you better. They have experienced your competence and character. They know that you listen and go out of your way for others. They are encouraged to reciprocate, to go out of their way for you. IN THIS TOOL YOU WILL LEARN: How you can benefit from networking. How networking works. How trust develops. What stage your networking partners are in. How to build a well-balanced network.

2 LEE HECHT HARRISON Notes

NETWORKSMART Assessment 3 NETWORKSMART Activity DIRECTIONS: Complete the following. Write one recent example of someone listening to you and then giving to you. Write one example of you listening generously and finding something to give.

4 LEE HECHT HARRISON How Can You Plan For Success? Be prepared to be spontaneous. First, clarify in your own mind exactly what your needs and concerns are. Reflect on your life and career. What questions do you need answered? What problems do you need solutions for? What challenges are facing you? What do you need to learn? In other words, know what you are looking for. Make a list, and look at it often. You'll be ready to be spontaneous. Second, get in touch with what you have to offer. Listen carefully to others so you can match your expertise and resources with their present need. Be willing to present who you are and your expertise whenever you hear or see a possible match. Plan For Success DIRECTIONS: Complete the following. List at least two specific things you are looking for: List at least three areas of expertise you have to offer:

NETWORKSMART Assessment 5 What Stages Are Your Partners In? Networking is teaching who you are and what you can offer. Here are some quick definitions to help you understand the stages of networking relationships. These definitions and the following activity will help you to identify the people who are already a part of your network and show you how to enhance and strengthen those relationships. Acquaintances are friends, neighbors, customers or colleagues with whom you have had minimal interaction. They know you by name and would probably do a small favor for you if asked. You see each other with some regularity and are getting to know each other. Allies are people who know your talents and aspirations. In your on-going relationship, they go out of their way for you by giving you names, resources, feedback or other help. They care about your success. They give you advice that you respect. They become experts on you - your competence and character. You do the same for them. Advocates are people who know you well and believe in you. They are so confident in your abilities and your integrity that they are willing to put their good names on the line to speak on your behalf. They are able to deliver on your requests - at work or beyond. They make sure the right people hear about you. You are equally supportive of them. Identify The Stages of Your Partners DIRECTIONS: List the names of people in your network who qualify as Acquaintances, Allies and Advocates. ACQUAINTANCES ALLIES ADVOCATES 1. 1. 1. 2. 2. 2. 3. 3. 3. 4. 4. 4. 5. 5. 5.

6 LEE HECHT HARRISON Is Your Network Well-Balanced? Network in the four major arenas of your life. To be a master networker, develop supportive relationships in these major arenas: 1 Organization Knowing the organization you work for its mission, strategies, vision and values is important for your success. What are the organizational norms? Who are key customers? Who are leaders? What are important trends? What projects and initiatives are on the horizon? These are some of the questions you can explore with people within your organization. 3 2 Profession Becoming competent in a profession or trade will be the most critical accomplishment in your career. Take an active role in trade or professional associations. Read professional journals, trade publications, blogs and magazines. Know key players and the leaders in the profession. Networking in your profession will help you continually increase your expertise and extend your influence. 4 Industry Observing and discussing trends in your industry, changing technology, new leaders, emerging or declining companies, or new industry strategies are important for your employability. Who are the leaders? What new products and services are coming to market? Which companies are growing and which are declining? Industry knowledge helps you prepare for the future and see changes that will effect your work before it is too late. Personal Life As you play more and more roles in life, you need a more effective network of personal support. Develop contacts to help you with a variety of personal concerns: your family, children, health, education, fitness, social services or spirituality.

NETWORKSMART Assessment 7 Plot Your Network DIRECTIONS: Look on page 5 at your lists of Acquaintances, Allies and Advocates. Place their names below according to whether those people are resources for your Organization, Profession, Industry or Personal Life. For example, a person whom you could ask for advice about finding an aerobics class might fit in the column titled PERSONAL LIFE at the ACQUAINTANCE level. A person who could introduce you to the leaders in your organization might go in the column titled ORGANIZATION at the ADVOCATE level. Note that some people may fit in more than one place. Once you've finished, look to see if you have a good balance of Acquaintances, Allies and Advocates in each quadrant. ACQUAINTANCES ALLIES ADVOCATES PERSONAL LIFE INDUSTRY PROFESSION ORGANIZATION

8 LEE HECHT HARRISON How Can You Develop Trust? Prove your character and competence to build support. One of the biggest mistakes unskilled networkers make is thinking that networking is a numbers game: how many business cards they give out and collect. But giving someone your business card does not develop trust. Reflect on your own experience. You probably trust people only after you have been assured of or experience their character and competence. Character centers around your way of being, how you handle your responsibilities, your commitments, and your day-to-day presence. Competence reflects the range of your abilities, especially at work. Other people trust you only after they get a clear sense of both your character and level of competence. Your reputation often precedes you in life. Word of your character and competence paves your way in your community, organization industry and profession. To build a positive reputation think before you act. How do you want to be seen? What sort of impression do you want to make? Demonstrate your character and competence through the behaviors listed below in order to build and broaden your network of support. CHARACTER Trust is a function of the extent to which you: Do what you say you will do. Are fair and honest. Are professional. Are on time. Keep confidences. Speak well of others. Are upfront about what you want. Look out for others' interests. Give more than you get. Strive for excellence in all you do. COMPETENCE You demonstrate your competence when you: Do an excellent job. Become a recognized expert. Take on a visible role in an organization to showcase your capabilities. Provide active leadership in a professional association or elsewhere. Offer solutions and advice to others. Coach others to effectively fulfill an assignment. Give appropriate and realistic advice. Forewarn others of potential pitfalls. Gain testimonials and referrals from satisfied customers.

NETWORKSMART Assessment 9 Broaden and Deepen Your Network Listening for the needs of others gives you ample opportunity to broaden or deepen your network. If you respond well to the needs of others, they will be more willing to look out for your interests. DIRECTIONS: 1 2 3 4 5 SCAN the list below. Identify actions you could take to reward or reinforce people in your network. READ the list again for what you might ask your contact to do for you. ASSESS your network. What areas do you want to broaden or deepen? (e.g., few or no advocates in your industry, no allies in your profession, etc.) What gaps are in your network? PICK a person from your network with whom you'd like to have a more powerful relationship and complete the steps on page 10-13. PICK an area from your network you want to enhance and choose a person who can help you do that. Complete the steps on page 10-13. Remember, if you act first, you prompt your contact to respond in kind. To encourage an ACQUAINTANCE, you could listen for opportunities to: Provide the name of someone who does X, Y or Z. Brainstorm opportunities that require his/her services. Read his/her resume and offer comment. Suggest companies for him/her to interview with. Share names of experts or specialists. Send an article of interest. To encourage an ALLY, you could listen for opportunities to: Share work information, organizational politics, contacts and resources. Give candid feedback when asked. Share resources, such as a meeting room, a book or office equipment. Become a coach in an area where you are very knowledgeable. Send him/her pertinent information. Read something he/she has written and provide constructive feedback. To encourage an ADVOCATE, you could listen for opportunities to: Write a letter of recommendation. Suggest him/her for a project, assignment or job. Recommend him/her for an important post, assignment or award. Lobby to get him/her on a task force, committee or high-level project. Go to bat for him/her in another organization or division. Help reshape or improve his/her reputation. Mentor him/her in organizational politics. Connect him/her to key players. Put your reputation on the line for them with a key person.

10 LEE HECHT HARRISON Plan Your Next Steps DIRECTIONS: 1 CHOOSE people with whom you want to broaden your network. 2 WRITE their names in the appropriate boxes below. 3 WRITE your goal in the box that says "What's your intent?" 4 WRITE down exactly how you will proceed in the box "How will you achieve this?" SAMPLE: Who: Juan M. Ally What's your intent? Expand my reputation as a sales professional in my industry. How will you achieve this? Tell Juan of my career goal and ask him to mention my sales savvy to other people in the industry. Provide Juan with sales figures and success stories so that he has up-to-date information about my skills. ACTIVITY: Who: What's your intent? How will you achieve this?

NETWORKSMART Assessment 11 Who: What's your intent? How will you achieve this? Who: What's your intent? How will you achieve this?

12 LEE HECHT HARRISON Who: What's your intent? How will you achieve this? Who: What's your intent? How will you achieve this?

NETWORKSMART Assessment 13 Who: What's your intent? How will you achieve this? Who: What's your intent? How will you achieve this?

14 LEE HECHT HARRISON Notes

About Lee Hecht Harrison (LHH) Lee Hecht Harrison (www.lhh.com) is the global talent mobility leader. We connect people to jobs through innovative career transition services and help individuals improve performance through career and leadership development. LHH assists organizations in supporting restructuring efforts, developing leaders at all levels, engaging and retaining critical talent, and maintaining productivity through change helping organizations increase profitability by maximizing their return on investment in developing people, while assisting individuals to achieve their full potential. WMS170-0115 Lee Hecht Harrison All Rights Reserved LHH.com