Choosing the Right NetWork, Part II — Being Celebrated

In Part I of Choosing the Right NetWork, we discussed the Quantity vs. Quality of contacts issue. This month, we are going to take a different approach to choosing your NetWorks in that we will examine the topic from the standpoint of having been actively involved with a group for some period of time longer than one year.

A few months ago, I was waxing philosophically after a NetWorking function with a dear friend of mine, who is a certified financial planner.  I was sharing my concerns with him regarding a particular group with which I had been involved for some time.  I had been one of the top referring members for several years, yet I was feeling that I was getting less out than I was putting in.  I recalled that at one time, I would look forward to each meeting in anticipation, yet as of late I would dread them and walk away feeling drained.

It was at this point that he said to me something that made quite an impact.  He said that no matter where we go, we should “go where we are celebrated”.

I thought about this for a moment and realized the truth in that statement. Perhaps I was just in a situation where familiarity bred contempt to some degree. It reminded me of the time right before I decided to drop out of the corporate world and go into business on my own.

The time leading up to that decision to make my move was marked by increasing anxiety over the fact that I realized that I no longer belonged where I had been comfortable for some time and that something had to change. And while I wanted to jump to a new level, there was a fear to do so, because it was uncomfortable. Two major factors were holding me back: 1. It was hard to let go of something that was familiar to me and 2. I was afraid of the unknown. I found myself asking questions like, “What will the group do without me?” and “What makes me think that the grass really will be greener on the other side?”

When I recalled finally making the decision to move on in my life, I realized that eventually I did move to a place where I was celebrated and in the recalling, I knew that I had made the right decision.

Whether you can relate to my situation or not, I believe the same thing holds true in any NetWork (or corporation, for that matter) to which you have been involved for some time. It is important to monitor and evaluate yourself periodically and ask yourself the following questions:

• Am I being celebrated in terms of referrals I am getting?
• Am I being celebrated in terms of revenue generated as a result?
• Am I being celebrated in terms of new opportunities to take my business to the next level?
• Am I celebrating others who celebrate me?
• Do I have a strong “feel good” factor about this organization and those within it?
• Does my NetWorking group or organization celebrate me for who and what I am?

For those who tend to answer mostly “no” to the above questions, we can sometimes feel as though we really have limited options as to where we can go next.  Despite these feelings, it is important to understand that there are always other options and opportunities out there - new NetWorks are formed all the time.

So if you’re currently being celebrated in your NetWorking groups...congratulations!  You may have found the right places for this moment in your life.

For all others...if quiet desperation works for you...great...and maybe things will change over time.  There is something to be said for “taking back your NetWorking group”.  My question to you, however, is, “how much longer will you give it before you start planning your own celebration?”

To all my readers, I wish you many celebrations to come!

Next month, in Part III of Choosing the Right NetWork, we will look at one of the major decision-making factors that often go overlooked, yet separate the “A” NetWorkers from the “B” NetWorkers.  Stay tuned!
 

Kovitz Enterprises, LLC
Connecting, Educating and Inspiring Business
18 Rockwood Road
Levittown, PA 19056
(215) 945-3411