The Heart and Art of NetWeaving

By Glen Gould, Southeast Bureau Chief          Glen's Bio

You read right - and my spell check is working just fine, thank you.  It is indeed - NetWeaving! And while the name may not be all that familiar, read on and discover the name for what many successful networkers do without even thinking about it.  NetWeaving is the essence of successful networking.

NetWeaving was founded about 15 years ago when Bob Littell wrote an article for a financial services trade publication entitled "Do-A-Favr Marketing" or DAFM. He proposed that by doing "favors" for business clients without expecting anything directly in return that one could expect the unexpected - that what goes around in fact does come around, and in big measure as well.

Bob recalls, "several years later, I was having a 'creative session' (maybe a few beers involved) with a good friend and as I was saying that I'd love to come up with a term which expressed what DAFM was all about, the word "NetWeaving" popped out and I immediately said, that's it and I'm going to trademark that".

NetWeaving was the basis behind his first book, "Power NetWeaving" which he co-authored with new TNNW Contributing Writer, Donna Fisher.  In it they profiled many persons whom Bob had interviewed from within the financial services industry who had built their business on the principles of the concept.  Many had helped others by referring people to their resource base "even before they had become clients."

NetWeaving is all about building meaningful relationships by connecting others and providing them with the resources which will help them without concern for how you will benefit.  You do so confident in the belief that, 'what goes around, does come back around'.  And Bob practices what he preaches.  Within minutes of meeting Bob, you can hear him discussing with someone how they really need to meet someone he knows, and asking if he could arrange for that meeting to happen.

As Bob tells the story, "after my first book, "Power NetWeaving" was published, and after giving dozens of presentations around the country, I realized that I had missed one of the most important aspects of NetWeaving - the 'heart' of NetWeaving.  If you genuinely enjoy helping others and you understand that there is an IMMEDIATE reward to helping others as a 'connector' and as a 'no-strings-attached resource provider', then NetWeaving becomes something which 'energizes' you and makes you better at everything else you do."

The key to NetWeaving is "hosting a meeting" in which you arrange for two people to meet each other.  Similarities with typical "one on ones" end here.  Hosting a meeting is most effective when you can participate and see first hand how the two that you have brought together connect.  Bob tells me that in eight to nine out of ten cases, those who are brought together ask how they can help the host without being prompted. It is a thinking of others mentality that blossoms under the NetWeaving concept and true to the concept, "hosts" are urged to not think of a self serving response to the offer but rather to suggest that the meeting attendees "pass it on to two others (POINTTO)".

"After almost every talk, someone in the audience would come up and say, "You know your PIONTTO concept reminds me of the movie or book, 'Pay It Forward'." says Bob. 

At that point, he hadn't seen the movie or read the book.  But after several dozen references he did both.  Seeing the close connection Bob called Catherine Ryan Hyde, the author of the book on which the popular movie with Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt, and Haley Joel Osmet, is also based.

"I told her about my concept and she loved it and we now link our websites.  I serve on the "Pay It Forward Foundation Board" and with her permission, NetWeaving is now known as the "business version" of Pay It Forward."

Bob is having the best year of his professional career (he's in the insurance business) while spending most of his time teaching the NetWeaving concept.  It seems that all that giving he does for others truly does come back full circle.  After all, it's the golden rule in action.

But there's much more to learn from Bob Littell.  For example, his book "The Heart and Art of NetWeaving" is printed for him by XEROX, allowing him to donate all the proceeds from his book sales to charity.  It seems that NetWeaving provided that opportunity as well.  Bob shared a poignant story of a reconnection between retired General Norman Schwarzkopf and a woman who had formerly been under his command at a national organizations annual meeting shortly after 9/11/2006 which was potentially to appear in USA Today.

"Well it didn't go there, but thanks to emails which I and others sent, and another friend who helped get it placed in a "Reader's Digest" connected site for American service men and women www.americaninuniform.com , it went to these individuals serving our country all around the world."  The woman called Bob to thank him for his part in pulling it all together.  "She then asked me what I did for a living and after responding, she said, "We need to hire you".  She was head of the financial services division of XEROX and thanks to her efforts, his self-published book is printed at no cost so that 100% of the sales proceeds go to charity.

Bob says, "You never know what the outcome will be when you simply decide to help someone."  For more on NetWeaving or to buy Bob's book, please visit www.netweaving.com.  True to form, there are lots at this site that Bob gives away, expecting nothing in return.
 

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Glen can be reached at GlenG@TheNationalNetworker.com or Post a Comment on TNNW Blog.