SEPTEMBER 2018
2
Networking: It's not all about you
Is networking part of your plan to
grow in your job or business enter-
prise?
Active networking expands your
sphere of contacts who can be of
value to you: managers and executives
now seeing you as an up-and-comer,
colleagues sharing insights into work-
place politics and skills-development
opportunities, outside-of-work ac-
quaintances offering tips about possi-
bilities beyond your present employer.
It's natural to see networking as
an effective asset-acquisition strategy
that makes you stronger.
"But if you focus too much on what
you will get out of networking, you'll
miss the mark," says Mike Kaeding,
whose company builds and operates
apartment buildings in North Branch,
Minnesota, and surrounding commu-
nities.
When he started in business, he
says in a recent LinkedIn post, he
treated networking as a series of
business transactions. Then a friend
offered him "some well-timed advice
that I will never forget: The goal of
networking is to build friendships."
That was a revelation that
"changed everything" for Kaeding.
"I found real friends," he says. "Those
friends have helped me achieve more
than I ever dreamt possible."
One of those friends was a com-
petitor who stepped in to help Kaed-
ing when a maintenance emergency
occurred. In desperation, Kaeding
phoned that friend, who helped him
out "in a big way."
Later, Kaeding returned the favour
by connecting his friend to some
high-level connections at a Chamber
of Commerce event at which Kaeding
was a featured speaker.
"Start by just getting out there,"
Kaeding says. "Go to events. Stick
your hand out to a stranger and say
'Hi, my name is…' Walk up to a group
of people and introduce yourself. It is
terrifying. But just act on it. The lon-
ger you wait to act, the worse it gets in
your mind."
The most important thing to
remember, he says, is to "be authen-
tic and help others … Get to know
them and look for ways you can help
… Help others reach their dreams
and they will likely help you reach
yours."
No small part of Kaeding's suc-
cess has come from responses to his
LinkedIn blogging. They "have been
an inspiration to me."
E D I TO R ' S N OT E
George Pearson
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UPDATE
Administrative
Assistant's
5 reasons people don't get enough sleep
Going to bed on time and falling asleep "are an art and a science," says
time management coach Elizabeth Grace Saunders in a recent Fast
Company post.
Here are the five top reasons people don't get enough sleep, she says,
and what they can do about it.
Problem: You don't know when to go to bed.
Solution: Set a bedtime goal.
Problem: You try to go to bed as soon as you get home.
Solution: Give yourself time to decompress.
Problem: Stealing time from sleep to decompress.
Solution: Set aside 30-60 minutes of unstructured time.
Problem: Doing things before bed that make you too hyped up.
Solution: Shut down those things at least one hour before bed.
Increase calm.