Speaker 1: Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of
Speaker 1: performance through strong human relations, team building, and golajieving. This
Speaker 1: is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host Paul Fellovledo.
Speaker 2: Hello everyone, and welcome to the seven Minute Leadership Podcast.
Speaker 2: It's episode three forty two. Let's talk about networking. Not handshakes,
Speaker 2: not business cards, not LinkedIn connections that you never interact with.
Speaker 2: That's networking circa twenty ten. This episode is about how
Speaker 2: to supercharge your networking game using techniques and strategies that
Speaker 2: are ten years ahead of what most people are still doing.
Speaker 2: Because here's the truth. In the future, your network won't
Speaker 2: just be who you know, It will be who knows you,
Speaker 2: who's talking about you when you're not in the room,
Speaker 2: and how fast you can activate that energy when opportunity strikes.
Speaker 2: So let's jump into this tip number one. Build a
Speaker 2: micro community, not just a contact list forget collecting names.
Speaker 2: Build a tribe. Create a small private community think Slack, Discord, WhatsApp,
Speaker 2: or even a private newsletter where the people you actually
Speaker 2: care about can connect, collaborate, and cross pollinate ideas. Don't
Speaker 2: wait for events to network. Host your own digital roundtable
Speaker 2: every quarter set the tone, be the reason that people meet.
Speaker 2: That's future networking, becoming the connector instead of hoping to
Speaker 2: find one. Tip two create network gravity your content, your voice,
Speaker 2: your thought, leadership. It should pull people in. Start a podcast,
Speaker 2: write a blog, share micro ideas on LinkedIn or Twitter.
Speaker 2: You don't need to go viral. You just need to
Speaker 2: be consistent and real people are drawn to signal over noise.
Speaker 2: When your ideas are out there, people will come to
Speaker 2: you already feeling connected. That's networking without even entering the room.
Speaker 2: Tip number three, use AI to build your first impression
Speaker 2: before you even show up, because here's a game changer.
Speaker 2: Before you meet anyone, whether it's a coffee chat, zoom
Speaker 2: or at a conference, use AI to do a light
Speaker 2: audit of them. Look up their last five posts, press mentions,
Speaker 2: shared connections, podcast appearances. Then bring up their work in
Speaker 2: your first conversation. Nothing cuts through the noise faster than
Speaker 2: someone who clearly did their homework. In a world of automation,
Speaker 2: personal interest is a superpower. In Tip number four, stop
Speaker 2: following up and start following through. Everyone says great meeting you,
Speaker 2: Let's stay in touch. The future leader sends a relevant
Speaker 2: article the next day, or makes an introduction or follows
Speaker 2: through on a promise. Better yet, create a follow through
Speaker 2: funnel after every event or interaction. Log three names, set reminders,
Speaker 2: build relationships with intention, and make your actions louder than
Speaker 2: your exit. In tip number five, ditch that elevator sales pitch.
Speaker 2: Tell a ten second story instead. Remember in elevator sales
Speaker 2: pitches they remember a moment, a story, and a human truth.
Speaker 2: Instead of saying I'm a leadership coach, say I help
Speaker 2: leaders stop sounding like corporate robots and actually be someone
Speaker 2: team respects. That's memorable. That starts a real conversation that
Speaker 2: breaks the mold. And Tip number six, connect your contacts
Speaker 2: before you need them. This is advanced networking. Become someone
Speaker 2: who makes high value introductions when two people benefit from
Speaker 2: knowing each other, Introduce them with context, with purpose, not
Speaker 2: because you want something, but because they'll remember that you
Speaker 2: were the reason their business grew, their strategy improved, or
Speaker 2: their career took off. That's legacy level networking. Tip number
Speaker 2: seven be findable, not just reachable. Think about this. If
Speaker 2: someone googled your name right now, what would they learn.
Speaker 2: Create digital breadcrumbs that speak for you. A solid LinkedIn profile,
Speaker 2: a leadership article you've written, guest spots on podcasts, a
Speaker 2: personal website, even if it's one page. Your digital reputation
Speaker 2: should int reduce you before you ever shake hands. And
Speaker 2: tip number eight keep a networking flywheel spinning. Most people
Speaker 2: network in spurts when they need something. Future focused leaders
Speaker 2: network constantly, consistently, and authentically. Every week, message three people
Speaker 2: you haven't talked to in a while. Every month, add
Speaker 2: one new voice to your circle. Every quarter, host or
Speaker 2: attends something that puts you in a room with people
Speaker 2: who make you better. You don't have to scale big,
Speaker 2: you just have to scale steady. Tip number nine become
Speaker 2: someone worth knowing. You can have all the networking strategies
Speaker 2: in the world, but if you're negative, inconsistent, or transactional,
Speaker 2: none of it will work. Be the person others talk
Speaker 2: about when you're not in the room for the right reasons.
Speaker 2: Be generous, be reliable, be great at what you do.
Speaker 2: In the end, reputation is still the most powerful form
Speaker 2: of network. In tip number ten, start relationships with a question,
Speaker 2: not a pitch. If you want to win someone's attention,
Speaker 2: don't talk about yourself. Ask a question that shows you're
Speaker 2: curious and intentional, like what's the most exciting project you're
Speaker 2: working on right now, or what's one lesson that shaped
Speaker 2: how you lead, or what's something in your industry that
Speaker 2: people aren't paying enough attention to. Conversations like that don't
Speaker 2: just break the ice, they melt it. The best networkers
Speaker 2: in the next decade won't be the most extroverted. They'll
Speaker 2: be the most intentional. They'll lead with value, they'll stay curious,
Speaker 2: and they'll treat relationships as something to build, not just use.
Speaker 2: So ask yourself, who's in your circle right now today
Speaker 2: and what are you doing to earn your place in theirs,
Speaker 2: And if you haven't done so, please five star review
Speaker 2: the show on your favorite pod casting platform, and as always,
Speaker 2: I thank you for listening. This has been the seven
Speaker 2: minute leadership podcast.
Speaker 1: For more Paul Fell of Alito Podcasts, visit paulfellowalito dot com.