Are You Willingly Giving Away Your Freedom?
As we celebrate our nation's 233rd birthday this July 4, it is important to remember that our freedom came at a heavy price. Men and women who personally sacrificed and continue to sacrifice to provide us with liberty should be thanked and remembered in reflective thought and prayer. We are truly blessed to live in this most favored nation.
Yet every day we continue to sacrifice the freedom we have been so graciously provided. While each day we debate how current or past political climes have diminished our freedom, it is not the purpose of this writing. It is time to take a serious look at our individual freedom and how we willingly give it away when we become dependent upon a job. According to a recent article Why Americans hate their jobs, "A majority of Americans now say they are unhappy at work." (The Week January 7, 2010)
The greatest loss of freedom in America happens on Monday morning. Millions of people climb into their cars and funnel into the rat race. There they fight and struggle to maintain a lifestyle they have built based on the income provided by the job they have selected. Whether by ignorance, influence, or indifference, most employees have built an invisible yet totally effective cage they now live in. They are imprisoned by their jobs, trapped by the need to provide for a family and maintain a lifestyle.
The idea that each person is free is long forgotten. Each week many will fear the loss of "their job" not realizing it isn't theirs, it belongs to the employer and he or she has full control over who will own "their job". Sadly, many will find that even their employer has little or no control over who will stay and who will go as companies we never imagined would go out of business disappear from the landscape. Circuit City went from good to great to gone leaving thousands unemployed.
There is hope. We still enjoy individual freedom in this country and we should exercise our freedom with great vigor. We are free to choose where and if we will work and we're free to create our own work should we choose. Here are four steps to ensure you maintain your freedom:
- Find your passion. What is it that you were uniquely designed to do? Many will have to spend hours sifting through the years of work they have done for the money to get to the essence of who they really are. Everyone has a purpose. What is yours?
- Remember that you are the CEO of your own personal services corporation. You have the option to choose to sell your services to one client (your employer) or to open up your own shop to serve many. Entrepreneurship is the single greatest tool to ensure independence. The first step is to realize that you are already in business for yourself. Who do you choose as your customer?
- Examine your current line of work to find an opportunity. While you may not believe your current work is your passion, there is likely a good reason you chose to work in the field you are in. Is there a place where your passion and your experience intersect? That's where opportunity lies!
- Exercise your freedom. Don't remain trapped by the current situation. Think of the countless hours you likely waste each week that could be put to good use developing your own business that will provide added income, opportunity, and freedom.
Every person in the United States (the world for that matter) should approach his or her work as a business owner. How well are you using the resources you currently possess? Everyone has time, talent, knowledge, experience, expertise, passion, and property they can leverage to create greater value for their customer(s). That may mean becoming more valuable at your current job or opening a small business to serve others.
Honor the sacrifice made on your behalf by those men and women who provided you with freedom by approaching your work as a business owner. When you work at a job for one employer, give it your very best. No one ever created a better life by giving it anything less. You made the choice to work where you work. Remember that you are selling your services to your employer. You receive both money and experience as payment for your services. Learn how to do your work better than before and your services will be more valuable to your current employer, future employers, and future clients.
Treat your work as a business, and treat your business as an opportunity. Entrepreneurship is the greatest exercise of freedom.
Getting to Know You - Real Success Cannot Be Achieved Without One-on-One Meetings
Are you ready to make your networking efforts pay huge dividends? There are many things you can and should do to ensure success, but none so important as setting time aside each week and meeting with individuals face-to-face, also known as having a one-on-one. Individual meetings with people are so critical that we believe you cannot truly succeed without them.
When it is just you and another person meeting you will have the ability to really get to know each other. You will have a chance to learn about each others personal life, goals, and dreams. In learning more you will also discover things you have in common and you will naturally grow to like each other. That is assuming you have carefully chosen those with whom you meet.
One-on-one meetings are where the networking plan you have created really pays off. Since you have carefully considered the people you want to meet and you skillfully asked questions previously, you won’t be wasting your time when you meet discovering if you are a match. You can get right into knowing each other better.
Occasionally you will have a one-on-one with someone that you thought would be a match but turns out not to be. When this happens it is best to refer them to someone else and move on. Be polite but honest. The best thing for everyone is to have people in your network that truly belong. Skillful questioning, careful listening, and clearly explaining your needs will clarify the relationship. Both you and your meeting partner will quickly see if there is a good match or not.
Meet at a neutral location like a local Starbucks or other coffee house. Meeting at a neutral location keeps the focus of the meeting on the two of you as equals and prevents the conversation from turning one-sided. Neutral locations also provide ease of exit when a match isn’t felt. One-on-ones can be over a meal if you choose. We suggest breakfast as the meal of choice. It’s easy to focus on the food and restaurant when having lunch or dinner, but you want to focus on your meeting partner. Breakfast also provides the lowest cost of entry and the shortest time. One-on-ones should be short and to the point but long enough to become comfortable with each other.
You should bring what you believe will be a good lead or referral for the person you are meeting with. As you engage in more one-on-ones you will become skilled at referring others on short notice. You’ll hear what they do and quickly think of someone you just met or have known for quite a while that needs to know your meeting partner. But and in the beginning it may take a bit more thought. Having at least one potential lead or referral means you have done your homework and that you cared enough to come prepared. It also puts into motion the law of reciprocity. Simply stated, you have done something for them, now they feel obligated to do something for you. All too often we leave meetings feeling like we have made a great connection and neither party takes the next step and gives a referral. Coming prepared puts the relationship into action.
One-on-one meetings are essential to success. They are the building blocks of relationships that will result in more referrals and closed business. People do business with people they know, like, and trust. One-on-one meetings give you the opportunity to know, like, and trust each other.
Observe the Multiple Networking Group Law: No Double-Dipping
As you begin to find success in networking you will undoubtedly expand your network to include more than one group. Becoming active in several networking groups focused on varying interest, geography, or industry is a wise move that will broaden your exposure and increase your effectiveness. We encourage and highly recommend that you are involved in more than one group, chamber of commerce, or both.
With expanded exposure comes the opportunity to share your network with a wider variety of people. You will provide more solutions to more people and they will provide you with more connections. Your network will grow. This benefits you, your network, and your new networking partners.
However there is one rule that you must never violate if you are to succeed in multiple groups. Never under any circumstances give two people in the same business the same referral. If your friend Sam is buying a new house, you cannot refer Sam to two mortgage brokers in different groups. That is just like double-dipping chips at a party; you just shouldn't do it. It is not cool and everyone gets hurt when you share the same referral with two people in the same industry.
Your friend Sam gets a mixed message and begins to feel like he is just a number to you. He is likely to think you are not trying to help him as much as you are trying to help yourself. The two mortgage brokers end up embarrassed and looking like little more than glad-handing salespeople. And you end up with a loss of credibility that will lead to fewer referrals and potential expulsion from both groups.
But do not be confused. It is appropriate and desirable to share the same referral with solution providers in similar but different industries. You most definitely should share Sam's name with one mortgage broker, one realtor, one insurance agent, and one moving company provided you know that Sam has an interest or need for these services. Your knowledge of Sam's needs is a direct result of your relationship with Sam.
Your relationship with Sam may not be close enough for you to know all his needs and interests. You may have recently met Sam and you only know he is in the market for a new home. It stands to reason he may have a need a mortgage broker, insurance agent, realtor, and mover. But you are not close enough to Sam to know for certain. You should still share Sam's name with one provider for each service from your network. In doing so be clear with each person that Sam is a lead, not a referral. In either case, sending resources to Sam that can solve his problems helps him, the referral partners, and you.
Understanding how and when to share referrals is essential to your success in networking and in life. Observing the law of "no double-dipping" will ensure you have greater success.