The Importance Of Substance Over Style When Building A Following

Gail watched Lydia work their booth at the trade show. Standing off to the side, holding the two cups of coffee she was bringing back, Gail saw Lydia smile and talk to the CEO of one of their major clients. He, in turn, was introducing a woman to Lydia whom Gail knew as the owner of a large company that Lydia had on her list to solicit for business. When they left, Gail started walking forward but stopped when she saw an ex-colleague who had moved to a competitor stop at the booth and engage Lydia in a lively conversation that ended with both of them laughing.

Shaking her head, Gail handed a cup of coffee to Lydia and said: “You amaze me. I saw the different people you talked to in the past five minutes, and it only added to the list of what I observed all morning. It goes with what I see at the office. Everyone comes to Lydia! What’s your secret? I want to be you in 20 years.”

Lydia chuckled as she took an appreciative sip of the coffee. “It won’t take you 20 years. It also isn’t a secret. What I do is an extension of who I am and what I have been doing since high school. My parents taught me to do my best and work hard. When my father coached my softball team, he taught us that the strength of the team was each player and that each player was the strength of the team.”

Gail looked thoughtful. “And that is the secret? Work hard and work closely with people?”

“Very good. You get it,” said Lydia. “They are ideals I work hard at every day. It is second nature to me, but I have coached people who did not have my upbringing to learn them. The trick is to apply the lessons with mindfulness and humility. When people realize you are good at what you do, they will flock to you, be it for advice, buy from you, or just because they enjoy the relationship. It certainly makes work enjoyable and productive. You find success, which in turn, brings more success your way.”

Becoming A Sphere Of Influence

Many people aspire to be what Lydia is -- someone who people come to because they're recognizable in their field.

One way of going about it is to keep telling people how much you know and shout out your abilities and knowledge at every opportunity. The problem with this approach, however, is that many people who try it cannot back up what they talk about to others. They are like a shooting star that hits the earth’s atmosphere and burns up. They have no foundation for what they are telling people. It might take a bit of time, but inevitably, others see through these people and stop coming to them. These are the individuals who want to be in the limelight for the accolades and to charge their ego. Their motivation is the limelight, not the desire to be great at what they do and help others.

In her conversation with Gail, Lydia indicates that working hard and becoming knowledgeable and competent in your field is going to bring people to you. Lydia also expresses to Gail how a lot of what we do in business is a team sport. When you look at all you do, whether as an entrepreneur or as a part of a company, you realize you do not do much by yourself. Whether you are the owner, supervise others, work in a team or are just joining a firm, rarely are you working in isolation. You have definite responsibilities, but by successfully doing your job, you are helping the entire enterprise. Our careers are more like a football team, where 11 people have to work together on the field to win games. It is not like golf where you only have to worry

about what you do.

Because of the nature of work, your most natural networking occurs with those you come in close contact with during your duties. When people see that you work diligently at assignments and you encourage others in their work, you start to become a natural magnet for others to come to you. This extends out to customers, potential customers, others in your profession and people you never thought of meeting.

Today’s world is often a paradox. Sometimes we hear more about individuals through social media and events because they work diligently at branding themselves. However, even with all that exposure, it usually does not take long for others to judge whether the person has positive things to offer or if he or she is more style over substance. Those deemed to have something to offer go far; the others are left on the roadside of their profession.

It might seem trite that hard work and relating to others is the key to success, but truthfully, sometimes we miss the value of common sense when we are trying to move our careers forward. When you know your job and are generous about your expertise with others, people are going to want to associate with you. If this is not something that comes naturally to you, begin to push yourself to become more accessible to others. Nothing speaks louder than good work, so the priority is to be good at what you do. Share that with a degree of genuine humility, and doors will open to you that might not seem possible now.

People who have successful books or TED Talks are those who are confident in their field and want to share with others. Often, when we take our eyes off ourselves and focus on other people, the rewards are overwhelming. Know your strengths, back them up with results, and soon you will have a following that you never anticipated.

This article was originally featured on Forbes Coaches Council.