Servant Networking: Is It A Thing?

I miss the 5-10 minutes before the meeting starts, sitting around a conference room table and getting personal with co-workers. Remember that few moments we used to joke around or learn about someone’s family before it’s time to throw on the serious hat? Now, it’s video chats, phone calls, and instant messaging for almost every meeting. The human touch feels like it’s vanishing before my eyes.

I have a lot to share and would start with one simple thought: Servant Networking...

Working with thousands of insurance agents, including the greats like Kevin Mlynarek, Greg Grey, Mark Noffsinger, and Laura Harris for years has been an awesome experience and I am grateful for them. Having a well-established network has become an important part of our lives. The easiest way to expand your network is to build on the relationships with people you know; family, friends, classmates, colleagues and acquaintance's.

Since the start of the year, I have been reaching out via LinkedIn and asking my connections for networking calls. I want to be proactive in creating connections, instead of passively waiting for them to come to me. When speaking to business and non-profit leaders of all sizes, I begin by listening. I am not always trying to sell and solve their problem or even uncover a problem they may not know they have (but deep inside ABC baby!).

During these calls, I am always thinking of ways I can potentially help them. When someone says they are out of work, I immediately think of connecting them to my good friend Gordy Hunt at Endevis. When someone starts talking about marketing and they are struggling to bridge the gap between their ideas, the digital technology world and social media, I immediately think of my good friends Richard Hayes at Digital Lightbridge and Tim Saddoris at InfoStream.

Here is another example; when someone is hurting to find sales or needs to be introduced to a company, I take it upon myself to share my skill set and ask them which position are they targeting. Then I help them get contact information to the right person. I don’t do the work for them but I help get the ball rolling by enabling them.

How often do I get told from a connection that they are not interested in a call? Almost all the time! The part that still boggles my mind; the connection is in business and has a job but gets so mad when you ask for a quick call?! You never know what opportunities might be uncovered and for anyone to say they don’t have 10 minutes in their day over the course of a week is simply, full of it. I have almost 11,000 Connections and I get tons of automation messages. Every request, I take a minute to check their profile and respectfully decline if I can't put an alignment together. Okay, sometimes I will ignore them but if they are persistant (and good for them!) I will reply.

I don’t consider myself a consultant. I am happy working for my CEO, Archie Heinl at Double A Solutions, but I find it rewarding to help others. I have been a leader in business for many years and there are a lot of failures and successes to share. My goal is to help my connections, getting them the information they need for their success, talking about operations, business development or simply by introducing folks.

My point to all of this? The act of giving without the expectation of receiving is perpetually rewarding. Immediately, you will feel gratification for helping someone else. Later, well, you will be remembered. Try being the one to offer the helping hand first and you’ll be surprised on the results. Trust me, Servant Networking is a thing and it is not a waste of time.

If you would like to have a conversation to discuss this idea further, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I look forward to it.