We need to be connected
Russell Dalgleish
Scottish Serial Entrepreneur, Investor and Entrepreneur in Residence
This week I have been again contemplating the value to be found in the connections we make in our lives.
On two occasions this week I was approached by individuals whom I have not spoken with for over seven years. They were prompted to reach out because they felt I would be interested in working with them on a project.
I feel very fortunate to find myself in this position. But this is not down to luck, this is further evidence of the intrinsic business value to be found in building and maintaining relationships.
So this week you will find the articles below focus on how we go about building quality, long-lasting relationships and why this is so much more than "networking".
Much of my thinking about community building and the importance of relationship building comes from the teachings of Kingsley Aikins of the The Networking Institute the world's leading expert on the subject.
I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to interview this amazing man. Click on the image below to access his presentation on networking and our interview.
Articles
Networking v Relationship Building
In this article, I explore the difference between Networking and Relationship Building and suggest that the latter creates real value in our business lives.
Time to drop the mask
As individuals, we want to meet the "real you" but the journey to discover who we are can be painful and force us to accept hard truths about ourselves however the benefit is that fear and uncertainty are removed from our lives.
This was a hard piece to write but it helped me to understand that my authentic voice was the one I must always ensure is heard.
领英推荐
Do you trust me?
At the core of every deal you win, every customer you work with or every partner you collaborate with you will find "trust". But what is it, how do we establish it and why is it so much more than networking?
What next for me
This week I will be in London, Warsaw and Wroclaw as I split my time between England and Poland.
In London, on Tuesday 7th May I will be hosting an investment/entrepreneur event on behalf of Scottish Business Network . These are always tremendously life-affirming evenings focused on supporting the entrepreneur to meet investors. No pitching here, I interview the entrepreneurs personally to ensure I best position them in the investor's eye.
These events always deliver the best networking opportunities as all are present to help each other. If you would like to attend this event then DM me and I will try and secure you a place as my guest.
On Thursday morning I'm the opening act on day two of the Wolves Summit in Warsaw where I will be sharing my advice to fellow entrepreneurs.
The Wolves Summit events always deliver value due to their unique 1-21 matching focus which guarantees that I get to meet interesting entrepreneurs and investors rather than leaving these "collisions" to chance.
What Now
Events Manager, Translator/interpreter, Business Development Facilitator, Global Scot; Transmanche Development Group Delegate for Normandy ; British Embassy Regional Business Network Normandy Delegate
6 个月I couldn’t agree more with everything that is said - in the term international relations the key is the word relations…a difficult notion for the development of national strategies in the political world as building relations takes nurturing over time and and the political timescales are often focused on the next elections - interesting that the Irish government has chosen to invest in this principle…and we all know that dynamic national strategies benefit our economies and therefore our businesses.
Fast Track Business Development / Venture Capital / M&A / Promotion of Global Leadership / Speaker / Non Exec
6 个月Thank you for the update Russell, ?? safe travels and I hope our paths cross again soon. ?? My Best, Paul
Regional Director with The Marketing Centre - Proven Marketing Leaders. Real Business Results. | Fractional CMO | LinkedIn Strategist | A.I. Advocate in Marketing | Fellow of Chartered Institute of Marketing
6 个月I am a firm believer that going forward that the people or brands that are trusted the most will be the ones that prosper. I think Trust will be “the” thing that matters most!
CEO/Co-Founder @ IndieScene | Disrupting film distribution. #indiefilm #web3 #filmdistribution #cinema #screenings #events #festivals #arthouse #independentfilm #filmmakeractivist
6 个月Been pushing this narrative for a while. It’s been difficult for UK cities and local Burroughs to adapt. The policy makers and industry leaders all want to chase after the bigger fish in Big Tech, etc They don’t understand the power of growth and sustainability from supporting communities from the bottom-up — local businesses and vendors.
Life science, medtech, biotech networker and super-connector
6 个月All about the relationships we build and nurturing them along the way Russell...you never know what doors may open through them!