Your NetWork is Your NetWorth

You invest in your money, but do you invest in your relationships? We spend many nights thinking about money, worth and finances. We plug our assets and liabilities into online retirement calculators and dream about unexercised stock options in attempt to forecast our future worth. These types of exercises are useful, but somewhere along the way besides our financial capital, have we ever thought about our social capital? Have we stopped for a second and thought about our ability to built a strong network of authentic personal and professional relationships? Ever thought that Networking is the most important asset in our portfolio?

Some people hate it, some people love it, but at least we can all agree: Networking is one of the most important skills. Relationships are similarly as important to all other aspects we focus on, and can skyrocket our progress if we give them a chance. Unluckily, most people neglect?this particular asset of business?and personal growth. However, it turns out that developing good connections with the right people can lead to more than we can ever achieve if we do things alone. The reason why networking considered one of the best investments of our attention, time and money.

Expressly, seeking out and collaborating with others who share our interests, beliefs and values will build a stronger foundation, allowing us to reach a higher level of success than we would on our own. Hence, our “net worth” will be based not on the size of our portfolio or the size of your network but on our ability to build and define a wide network of people who share the same passion. This will enable us to build a robust and enduring interpersonal safety net that will carry us through any financial calamity to greater output and personal fulfillment. and we may not forget about HAPPINESS, connecting with people who share similar values and passions can also increase feelings of happiness in most cases.

But that's not ENOUGH!

It's not enough to just network within our own industry or profession. We have to branch out and connect with people outside of our own bubble, our immediate sphere of influence, and get comfortable building what we call "weak?ties". This?will?pay off in spades in the long run. As per Teshima, the No. 1 predictor of career success is “the strength of weak ties", the size and openness of our network.

Successful relationships = Mutual Trust

Trust is the solid base of any successful relationship. If you want people to connect with you, they need to trust you first. You have to be able to truly offer something of value, in other words you have to invest in relationships.

The main thing to keep in mind is that when you’re trying to get a person to trust you, you can’t be a one-trick pony. You have to?work?earn that trust, because the other party is under no obligation to trust you. Showering the other party with nice things, especially general ones, is insufficient. our connection needs to be personalized, just as we would do with marketing.

As per Teshima, there’s a personalization hierarchy: “First, focus on shared interests and passions, on the personal stuff. Then look at that person’s company and what they’re doing there. Finally, look at their work history.”

Another way to develop and maintain trusting relationships is by reaching out regularly to people in our network. For instance, thank those people for what they did for us in the past, see how they're doing?and make sure they haven’t forgotten us.

What about LIFE? What's LIFE really about: Head, Heart or Wallet?

Your NETWORK is your NetWorth! Whether your goal is to focus on your head, your heart or your wallet; remember, building and strengthening your network will help you improve your happiness, productivity, and true net worth. Focus on your passions, surround yourself with people that share your values and don’t leave your social capital lie dormant. REINVEST IT!