A to Z of Networking. A for....

In an endeavour to compile the A to Z of networking from the Greats in the Industry along with my two cents to it, am herewith starting a series of 26 articles on Networking. Here is the first one

While there are quite a lot of words starting with A in Networking, lets concentrate on three words

When you hear of the word Authentic, the things that generally come to mind are Authentic Food, Authentic Design, Authentic Material and Authentic Products. We contemplate a lot before convincing ourselves that what we are getting into & committing to, is indeed worth it. Nobody likes to be be conned. It indeed leaves a bad feeling.

Once during a visit to Sri Lanka, my wife & I were impressed with a particular Gem stone jewellery. The traders at Srilanka, had a unique way of selling. They used to show a sort of glorified documentary of how these stones were mined, designed, produced and then finished with such finesse. We did buy this stone which was rather expensive. For a brief period of time, post the purchase we had an element of doubt about its Authenticity & were at times tempted to get it tested at other places. But then, in case it turned out to be unauthentic we would have been disappointed. So, decided to let the feeling go & remained satisfied with status quo.

Not everyone may feel the same way, or for that matter, the consequences of an adverse experience, while being traumatic to the receiver may also quite likely be disastrous to the giver. As generally, these transactions are not just one off. Authenticity, hence is the corner stone of any Healthy Relationship Building

The next A is Attention. Attention is being alert, oriented and having executive Control on the discourses. With attention, develops good listening skills. rapport builds and thereby a good decision making.

While we were kids, the teacher used remind us frequently to be attentive in the classroom. Yes, I do agree that a creative teacher would no doubt get the attention of the kids. As we become adults and engage in any activity of Networking, it is imperative to be attentive - both ways. While listening to the other person or, watching ones own words and body language. Paying attention increases efficiency for self and at the same time builds respect in the other person's eye. Have we not heard of Ekalvya's story. While the story is popular for his unwavering submission to Guru, there is one another characteristic of Ekalavya which comes out through this. That is being attentive. He used to watch the Kuru princes learn Archery from a distance, come back & reproduce the same for practise.

Paying Attention is a key requirement in Networking

Not Flattery, not sycophancy or not even excessive compliment. Genuine and timely Appreciation is a true characteristic of a good Networker. Praise in Public and Chide in Private has to be practised. Being appreciative should come out naturally. If not, keep making honest attempts at every possible occasion to Appreciate Good work. Partnerships in Business or Life either fail or succeed on how good the partners are complementing each other. Not just that, Appreciating the partner in public goes a long way in strengthening the relationship. In the movie Srikanth, which depicts how a blind man not only overcomes his disability but also becomes a highly successful Businessman, there is a situation when he partners with an investor. Over time things happen & relationships start to strain. However Srikanth realises this. At an award winning ceremony for being the best Business man, Srikanth publicly acknowledges his partner's all important role in this achievement. The relationship not only become normal but strengthens several notches

Genuine Appreciation wins many a heart

So my dear folks, Authenticity, Attention and Appreciation are the three keywords in Networking starting with the alphabet A

Keep watching this space for the next Alphabet of Networking

Best Regards

Krishna Praveen Rao