Executive Power Brand ~ Deb Dib, The CEO Coach

Five Ways to Jump-Start Your Network When Your Network is Nowhere

Is this you?

You know networking works. You know everyone says networking is the best way to get a job. Maybe you even got a job from a lead a contact gave you. But you’ve been too busy doing your job to keep your network alive, or maybe you’ve never networked.

And now your network is nowhere.

You keep meaning to get out there and get started networking. When you have time. When you need to. When it feels right.

Now you’re afraid you waited too long.

You’re afraid that your job may be in jeopardy, or that you are being passed up for a promotion, or that you are stagnating where you are, or that you need more professional visibility.

Or maybe, the worst has happened—you’ve lost your job and you need a network NOW.

Jump Starting is Your Answer

Building a vibrant network of professional and personal contacts doesn’t have to take years. You CAN jump-start your network—even if you’ve not networked for months or years. Even if you have never networked.

Using just five simple steps you can create an action plan that will get you out there, get you known, get you traction, and get you set for a lifetime of powerful and satisfying networking. Follow these five simple steps to jump-start your network and create career momentum:

1. Be your own advertising agency
2. Be your own PR organization
3. Become visibly involved in industry groups
4. Get personal with one-on-one calls and meetings
5. Go virtual to get personal

The steps are not hard, but you will have to work hard to make this happen in a compacted timeframe. Remember—you likely have a lot of catching up to do! But with a plan and with passion, you can make it happen, and make it happen faster than you think.

Is success real without value?

Stop by Cube Rules today and read Scott Herrick's post Value Must Precede Success.

In the bustle of business we sometimes forget our grounding -- the reason we are in business -- and the way we want to conduct our lives.

Sure you can have a business (and a life) without value, but for how long, and at what personal and professional cost?

At Executive Power Brand, my passion is to work with leaders who consciously practice value as a goal -- in business and in life. Value is in their DNA. It's who they are -- an authentic part of their personal brand -- and it touches everyone they manage, the products or services the company sells, and the world in which they live. You might be surprised at how many of these great leaders exist in the corporate jungle, quietly and powerfully doing the right thing, everyday -- and leading highly successful companies or divisons.

Scott's post is an apt reminder of value's reach. It touches every part of life and business. With value, purpose meets passion and profit follows.

Can committed and passionate leaders instill a value proposition throughout the organization? Over at Chief Executive Robert M Donnelly explores how Apple, Costco, and FedEx have built value into their products, people, and customer interactions. Their corporate DNA is built around an implied promise of value, and their brands are wildly successful in their markets.

Without value can true personal and business success be achieved? Without value does success have real meaning? What do you think?