7 Key Ingredients for Building Your Connections

I have found that there are 7 key ingredients to improve, build, and multiply my connections.

Ingredient #1 is Awareness

It is important to be aware that connections are all around you.  Most of it is up to you and how you present yourself.  This is about being interested in people, asking questions, and putting yourself “out there” and can lead to many seeds being planted.

I pray each morning that God will introduce me to the people He wants me to meet and that I will be open to meeting with them.  I am a very strong extrovert so people are my passion.  If you are more on the introvert side, you will have to work a bit harder at this.

What is your “connectivity quotient”?

What could you do differently today to be more connected?

Ingredient #2 is Action

Nothing happens if you do not take action.  We have to start attending live and virtual events to make connections.

It is important to recognize that the fortune is in the follow-up and what kind of actions you are willing to take with your connections.

What actions are you taking to connect?  How can you follow up today?

Ingredient #3 is Advantage

We all have an advantage that can be used when connecting.  This is like we discussed with the power of referrals, word of mouth and the power of social media.   Use your connections to increase your advantage.  And be careful of the word USE.  I do not mean it in a harmful way.  We can “use” anything in our life to create something good or to cause harm.

We are called as Christian women entrepreneurs to use our God-given gifts for good in order to create a bridge.  And really, connections are a way to be an example of how Jesus lived.

What is your advantage? How can you use your leverage?

Ingredient #4 is Authenticity

One easy way to increase your connectivity quotient is to be real and tell your story.  The people you meet want to know the real you.  They want to see you.  Be authentic.  Talk about your journey.  Find the common ground, not the differences.

If we do not connect through authentic interaction, our long term business will not thrive.

Are you sharing your real story?  Or putting on a false image in order to “look good”?

Ingredient #5 is Attitude

It is important to connect with the right attitude.  We have to be attractive to attract people and much of the time this comes down to our attitude.

The truth is that if you are connecting out of guilt or responsibility then that will show up in your attitude.  If I am in the wrong frame of mind, I do not want to infect others with that by going to a networking event.  We are called to serve with an attitude of joy, not an attitude of imposition.

What is your attitude?

How might you need to reframe your thinking?

Ingredient #6 is Accountability

In order to create life-long connections, we must be accountable and reliable.  It is about being who you say you are.

The bottom line is that we have to stop being vague and take ownership of our personal connections.  No one else can do the work for us.

Who do you need to be accountable to?

How will you gauge your level of connecting?

Ingredient #7 is Adventure

This is the best part because connecting is an adventure.  Think of it as a research project and you are studying each person that comes in your path. Learn to be a people magnet.   Create joy and have some fun!

Connections are crucial for the journey as a woman of faith.

What are you most excited about related to connecting?

On a personal note:  It is the connections that I have made along the way that have made the difference in my business and my life.  Be a lover of people.  Go where God sends you.  You might be there for the sake of your sister in Christ this week.  Or God might have just the person that you need to meet.  Just show up!

 

Diane Cunningham is the Founder and President of the National Association of Christian Women Entrepreneurs. She is a “business therapist”, plane crash survivor, author, consultant, speaker, marathon runner, and fun friend.

Find out more about NACWE and why 165 women joined in the first year at www.nacwe.org. Connect with Diane at www.facebook.com/DianeCunningham for fun updates, silly videos, and lively conversation.