2 Sure-Fire Ways to Ensure Success

I was discussing a few things with a close colleague, Steve Hill, yesterday and we tripped over something very interesting.

Years ago Steve was appointed to run a sales branch office for IBM in Western Canada.  Getting this job was a major milestone and at the time represented Steve achieving a significant promotion.

He was only in the position for a few weeks when he got a call from an old friend and past co-worker.

His friend was calling to congratulate Steve and expressed the opinion that Steve would do well in the job based on his great talent and experience.

Then he said something very interesting.  He said that Steve should remember that all things end or change.  And that his new firm had been designed to leverage the skills and talents that Steve would develop in his new role. He just wanted Steve to know that he was there to help Steve succeed in his new position and when things changed, he would be waiting with a great opportunity.

Every few months he would touch base and offer advice and encouragement.

A year or so later Steve recalls looking in the mirror in the morning and thinking about how the job now had good parts and some really ugly challenges. He thought about his friend’s calls and it gave him the confidence to do what had to be done to be successful in his role and with the challenges he faced. The external career choices allowed Steve to be aggressive and do the right things to be successful.

So what can we learn from this story?

First, you owe it to yourself to always have people in your network who give you confidence and a sense of external future options so you can perform at your highest level in your current position.  These external choices actually drive increased performance for your current employer and team.

Second, always have people in your network that, at the right time, could join your team and drive performance and growth.  We call this process AlwaysOnRecruiting or recruiting through Value Based Networking.

So, who do you have in your network?  Are there future options for you or future additions to your team? Why not reach out today?