Forget the sky—there is limitless space above, below, and all around!
A great network takes time and sharp skills to be built-to-last because there is no quick way to the top—nor should there be. The days of “the sky’s the limit” and then “there are no limits” are long gone, just like the world maps of old.
New network professionals need to explore the possible reach of a product and the impact of the company, which is built all the way around and not always up. There’s a great benefit to exploring that space around a network rather than aiming so high the oxygen cuts out. A local company and its clients are just as important as any new foreign market; taking time to get to know new onboard partners is essential before bringing in a whole new crop of professionals. The network is only as good as its leaders, and they have to be trusted to build their own franchises with the same brilliance as the other.
All that’s needed to reach them is the right challenge. Here are a few tips to help lead the charge!
Know when to yield but not stop
Other networks sense weakness when a company isn’t moving for any amount of time. So what? Wise investors need time to see their plants grow and then figure out what the soil has and needs. Too much water and food can ruin a garden, as can too much attention when yielding to action is what’s needed.
Know what to chase—and when to run
Plenty of professionals “run” full speed without actually chasing anything, although they are convinced they’re after a client or network. That something substantial, Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) or level presently out of reach. This means the right challenge hasn’t presented itself, and more time is needed before further action is effective.
Challenges can be the “next best thing” before that final goal
Once the BHAG is in sight, it doesn’t always produce the expected climax. Sometimes a challenge can actually be the “goal” in terms of learning enough to make future successes possible. Not all limits are identified and broken—some need to be discovered and taken apart, and then the goalpost is clear for this time—and the next five. Each challenge offers your business and brand a story to enhance and personalize the network.
Whether the challenge is for the business or the professional herself, both are invaluable to real change on the network and personal level. A real success over a challenge can make or break the mentality of the company and the direction it’s going. Setting, breaking, or stretching beyond any limits will make all the difference, and can only be part of the nature of success. Without those limits there is no space to grow or fly.