Who Do You Want in Your Network of Relationships?

Find people who want to be persons of impact who make a difference that matters.

A network of relationships is a form of partnership. I have worked with business partnerships in the past. They are terribly difficult to make work well. There are all sorts of idealistic notions about how we are going to work together.

If you have read my previous two posts (here and here) about creating a network of relationships, you will see how much vetting I think you should do. As I was writing this morning, I decided to go back to a presentation that I made almost three years ago at Utah Valley University. There I spoke to students about being persons of impact. This is the idea that I want you to grasp.

Here’s the presentation.

In selecting people to join your network of relationships, you want the following. I know that I am repeating myself.

Shared values, purpose, and understanding of impact.

Display the pattern of behavior of generosity, giving, gratitude, and humility.

Commitment to being respectful, trustworthy, and mutually accountable.

Ability to work together to create a shared vision.

Talent, skills, and expertise for creating impact.

Experience in working as a team.

Experience in taking personal initiative to create impact.

The reality is that no one matches all these characteristics. Though maybe a team can.