Project Exponential

Tag: relationships

  • 3 tips to make your meeting count

    Tip #1: If you’re looking to connect meaningfully, place the other before you.

    Most successful people are busy people. They’ve carved time out of their day to meet with you. Time is a resource neither party can redeem after you’ve parted ways. Be considerate.

    After every meeting, thank each and every person for their contribution and time. A follow up thank you builds rapport and communicates respect, paving the way towards a meaningful connection. Your thank you also provides an opportunity to make sure your intent and needs have been clearly communicated.

    Tip #2: People cannot help you if they don’t know how.

    “I’m looking for a job” will quickly place you into a forgotten drawer of miscellaneous. However, confidently stating, “I’m looking to support locally owned restaurants with sustainable missions” positions you in a specific category, making your ask an easy recall. Guess who will be first in mind when any kind of opportunity in the health, wellness, hospitality, sustainable industries pops up? Be specific and know what you want. People generally want to see you succeed and will help if they know how.

    Tip #3: Jazzy Jane from Toledo is sitting by the cheese dip.

    Effective networking and memorable impressions go hand in hand. It’s like learning names. Create a colorful story when you first meet someone, and you’ll have an easier time asking them to pass the salad bowl.

    What characteristics separate you from the crowd? Practice telling your unique narrative to a friend. If you aren’t comfortable making your remarkable presence known, chances are high that you won’t during your meeting, either.

  • The company and the cook

    There’s a lot you can control in this world. There’s a lot you can’t.

    Focus on what you can, and the rest will take care of itself.

    “The success of the dinner depends as much upon the company as the cook. Discordant elements – people invited alphabetically, or to pay off debts – are fatal.”

    –Ward McAllister

  • “So…what do you do?” or 20 things you can talk about when meeting someone new

    A challenge:

    The next time you’re at a party or social gathering, abolish “What do you do?” from your vernacular.

    You will most likely find out sooner or later what someone does. There are a gazillion things you can talk about without having to ask how an individual pays bills, and the probability that the “9-5” isn’t really what gets that person going is high. Isn’t it more interesting to talk about passion?

    Topics you can discuss when meeting someone for the first time:

    1. current events
    2. recent book reads
    3. projects that excite you
    4. favorite places to travel
    5. hobbies
    6. pets
    7. an embarrassing story you can laugh at now
    8. why you’re there
    9. who you are looking to meet
    10. where you’re stuck
    11. sports (whether you play, watch, or remember a hero from childhood)
    12. notable charities
    13. beverage of choice
    14. plans for the holidays / next scheduled vacation
    15. an object in space (a nearby piece of artwork or architecture of the building)
    16. something you’re looking forward to
    17. sincere compliments
    18. the weather (if you must)
    19. recent successes
    20. first memory taking risks

    note: On occasion, you will meet an individual who has successfully managed to blend passion and work. Hang around this person, ask them lots of questions, and ask them to introduce you to others.

  • Yes, you can choose

    The people around you have a direct impact on your vision, your drive, your goals, your performance, and the way you dream. Their passion can inspire you to reach for more, or their apathy can dissuade you from continuing progress.

    If you recognize the importance of carefully choosing friends, consider the responsibility when identifying leaders, company mastheads, presidents.

  • 14 tips to make your next conference worthwhile

    1. Ask if you can help.
    2. Better yet, email in advance and offer your services.
    3. Do your homework. Learn about the speaker, the attendees, the presentation.
    4. Don’t sit next to someone you know.
    5. Ask a question — everyone will know who you are.
    6. Ask only one question. Don’t be THAT guy.
    7. They are business cards, not playing cards. Distribute sparingly.
    8. Take advantage of the breaks. Chat with fellow attendees. Ask why they’re there.
    9. Organize a dinner and pass out invites during lunch.
    10. Hang out by the food table. Eat last.
    11. Don’t hound the speaker. Send an email three days later with something you learned.
    12. Stay an extra night after the conference ends. Set up coffee dates. Plan a sightseeing tour.
    13. Embrace the unexpected. Don’t over-schedule. Impulse and serendipity are good things.
    14. Graciousness and appreciation cannot be overstated.

  • Don’t cheat yourself

    Throughout my work, I’ve looked for ways to help professionals find their edge. I enjoy creating opportunities for people to connect, and I like disrupting things. I carefully consider the talents, skills, and work of individuals to see how strangers might enter a room and leave as friends. I ask questions with the intent of changing the way someone considers another, helping people talk about challenges they might be afraid to admit. I like watching industries share ideas in ways they hadn’t before imagined. I call it curated networking, and no two experiences are alike.

    The point is, I’m looking to change people’s lives through relationships. We’ve somehow arrived at the juncture where we avoid connection. We guard carefully against who we allow into our circles. We avoid eye contact walking down the street. We limit the time we devote to leisurely interact with others. Some even argue our ability to make new friends after a certain age. We fear strangers and write them off for having no value to our busy lives. We’ll connect — if it’s easy and convenient and there’s an easy out.

    However you do it, refuse to be complacent. You can find a connected, outside observer who has a fresh perspective and can introduce you to personalities you might not otherwise meet. You can set goals to meet fellow travelers and instigators who will push you to find that next level. You can promise yourself that you’ll place yourself in new situations, demanding more out of your life and others than what the people around you expect of themselves.

    Find people who can challenge you, make you uncomfortable, surprise you, inspire you. Find others who share your same belief in greater work, greater conversation, deeper meaning. Put yourself in situations to remind yourself of the power of serendipity. There are people out there waiting to meet you. Don’t cheat them by holding yourself back. Don’t cheat yourself.