Music festivals and corporate strategies, one in the same

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to have been a part of a special live musical experience called the Lightning Bug Music Festival (http://www.lightningbugmusicfestival.org/). It was a crazy, special, pixie-dust filled fundraiser that started the ball rolling for a lot of people with some really great business ideas.

That's not the story here though. This story is about my friend George. Well, it's more about what George stands for and represents on this particular day for me. He is an incredibly well respected lawyer in our community and is continually recognized as someone who makes a positive difference in people's lives. He is part of the world that I exist in these days: government buildings, planning meetings, contract negotiations, networking events, service club luncheons, etc. He is not part of the world that I had previously enjoyed: late bar nights, road trips, concerts, boozing in some guy's basement or man cave in the wee hours of the morning.

At the festival that day I saw something I'd never thought I see in George. He was walking through the grass towards the stage and our eyes caught each other. He was glowing. I mean he was absolutely radiant. He had that ruddy red look on his face like he had been out in the sun a little too long. He probably had enough to drink that his wife was definitely driving home and his face had this smile that stretched his cheek muscles out so you knew it would hurt tomorrow in his jaw. He comes toward me with an outstretched hand and that gorgeous twinkle and says, "Walter! Why aren't you doing this here every weekend!" You have to understand that this is the first festival our little park had seen in some years and it was a big deal.

He shared with me how much he enjoyed the day and how our department needed to host events like this more often. He made sure I understood that these things were important in our community. As I said goodbye to George and began to look around the crowd I noticed the collision of universes that was happening for me at that very moment.  All of the people I work with and for: the business owners, the park users, local families, corporate executives and their associates were all dancing and drinking with a group of ratty hippies in shoe-less outfits with hula hoops that wouldn't be too appreciated at my weekly Rotary lunch. And that is when it struck me: my job had become my passion. My vocation was my avocation as I sometimes say.

I soon realized that it wasn't really that hard to get there. I only had to put together three things: good people, good intentions and a little prep work before hand.

People are first and foremost all the time no matter what the objective. Either at a festival or in a business venture making sure that you are with the right crowd is paramount. Heading off to four days at Coachella or Lollapalooza with a bunch of folks that make you wretch is a horrid idea. So make sure that if you are hiring someone, looking for a job or putting together a task force for that next big project, ensure that the people you are going to the "show" with are the ones you really want to be eating parking lot burritos with later.

Next, make sure that you are going (or hiring that person, or firing that person for that matter) for the right reasons. I once hired someone even though every other member of my team was against it. I knew that this guy had the skills that we needed in our organization. Unfortunately my staff all wanted another "yes" person that they were already friends with that wouldn't teach them or question them. In the end it worked out great and the whole group was glad that I made the decision.

The same was true when I went to a New Year's Eve show for the wrong reasons. I went to go chase a girl and ended up not enjoying the show at all. In fact, we had tickets for the next night and ended up selling them because we realized it wasn't what we really wanted to be doing. In both situations: work or at a festival you will enjoy it more if you are doing it because you enjoy being there.

And of course in either world, musically or professionally a little bit of prep work goes a long way. Is it going to be scorching hot all day? Will there be food and water there? Will it be outrageously expensive? Do you have to pay for parking? Do we have all the right resources for our project? Does the timeline seem reasonable? Are we prepared for the eventual hiccups that always occur? Are our goals reasonable? Have we talked with our customers, clients and other stakeholders about what success looks like or what the deliverable's are? Did we put it all in writing? The time spent on looking at logistics and details will save you energy in the end and will ensure that the pleasure of the event itself is appreciated.

So yes, work and business can and should be fun. So go ahead, grab your blanket, lawn chair, picnic basket or whatever else you take to a music fest in your world and instead bring them to your office. If you have the right people, intentions and a little forethought your entire team will be dancing like no is watching. And if you are really lucky George and his wife will be sitting next to you.

Why should we take the time to be better networkers?

So Why Should You Network? 

The other week I was lucky enough to be sent to Wheeling, West Virginia to join the National Recreation and Park Associations' Revenue Development and Management School. It was generally accepted by the group that at least a portion of the week long seminar was intended for networking and getting to know other successful professionals in the Parks and Recreation industry.

This of course made me think about whether or not the people that paid for us to be there (tax payers) would appreciate that we were there (at least in part) to hang out and get to know one another, often times over food and libations.

In my previous blog post I discussed that fact that networking is a skill. That means that it can be learned and taught to others. It means that you should take a risk on an individual who has little to no networking skill when hiring. I also believe in the notion that networking is a necessary skill in today's business world.

The longer I sat through these education sessions the more that I became convinced that all of this is true.

As a manager (and I don't think it matters whether we talk about public, private or non-profit sector) having the basic networking knowledge and skill sets is incredibly important. A few different situations that came to mind as I learned about generating revenue and reducing costs in the parks and recreation world include:

• Getting recommendations when you are looking for new employees to hire.
• Researching an area or subject with which you are unfamiliar with for a project.
• Getting information about a potential employer before you go on an interview.
• Collecting information about a potential client.
• Obtaining reviews and recommendations when hiring a contractor or consultant.
• Finding colleagues who have already partnered with another agency, service provider or vendor.
• Review results and feedback on a contractor or program provider before you hire them.

Aside from all of these reasons though I heard again and again from my peers how important it was to be able to adapt to the seemingly constant stream of changes in local government.

In other words you need to be able to think on your feet and move quickly when threats or opportunities arise. You need to be able to connect the dots between people, ideas and social situations. You need to be able to make the world a better place. And yes networking does that.

And that is the most important reason to network. By making the right and best hire, by putting the best contractor to work for you, by introducing the next great manufacturer to the next great marketer you might make the world a little better. You will gain credibility by making appropriate introductions. Colleagues will entrust you with information if they know you will use it to aide them. People will naturally gravitate towards you if they know you have a strong network that can support them as well.

If nothing else remember this, networking at its heart is not about you, your rise to the top or the number of LinkedIn connections you obtain. It's all about putting the right people together at the right time. So take a step back, review the how's and now start working on your why's of networking.

How to network...using social media or not!

How to network...using social media or not!

In the next few blog posts I will do my best to de-mystify the process of networking, define networking, define what it is not, discuss the role of social media and give some tried and true tips and hints at working a room like a professional. 

Let's get started...

So what is networking?

Networking is all about relationship development, creating bonds between you and someone else that will lead to success and improvement for both of you down the road.

Networking is simply an information exchange between you and another person. It involves establishing relationships with people who can help you advance your career in many ways.

Business networking is leveraging your business and personal connections to bring you a regular supply of new business. The concept sounds simple, doesn't it? Don't let that fool you, though. Because it involves relationship building, it can be a deceptively complex process.

Networking is an exchange of information, contacts, referrals and goodwill. Networking leads to new relationships, new opportunities and greater accomplishments.

At its essence networking is about learning. It is about finding a way for you and another person to be mutually beneficial to each other. Because at the end of the day (whether it be a business or a personal day) the only people that what to network with, hang out with you and learn from you are those that you can help become better humans.

Remember, networking happens all of the time. It can be at the lunch table, in line at the store, at a business after hours, at the gym or during your kids basketball game. 

What networking is not?

It is not a transaction. It is not making a sale. It is not about what you can get from someone.

Networking is not a transactional process. 

“It’s the difference between prostitution and a romantic relationship,” as my friend Ursula likes to say. (Follow her at http://www.saquiresearch.com/blog/). In other words if we do it in terms of selling it’s a one night stand.

The goal of good networking is to find and develop relationships with people that you can help and can help you.

So that's it?

Yup, that really is the beginning. Networking is a way to make the world a better place. You can do it everywhere and at anytime. Do not think that it is a sales process or a way to "get something" from someone. The most successful and respected networkers are those that find ways to help colleagues succeed and improve. They help others find connections and a way to improve their process.

So get out there and see if you can identify some times during your day that you could turn into networking opportunities. Begin to take stock of your connections and think of them in terms of how you can help them.

Good luck!

I have been thinking a lot about networking lately...what is the point? Why do it? How do I go about doing it? What are the benefits of taking the risk of meeting new people in a new place? Why is this something that I don't want to do?

And then I heard a friend say the other day that:

your net worth is equal to your network.

And the more I think of it he is right.

I have also been told that:

you are the average of the people that you associate with.

Each of these are probably fairly accurate statements of how important it is to have a good, solid network of the type of people that are going to help you achieve your goals, both business and personal.

Because again, what's the point of networking? Is it because we just want to hang out with folks? Well that's just being with your friends. Is it because we are naturally social creatures? That's just human nature. Or is it because we want something? We want that sale, that referral, that connection that is going to land us the next great job or gig.

Networking is how we decide which people we can collaborate with, share ideas with and make an impact with. There are always going to be people in our communities that we never really associate with even though we run into them all the time. Then there are those that become colleagues, become our collaborators, people we share our ideas with first. Most of these people come into our lives because of networking. These are the core members of our business contacts. It's critical to cultivate those friendships and relationships. It's even more important that we help them develop their networks.

It would probably be a good idea for us to know how to do it well!