T07 - How to allocate your network-building time

How should you invest the time you allocate to network-building?

How you allocate your network building time will significantly impact how quickly you achieve your end goals.

Most of us constantly struggle with the issue of how best to invest our time.

It is inspiring to realise that your goal should be to multiply your time rather than just manage it. This is well explained by Rory Vaden in his TED talk “How to multiply your time”.

The “Urgent” always seems to be trying to steal our time away from investing in our “Important”, doesn’t it?

This is why there are so many great resources in the CC on how you allocate your time.

When considering how you spend your time, it helps to evaluate whether you are pursuing pleasing results or pleasing methods. 

Many people waste a great deal of time pursuing what boils down to pleasing methods that yield mediocre results. And they don’t even realise they are doing it!

For example, many people spend time continually meeting great new people. However, relationships are not created from a one-off meeting. In other words, you need a systematic way of effectively and efficiently building relationships.

We recommend rowing with 2 oars when it comes to network building. With one oar, you should deliberately allocate time to building your team. With the other oar, you should allocate time to advocating for those in your team and having 1-on-1 meetings arranged by others for you.

You will also spend time learning how to build your network. However, the tools, hints, and tips you learn in the CC could save you several hours each week in other activities.

Where you spend your time in the CC partly depends on your end goals and your means goals.

For example, suppose your means goals include having an ever-increasing number of people advocating for you.

In that case, you should allocate part of the time you devote to the CC to finding network-building partners capable of building advocating teams.

Lead by example!

As Albert Schweitzer famously said: example is not the main thing in influencing others; it’s the only thing.”

Show your team that you prioritise team-building by reaching out to a carefully filtered list of potentially like-minded others on LinkedIn (as busy as you are). You have formed a habit and do a little bit every day.

When you set the example, you will find a few others in your group are also prepared to form small network-building habits.

 You only need a few active team members to create a rapidly growing team of team building advocates.