  Is networking your idea or heaven or hell? Before I began Be You Consultancy & Coaching I had the firm belief that I didn’t need to network and didn’t have time to sit and ‘have coffee’ with people - I had work to do and that was the most important action of my day…. On reflection how wrong I was! So if you are already in this mindset that is amazing and I challenge you to get more people to realise the power of their ‘NET’. Why the change in mindset? The change of my mindset began during COVID when, like many, I realised that whilst I knew my team and colleagues I didn’t know my community or my surroundings. I felt alone. I wanted to get to know more about the area I was living in and had lived in for years but also who my neighbours were and what they did for their careers / lives - what made them tick. When I started in business I had some very wise words given to me which was to: Network, Network, Network. After all you are your brand and if no-one knows you how can they know your brand? This, as you can imagine resonated with me and I networked with vengeance! The Art of Networking Remembering that “art is in the eye of the beholder” according to E.A Bucchineri Where can we start with networking? I once read “Networking for People who hate Networking” by Devora Zack which should give a good overview as to where I was in my mindset! The aim should be to talk to new people and ask them questions about their business and their role so that you build rapport with them and a relationship flourishes however, the majority of people who network have the habit of talking to their friends, people they’ve known for years and having a good gossip - whilst I could ask here whether that action is good for their business or brand it is more important to ask, what is their aim of attending the networking? Was it to catch up with a contact and talk shop or was it go out and market their business? People attend these sessions for so many different reasons, it could even be that they just wanted to get out of the house for a bit or thought the subject that was being discussed sounded interesting - but what is important is that we don’t assume people are all going for the same reason! So why do you network? Do you know what your end goal is? Here are some of my tips for networking  Aim
Then start again!!! Meeting new people can be hard for some of us (me included!) as an introvert I find it tiring, it doesn’t give me the energy as if I was an extrovert however, the more I do it the more enjoyable it is. I find arriving early and finding a ‘job’ really helps takes my nerves away and if I can’t do that I ‘act as if’. That means that I just pretend I’m super confident and eventually that will come true! If you want to work on your strategies for networking, growing your confidence or another area then please contact me. Be You can empower you through our Coaching Programme making sure that you have all the strategies you need to Be You!
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  As business owners, it’s really important that we all stay relevant within our field to ensure that we are able to run with the larger companies and offer our customers the best solutions but… How do you keep relevant and find the time? Let’s tackle the elephant in the room first, THE TIME! That for me is the biggest challenge. - being a small business it’s another action on the ‘to-do list’ but it’s important to remember how critical it is to business success. If I’m not up to date on employment law, the economy, and business challenges when I’m offering solutions to customers how can I be sure they are the best options? If I’m not sure, then how will that come across to the business will I be confident in my approach and how will I fair against other competitors who are tendering for business? Years ago, I had the privilege of working for a very successful businessman who gave me some wise snippets that I have always held onto, one was; Everyone has a shelf-life For me, whilst employed by him it used to concern me in terms of our conversations, I would always have in the back of my mind “is he telling me that I’ve reached my shelf life” though thankfully he wasn’t! On the positive side though it did make me realise that we always need to remain relevant and that I’ve carried forward since that day. How do I make time work for me? I look for quick wins and multi-tasking! I always ask myself how can I get most out of the time I have. After all time is limited isn’t it, when you are taking on the world! Being relevant Have you ever thought about it? Or is it something you just do or maybe you don’t? I’ve always advised teams, and business owners to try to keep a set time for learning in their diaries each week, whether that is 60 mins., 45 or 30 mins! If you think about all your interactions, if you remain curious then you are learning and keeping relevant all the time. Where I tend to struggle is if I’m studying for a qualification and there is a lot of learning to do in order to achieve it. I’m currently studying for several diplomas and the time needed to study can be a challenge! Each week I review my diary and then try to work around business and personal needs / appointments to then add in studying time. I find that if I allocate time then I am more committed to studying rather than getting distracted by something else! I also find that colour coding my diary helps me see how my diary is planned for the week - it is split into 3 colours, studying, work and personal but it’s a great visual check! Quick Wins I find these options work well:
 My challenge / ask of you is to take 5 minutes over a cuppa and consider how you keep yourself relevant.
It would be great to hear from you on what other ways you keep relevant! Remember, stay curious and everyone has a shelf life you’ve just got to make sure you are always in date! Can Be You support you? Yes of course. This support and empowerment would come through the form of coaching. After all the service we offer to our customers is based on what they want, their needs and therefore enabling our customers to be themselves. How can I find out more? Please <contact me>.   Ironically I’m on annual leave whilst writing this so bear with me! I’m in the Highlands on a week’s break at an idyllic home called Sail Mhor View with a view over Little Loch Broom, birds singing in the garden and dogs snoring on the sofa why oh why I am writing a blog? Well, it dawned on me how many of us continue to run our businesses whilst on holiday and do we ever get downtime? In order to answer this I want to refer to a book called work-life brilliance which is a book I read many years ago and changed the way I think about work-life balance. Denise Green (author) talks about the fact we consider work-life balance as a 50/50 split but that is just unrealistic for most especially those who run their own business, in fact, it's much more about looking at it as an individual - are we able to flex our balance so we work some of the time and have down time the rest? That’s what I’m doing, I’m having my morning coffee before going exploring in search of more beaches and stunning views which will make me fall more in love with this part of the world! This way I can be comfortable that the business wheels are still turning and I’m getting my holiday later today. Does this suit all people? of course not. This is my work-life balance, not anyone else’s. However, I’m sure if you ask other business owners or those who are in certain positions within businesses they will do something similar. I always consider there to be a difference though between the expectations business owners put on themselves, and the need to keep their business going and those working for an organisation. Neither is better or worse, just different. Business Owners Having the tendency to work 365 days what ways do you ensure you get your balance right? Where you are meeting the needs of yourself, your family and your friends let alone your interests and just grabbing time for sleep or 'veg on the sofa'? For me, I plan everything in my diary, even those downtime moments! That way I can see clearly see where there is space, when I know I have commitments and even when I want to have a day doing nothing! I didn’t realise how much I did this until one Christmas when my ‘to-do list’ included reading 3 books and watching the Marvel films in the correct sequence! Both I achieved and that was only possible as that was in my diary/to-do list to achieve! Working in a business How do you get your downtime? With the amazing technology we have these days it's hard to not be contactable, isn’t it? Some have ‘off grid’ holidays specifically going somewhere where there is no signal or WiFi but then do they spend their time exploring/ visiting local sights trying to find WiFi? I know I did this once, I found a signal in a food shop in mid-wales and ended up spending an hour or so there - just to answer those ‘important’ emails! France in 2017 brought in legislation to enable workers to digitally detach from work, ensuring that they wouldn’t get a call in the night or that ‘just a quick question’. For the UK it doesn’t look like this is coming in any time soon so how can we self-manage the need for downtime? Quick Wins
Be You Consultancy & Coaching are able to support you to find your balance through our coaching services whilst I make it sound straightforward I continually review and adjust my balance and so far it's taken me over 25 years to refine my art! Whether you are a business owner or working within a business, we can support you with your time management, finding your balance and identifying and achieving your goals. After all, unless we enjoy spinning on a hamster wheel we want to take something from all this work and find enjoyment in what we do! If you think we can support you, then please contact us. |
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August 2024
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