The big takeaways

You’ve reached the end of this course, but the journey is far from over. As we said at the start, the information here is iterative and living and you should never stick your completed worksheets on a shelf to be ignored but rather keep adjusting, updating and working on them.

Now, before we wrap up, we’ve listed the key learnings from this course.

Be authentic

Always be yourself. It’s too exhausting to be anyone else. Networking becomes a lot like hard work if you subscribe to the belief that you have to be a falsified version of yourself. People will be attracted to you and your passion for what you’re doing will prevail. And in truth, those who are not attracted aren’t your people. Let them go.

Have a positive mindset

Networking can be as fun or as miserable as you want it to be. Apply structure, purpose and a comfortable approach to it and you will remove the pain and see positive results.

Build a strategy

Networking feels vast and boundless without a purposeful approach. Develop a strategy that supports your goals. Once you’ve devises your strategy work on it a little bit all the time, prioritising tasks and making them achievable.

Build your network

Work slowly and consciously on building your network. It’s a combination of those you already know and those you want to meet. Take your time, starting with research and keep track of all the information you compile. Contact known contacts and meet new ones through introductions, cold calls and live events. It’s a marathon, but one with a great return on your investment.

Nurture Your Network

Always take good care of your network. Protect your contacts from yourself and others. Ask sparingly and give often. Keep in regular contact and be genuine in your approach. Please and thank you go a long way. Take good care of your network and work on it often and it will give back to you tenfold.