The four critical people you need in your network

By Janine Garner

The adage “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know” has significantly more weight in this 21st century world of busy-ness, where jobs are taken before they are advertised, previously unthought-of collaborations appear and steal market share, and everyone seems to know everyone else on social media. 

A Harvard Business Review article Managing Yourself, A Smarter Way To Network found that “the executives who consistently rank in the top 20% of their companies in both performance and well-being have diverse but select networks … made up of high-quality relationships with people who come from several different spheres”.

Whether we like it or not, we are all greatly influenced by those closest to us: our confidence, the decisions we make, our thinking, our belief in ourselves and our belief in possibility. So who are the right people to have in your network?

The promoters

Your own personal cheerleading squad is key to your success. These individuals make noise about you, they open doors to opportunity, they help you explore different paths to achieving success and ultimately inspire you to become even more than you are right now.

The crew

A personal pit crew is crucial to maintaining your mental toughness and resilience to keep going. These individuals keep you balanced and on track, they ensure you are connecting with the right positive-energy giving people versus the dream stealers that try and take you off track. Your pit crew will keep you true and on track, preventing emotions from getting the better of you, supporting you all the way to the finish line.  

The teachers

Seek out the teachers – those who will continue to help develop your mastery and knowledge, pushing you to know more. They may have already achieved what you want to achieve and will willingly open doors, make introductions and pave the way to your success.

The butt-kickers

Love them or hate them, we all need butt-kickers – those individuals that help accelerate the journey, pushing you to do more and holding you accountable for all your actions.

Choose your tribe carefully. Ensure you have the critical people around you – guiding, mentoring and cheering you on all the way to achieve your goals – because spending time with these people will influence the person you eventually become.

Janine Garner is a speaker, author, trainer, businesswoman and entrepreneur. She is the Founder and CEO of LBDGroup and works with senior leaders to build high performing teams. She is also the author of From Me To We – Why commercial collaboration will future-proof business, leaders and personal success.

This article was first published by Women’s Agenda.