One of the most important assets in a career is actually the people you keep around you. Believe it or not, surrounding yourself with the right people is actually more important than prior job experience or even education!
Many people fail to realize how powerful this actually is and they search elsewhere for a solution on how to better their career, but never succeed. Maybe you're even having trouble comprehending how important it is to surround yourself with other professionals in the same field as you, so here are a handful of things to consider:
The Status That Follows
A major benefit of surrounding yourself with other professionals is that you will begin to take part in the same status that they have. Those around you will begin to treat you as they treat those people and you will be considered more successful, just because they've proven their success. Not only this, but it's important to constantly be meeting new people and expanding your network base, because that's a valuable asset for establishing your brand and getting your product recognized.
Spreading The Word
As I just mentioned, getting the word out about your brand, company and product is crucial and the best way to do this is via word-of-mouth. Remember, if you're surrounding yourself with other professionals, chances are that you're going to begin to pick up tips and tricks here or there that you could apply to your business plan. On top of this, if you're interacting with them on a social platform, you'll most likely be introduced to even more people who could be of value to you. Always remember to step out of your comfort zone and reach out to those around you, you never know who you might befriend.
Help & Assistance
Running into problems and hardships is inevitable in business, so by having a network around you of other people who are experienced in business, you always have someone to go to for advice or help. You should keep in mind that the advice should be mutual and you should always seek to make yourself available and able to be reached if one of them needs some advice. Sometimes the best thing you can do is to give advice based off experience, because the favor will be repaid to you in one way or another somewhere down the road.
Internship Or Being Mentored
While you may see these words as being below you, it never hurts to humble yourself and try to learn under someone. Many times there are things you've forgotten over the years or just different ideas that you'll come up with by looking at business from a different perspective. Many people find it difficult to submit to others and just try to listen rather than speak.
Asking for advice or mentorship isn't a bad thing, in fact, it's probably one of the best things you can do for yourself personally, as well as your business! Everybody thinks differently, so there's many ideas that you won't come up with on your own and having that external input can often give your company an added edge over your competitors and keep you moving quickly down the road of success.
Opened Doors
Many times there are opportunities that will arise strictly because you were connected to the right people. Things that you never would have heard about or had the opportunity to participate in will often be brought to your attention and could easily bring about ideas or techniques that, when applied, could take your business to a whole new level!
If you're still developing your business, you may be seeking a place to plug in or even work at in order to get some hands on experience in the field. If this is the case, knowing the right people who could recommend you could up your chances of being hired by 55% or more! A recommendation is worth much more than formal education or even field experience in some instances.
The Opportunity To Succeed
It's not uncommon for someone to think that you can't make it without getting a boost from someone who's already succeeding. Whether you believe it or not, this is actually the way that most people end up succeeding. While it's possible to get there on your own, the odds are in favor of you running into someone who can provide you with the helping hand that you need to get the recognition and spotlight on your business, brand or product.
Always remember that everyone can help you in some way. Many people may only be able to provide help in a minor way, but don't overlook anyone, because all it takes is to ignore one chance and you could blow the fast route to success. If you haven't found that helping hand yet, keep looking, but just remember that the more you help others, the better chance you have of being helped in return!
Michael Park Photo Source: The Paper Wall
@Careerhackers
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