It's Who You Know

6 Seek out your 12 key people and personalities

So you've started on the path to building a strategic network that works for you. Finding your Core Four — Promoter, Pit Crew, Teacher and Butt-kicker — is the essential first step. But real momentum towards your goals does not kick in until you expand on your Nexus to incorporate the 12 key people and personalities.

A quality network of 12 will allow you to build your future strategically, leverage opportunities and mutually exchange value, and accelerates you towards inspirational thinking and exponential growth.

Start with four and aim for 12 key people to fast-track your success.

However, who you think is in your network and who you actually have there may be two very different things. For example, you may have included your boss in your network, but their key focus is actually on achieving their objectives, not yours.

Do they sit down with you for deep conversations about your career progression and growth? Are they sharing their learnings and inspiring you to do more and take on more? Or are they so busy in their own world that they never have time for you? Do their leadership behaviours and attributes reflect the kind of person you ultimately want to become, or do you roll your eyes at what they are saying and doing?

Remember the old cliché ‘what gets measured gets done'. This is what you need to think about when it comes to your network of 12. You need to really dig deep to understand who is really fulfilling what role, ...