Expand your network

If success is your goal, there are few things you can do that will contribute more than to expand your network.

Your professional life will be a lot easier if you incorporate at least one habit into your routine that contributes to expanding your network. Being a genius, or possessing incredibly valuable skills, isn’t much use if no-one ever finds out about it.

The poster child for this is my friend Colin Ellis. Colin started his business having just moved to Australia, with very little to speak of in the way of contacts or networks here. It’s honestly like playing a computer game on the hardest setting.

If his business were to succeed, he needed to grow his network quickly, lest he be forced back into the security of the salary of a normal job.

Colin started by attending networking events once or twice a week. Once he got a feel for the landscape, he started hosting networking events once or twice a month. Soon, he hadn't just developed a network, he was an important central node in a network (and you can see from his website and his LinkedIn feed that he's riding a well-deserved wave of success now).

Some folks do regular speaking gigs. Some run a LinkedIn outreach strategy. Some attend networking events. Some join professional groups.

I think basically all the best-performing professionals are supported by a great network. If you aspire to that level of success, I reckon you need to develop a habit, routine, or system that runs near-constantly, and successfully introduces you to people who might need your help (or who know other people that might).

(As an added bonus, in reference to idea #2 in this email, people with healthy social networks tend to be happier, too...)