Wednesday, March 7, 2012

How to Plan a Career 14: Business & Relationships

Sarah StewartThis continues our series on how to plan a career within your current employer

The last two posts discussed the benefits of building a network within the company and of finding a mentor to guide you through the corporate maze. Both a network and mentor require you to use relationship skills. Sarah and Jared Stewart teach people how to build business relationships. The Stewarts, brother and sister, authored The City of Influence to share their theories on building relationships.They espouse the motto“People do business with people they know, like, and trust.” 

People Who Walk the Talk

Jared, Sarah, and I have known each other for eight years. Our very busy schedules prevent us from seeing each other that often. Yet, they both reach out to me frequently to see how I’m doing. They exemplify the principles they teach. They walk the talk.

Sarah and I ran into each other last week at a business expo. She saw me sitting at a table with some friends. She asked if she could join us. She spent almost an hour catching up, learning about the people sitting at the table, and brightening our lives.

Keys to Building a City of Influence

Jared and Sarah condensed the basics of business relationships into 9 keys to building a City of Influence:

  1. Exit the coliseum
  2. Decide to govern
  3. Recognize that bricks trump
  4. Avoid relationship arrogance
  5. Develop relationships just because
  6. Learn, Serve, Grow
  7. Swim in pools
  8. Measure influence
  9. Establish relationship laws and systems

Watch The Following Videos to Learn More

“Business is about relationships” proclaim Jared and Sarah. Issimo Productions produced the following very short videos to help you learn more about the power of relationships. I encourage you to watch them:

I encourage you to study the book. Learn and practice the keys outlined in The City of Influence.

Return Friday for the end of our series  on how to plan a career within your current company

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