So what is so unique about Eric Silva? It’s this phrase, “We’re all scientists conducting experiments in an ever-changing landscape.” He gets it. We are all experimenting–every day, every hour and now, every minute. Why? We don’t know what will catch on in this murky, mashup world we live in. But those who get it like Eric, do know this–we don’t get anything if, one, we aren’t authentic–even if it hurts sometimes, and, second, we don’t keep trying.

So on this Labor Day when people are trying not to think about going back to work tomorrow, I just wanted to recognize Eric and his work and his passion. By the way you can also find Eric on Twitter.

So what did he do to create trust so  quickly. Here is an overview of his philosophy:

1. Talk more about “who” you are and “what” you stand for rather than “what you do” Christian began by very quickly telling me what matters most to him–his children, helping kids who are disadvantaged getting books and learning to read, getting healthy (he wants to keep to his established exercise schedule and forming an alliance network of people who have similar and complementary values and skills
2. Asked what mattered most to me. In Networlding we call it “The Exchange.” It’s not about just giving. Givers end up actually with less than they intended usually. It’s also certainly not just about taking. Takers end up with lots of connections but poor or mediocre opportunities on an ongoing basis. Exchangers get the most out of their work by spending time exploring “mutually beneficial” opportunities. It’s not an easy thing to do but the results are so much more effective. So when Christian asked me what my five top goals are this year, we were then able to talk about our mutual synergies–where we could work together and where we might refer or introduce one another.
3. Deliver a “WOW” offer. I will never forget our first meeting as Christian’s “WOW” offer was to give back what he calls his 10X. Take a look at his social networking article on this offer that he has now turned into a signature offer of his that differentiates him greatly from thousands of others I have met.

What signature offer have you created to differentiate yourself from others? How can you both make a living AND make a difference? Who do you know who has made a WOW gift to you like Christian did?

STEP NUMBER 1:

Create Your Values Foundation.

We all have values, but what are your top four and, if you can, what are they in level of priority?

Carol had been what we call in Networlding “baseline networking” for years. She was at the top of her game working as Director of HR for a large organization. However, the long hours and an intense travel schedule left Carol feeling that her personal life lacked balance. From layoffs and career changes to being sought out for competitive executive positions, Carol had been through all of the ups and downs of corporate life.

As she began thinking about what she wanted her future to look like she thought more about her childhood dream of being a physiologist. Carol appreciated valued-based business and aspired to start an individual psychology practice of her own.

With these goals in mind Carol took the first step in Networlding and identified her top four values:

• Spirituality
• Connection
• Making a difference
• Achievement

With these values in mind, Carol decided to leave her six-figure salary and return to graduate school. By understanding her values Carol will not lose sight of them through her process. With her values in mind she is more apt to meet others with similar values and build a network of people around her that will help maintain these values. She will also vocalize her values more often and make requests to be introduced to people who hold similar and complimentary values.

1.    What do you think makes a good networker? I think a good networker is made by someone who understands the true concept of what networking should be which is that it is not a superficial relationship. Networking needs to have intention. You have to understand who you are going to make a connection with, how you are going to benefit them and how you will benefit from them as well.

2.    How do you network today most often (internally in your organization or externally, online, etc)? Please share all that apply. I do a lot online but it all starts with face-to-face. From a Networlding standpoint I focus on people who have similar and complimentary values. A few of my close contacts are not online but we do have good relationships and they have good relationships with the type of people I want to know as well.

3.    Do you use networking to grow community and leadership inside and outside of your company? If so, how? I do. In the local community, when I had made the decision to open in Gilbert, I made it my goal to find and make connections with the community leaders. I made it my focus to know these people. When we look at actually building relationships it is, again, important to focus on what you want to accomplish. I am philanthropically involved on a number of causes. It helps the causes, it helps those who support the causes, and it helps me. I have developed many key relationships with the local community leaders by being focused and helping them with what they are trying to accomplish.

4.    How often do you use networks in your daily life? Everyday. Since part of my goal as the head of the company is to develop those relationships it is imperative that I network. I get online as much as I can—on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. I do it everyday on an ongoing basis. I also keep track of who is doing what within my network and make sure they know I am helping them in whatever way I can.

5.    In this “Linked-In, Linked Up” world what do you think will be the nature of networking in the next couple of years? In other words, how do you see networks evolving? I see that all the different online mediums can become an oversaturation. I think we are going to have to step back and take these relationships to a more personal level. I think there will be new things coming out but it still comes down to how much you contribute to the relationship, and you really can’t do much when you are trying to get hundreds of contacts via the online mediums.

6.    Please share one of your best networking stories. When I started out here in the community one of the first relationships I made was with the president of the chamber of commerce. My relationship has grown through her—the connections with the mayor, the heads of the local hospitals, and heads of several of the large local corporations. When I had originally joined the chamber it was with that intent, with that purpose in mind. I told her that when I met her. She is in the process of getting remarried and I am not going to the wedding as she is getting married in Ireland but I was invited to the reception at her home here, of which I am very honored and feel that we have a great mutually beneficial relationship.

Stay tuned for Part II – It gets better! What questions do you have for Alonzo?

Fortune 500 Series: FedEx delivers success through social media …
By Jennifer Leggio

Blogger, Jennifer Leggio showcases The FedEx Citizenship blog that provides insights from their employees into FedEx global citizenship programs and the The FedEx Cares Week blog is an internal blog that chronicles the annual global philanthropy event by having team members share their stories about the community service projects. …

Hill and Knowlton’s New Blogging Code of Conduct

Hill and Knowlton publish their blogging “Code of Conduct.” This is a nice model for other organizations to use.

The Top Six Reasons Companies are Still Scared of Social Media

This article showcases the reasons why companies are afraid of social media. Whereas they are typical reasons that make sense, the article is good at aggregating the most common reasons. The hurdles for companies are getting lowered by organizations like SAS who take on the risk, trusting and encouraging their employees to blog and prove that it is still better to be “out there” than to hide behind corporate walls.

My Take

I spoke with a couple of social media experts this week and found that, once again, myopia is still alive, well and living in peoples’ minds still. By this I mean that many see social networking as their ticket to great success. They think that because there are so are confused how to make social networking work that there is a huge market out there and that they can just put a shingle out that states they are social media experts overnight. Recently someone shared they had a construction worker friend who is now teaching LinkedIn.

I’ve been teaching people social networking for more than a decade and up until last year many still didn’t understand the basics of business networking. Now there are five times the number of experts on the subject than there were even three months ago. What a strange time this is! It will be interesting to see how all this shakes out in the next couple of years. I remember when I use to hold networking events and there was an over abundance of bankers; then came the plethora of coaches. Now everyone is a social networking and new media expert. Hmmmmm.

I’ve always been a big fan of Fast Company (www.fastcompany.com) ever since it started over a decade ago. I also remember when we started Networlding Boot Camps with the Chicago Chapter of "Company of Friends," a creation developed by Fast Company to grow communities of Fast Company fans around the country.

Because of the support of Fast Company, my company, Networlding, was able to raise Networlding to a best-seller as it hit the top ten list on Amazon in Chicago and then held that spot for a full year. I did this by partnering with the head of the Company of Friends group at that time here in Chicago, Dan Limbach. We took 80 people through the first Networlding boot camp here for a full day back in the year 2000 and we kept going from there.

Fast Company is such a great magazine and it stands for all that we at Networlding believe in –making use each of our unique talents and then collaborating to make things happen FAST. I also remember participating in one of Fast Company’s speaking panels here in Chicago about five or so years ago.

It is  now great to see its latest evolution. I see only wonderful things ahead for us all, but, very specifically, for Chicago, as a result of Fast Company’s support. So I say, "Thank you, Fast Company. You’ve given us a wonderful path for continued success!"

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