I just hung up with a dear friend 6 time zones away to wish her a belated happy birthday, in my real voice, via What’s App, and a half-hour chatsworth later, we still had more to cover.

I am about to jump on a zoom with a business colleague, also that many time zones away, for an hour’s catch-up chat to benchmark progress in his fascinating and highly complex startup.

Later today I have a couple of 30-minute LinkedIn reinforcement coaching sessions for a company I am teaching to make them each, and the company, and its services, look sophisticated-er (did I invent another new marketing word?)

I am so fortunate. I am surrounded by the best-in-class people, who in their own right know other amazing-er people, globally, nationally, state-wide and locally.

I have gotten to know and appreciate so many people and they (fortunately for me!) insist on referring me to others in their entourage. The network grows, and yes sometimes contracts, but throughout the freeze-thaw-grow cycle, the quality improves daily: I invest my views in them, they to me. I give for no reason other than to nourish them, and they in turn flourish, as do I.

But how do I do this?

  • I am a firm believer in “it’s better to give than receive” and “what goes around comes around, I always ask “how else can I help you?” at least 1 or 2 times in a zoom chat or phone call or IRL meeting.
  • I share my ideas and thoughts in my blog, which others share with their colleagues, and followers find me and subscribe for my weekdaily dose of observation, perception, and ideation.
  • I comment on others’ posts, always adding to the mix, in positive ways. If I disagree, it is professional and carefully worded. I learn this way from those I do not see eye-to-eye with.
  • I never use emojis. Right?
  • I use words with selected graphics to make, and reinforce my point, respectively.
  • I teach 1:1 to serious clients, who almost  uniformly become LinkedIn connections and friends.
  • I train in groups, as mentioned above, when in-house professionals know they need to bring in expertise they do not possess.
  • Finally, I listen to, I absorb from, I marinate among new ideas and new beautiful people to add to my perceptions. When I stop learning, well,, I’m done-for, so to speak.

Can you say this? I hope so. I was born to network. I weas once told I collect great people like baseball cards, to which I added, I just reorder them and can always find them, electronically to offer them to others’ benefit.