PROJECT MANAGEMENT AT A GLANCE demand with a qualified potential offer of service.
Give references professionally
Serve others in your network Serving others is crucial to building and benefiting from your network. You should always be thinking, “How can I be of service?” instead of “What’s in it for me?” If you come across as desperate or as a taker rather than a giver, you will not find people willing to help you. Going the extra mile for others is the best way to get the flow of good things coming back to you. How can you serve others in your network? Start by referring business leads or potential customers. In addition, whenever you see an article, a PM template, sites of interest, or other information that might be of interest to someone in your network, forward the document, the URL, or the material to that person.
Be selective when referring
Don’t refer every person you meet; respect the time of those in your network. Referring “unqualified” leads will reflect poorly on you. Ask yourself whether a particular referral is really going to be of value to your network partners. Keep in mind that the key is the quality, not quantity, of the leads you supply. Add value by filtering, by discerning the true talents and abilities of another and matching a potential
If you refer someone, make sure that the person mentions your name as the source of the referral. Be explicit. Let’s assume you are about to refer Sam Smith to your graphic designer, Jane Jones. You might say to Sam, “Sam, give Jane a call, and please tell her that I referred you.” In some instances, you may even call Jane and let her know that Sam will be contacting her. Then, the next time you see or speak to Jane, remember to ask if Sam called and how it turned out. You want to reinforce in Jane’s mind that you have her best interests in mind.
Express gratitude for every service received
When you receive a reference or helpful written materials, ALWAYS send a thank you note or call to express your appreciation. (Follow this suggestion only if you want to receive more useful references and more help from your network!) If you don’t acknowledge that person sufficiently, he or she will be much less likely to assist you in the future.
Send congratulatory messages or a card
If someone in your network gets a promotion, award, or celebrates some other occasion, write a short note of congratulation. Everyone loves to be recognized, yet very few people take the time to do this. Being thoughtful in this manner can only make you stand out among the crowd, especially nowadays when the crowd seems increasingly ignorant of simple social graces. It is also appropriate to send a card or memorial gift when a family member passes away. LinkedIn facilitates electronic notifications enormously, but an electronic greeting card,
something you can dash off in fifteen seconds while browsing a social networking site, will not get you noticed. The old-fashioned paper card will have an astonishing effect.
Call or send a short message to people from time to time
Do this just because you sincerely care. (If you don’t sincerely care, you’re not going to fool anyone anyway.) How do you feel when someone calls you on the phone and says, “Hey, I was just thinking about you and was wondering how you are doing?” I’ll bet you feel like a million bucks! If that’s the case, why don’t we make these calls more often? Every now and then, make it a point to call people in your network simply to ask how they are doing and to offer your support and encouragement.
Present Job Enhancing Networking As a PM, after being entrusted with a new project, whether you’re new to a company or an old hand as a staff member or consultant, being put at the helm of a project demands reinforced networking. If you were already building your trusted links internally, that’s a good start. Now it becomes imperative. Compile a list of executives—the sponsors and influencers at higher levels, their personal assistants, all the mighty door openers, agenda keepers, line managers, anyone with decision-making authority over human resources. Learn the first names, study their faces, and carefully craft your elevator speech about the project and yourself. Make it personalized and make sure you mention the advantages your project brings to each one of them. There is no second chance to make an excellent first impression. As a project manager you become the CEO of the part of the enterprise covered by the scope of the project. As you will be on stage very often,
Issue 10 - OCTOBER 2015
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