A Complete Guide to Building Your Network by Keith Ferrazzi

Generosity is probably the most important mindset. Relationships are not finite and the more you practice generosity and being of service, without working an alternate, self-serving agenda, the more your network will be open and available to you when you need it.

Anyone, regardless of their position, can lead with generosity. It doesn't have to be big or extravagant but it should be personal and helpful.

Challenge Section 2: Being of Service

The most important thing with this course is for you to reach your goals, and it's through your relationships that you will achieve them. Before you can set those goals, though, you need to know what drives you. What is your passion.

Where passions translate into action is with goals. This specific lecture will help you define the clear, specific goals you want to achieve so you can identify the relationships you need to serve to help you reach those goals.

A Relationship Action Plan is your networking plan in written form, committing you to pursuing it. This plan helps you be purposeful in serving the specific relationships that are critical to achieving each goal.

Challenge Section 3: Relationship Action Plan

If you're not writing the names of the individuals you want to work with you will miss people who can be integral to your goals coming to fruition. This lecture will help you find the questions you need to ask yourself to identify these relationships.

Your personal "board of advisors" is the most important. It's comprised of the mentors, friends, family who have your utmost trust to have your back. We'll also address the importance of having lifeline relationships that go through the process with you.

Once you have the list of names on your Relationship Action Plan, you need to prioritize these names. In this lecture we'll learn how to prioritize the names so that they're all taken care of in a way that's appropriate to the individual relationships.

Challenge Section 4: Get More Robust with the Names On Your List

Challenge Section 5: Go Join Something

You have to build your relationships before you need them which is why you should be building your network, constantly. If you're constantly working to serve your relationships you'll have the authority to make the ask when you need to.

Now that you know the importance of having a strong, diverse personal network, now we discuss tips and ideas for both building and expanding that network, whether it's volunteering or joining groups of like-minded individuals or hosting a dinner for friends and acquaintances.

"Don't be afraid to ask. The worst anyone can say is no." Fearing the worst also stops others from showing you their best, so don't limit someone else's generosity by not making the ask.

The way to be audacious is to just be audacious. It's that simple, but there's a catch. Be audacious in service to the other person. Don't make it about yourself.

Just because you might not know someone doesn't mean you know nothing about them. You can warm up any cold call by doing your research and learning what you can about that person.

How do you actually warm that cold call? It's more than just knowing about that other person, it's about knowing HOW you can be generous and of service to them specifically.

Challenge Section 6: Just Ask

If you're going to reach out to someone, do your homework. You have to show the other person what value you bring to the relationships.

You carry everything you need to do your homework on your phone or tablet. Social media is your encyclopedia to finding out the key pieces of information that shows how sincere your offers are.

Challenge Section 8: Do Your Homework

Your contact's "gatekeeper" isn't your adversary. Their job is to control the calendar and access to your contacts. Don't fight against them. Embrace them. Be of service to them so they can help make their bosses successful. They will remember your help.

The most important thing to making the gatekeeper your ally is to shift your focus from their boss to them. That real relationships should be as important than the future one you want to develop with their boss. Treat them and maintain that relationship in the same way you would anyone else in your network.

Challenge Section 9: Get to Know the Gatekeeper

Sharing your passions is critical because you will at your best when sharing the things that matter most to you.

When you itemize the big topics that interest you, you can find the organizations and events that service those topics. You'll also meet others who are passionate about those topics as well.

Challenge Section 10: Make a List of the "Big Topics" That Interest You