A Networking Legacy
When a rabid basketball fan learns I attended UCLA, they inevitably ask in awe,
“Were you there during the Wooden years?”
John Wooden and his legendary UCLA dynasty won 10 national championships (a
record), including seven in a row (a record); 88 consecutive victories (a record); 38
straight tournament playoff wins (a record); 4 perfect seasons (a record) with only
one losing year (his first) in 41 years of coaching. It was awe-inspiring to walk into
UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion and see all of the national championships banners displayed;
a testimony to the coaching leadership of perhaps the greatest coach of all time,
Coach Wooden.
Coach Wooden would be the first to tell you that the planning, preparation, practice
and performance count for everything in the competitive process. His coaching was
centered in helping others achieve their own greatness by helping the team to
succeed. Coach Wooden embodied and taught good habits.
A great business is built on good habits throughout the entire organization. As the
business leader, you are responsible for embodying those good habits first and then
teaching them to those on your business team.
Let’s look at just one good business habit: networking. Networking counts for a
great deal in the competitive business process. Marketing, referrals, business
partnerships and relationships are all part of the networking process. Effective
networking helps everyone achieve what they need.
How do planning, preparation, practice and performance apply to networking?
Planning, preparation, practice and performance are good habits. They are as
essential to networking as they are to excellence in anything worthwhile.
Planning: Plan your network and network your plan.
Coach Wooden meticulously planned every basketball practice! He knew exactly
where he wanted to focus each player in every position every minute of the practice.
Through careful planning, he left nothing to chance and honored the time devoted
by all the players and staff.
Do you have a plan for who, what, when, where, how and why plan for your own
network? This takes planning! It takes really thinking through whom you want to
include in your network, what you want to accomplish through or for them, when
and where you will meet, how often you will stay connected and why you are
including them in your network. You will create an effective deep and wide network
by meticulously planning your network and then networking your plan!
Preparation: Be prepared.
Because Coach Wooden meticulously planned, the team was well prepared for every
game scenario. His playbook was full of “what if” scenarios. As a result the team
knew exactly what do in any given situation. They could execute under incredible
pressure because they were well prepared.
Are you prepared to network? Do you have a well-crafted and memorable 30-
second infomercial? Do you have professional-looking business cards that are easily
accessible? Do you have time set aside in your calendar to meet with people? Do you
have a follow-up system for new contacts and those already in your network? By
being prepared, you will maintain sanity and professionalism!
Practice: Practice makes perfect.
Coach Wooden believed that practice was to a game what rehearsal was to a play.
He knew his players and how they were capable. He also expected his players to
give their best effort in practice. Practice created confidence, honed skill and
eliminated uncertainty. The effort in practice produced the win results of the game.
Networking is a practice: a practice focused on what’s best for each person. Each
time you meet with either a new or established contact you are building a
relationship. The quality of that relationship is predicated on how well you know
each other and each other’s business needs. Are you staying up to date with each
other? Is your antenna up for prospective referrals? Are you developing a power
team to complement the services or products you provide? The effort of networking
produces increased business results.
Performance: The world is your stage.
Coach Wooden coined the phrase Competitive Greatness. Competitive Greatness is
to be at your best when your best is needed. When your best is needed at practice,
then perform your best. When your best is needed in the game, then perform your
best. Competitive Greatness is achieved when you’ve given your best.
Networking is all about performing at your best. When attention has been given to
the details in the planning, preparation and practice, you are free to listen and be
attentive to those with whom you are networking.
The best networking has a give and receive partnership. Both people are at their
best when they are both able to give a referral, share a new contact, or link to others
who might be helpful. The goal in networking is to team up for each other’s best.
Coach John Wooden created a dynasty with the UCLA basketball program, but he left
a legacy in the lives he influenced through the values and habits he taught. Anyone can create a networking dynasty by amassing contacts. But a networking legacy is
established through the thoughtful integration of good networking habits that
benefit all in your network.
Linda Peterson is Co-Founder and CEO of Networking Experts, Inc. She believes that
the people we know and the experiences we encounter are the colorful threads and
intricate designs that create the beautiful tapestry of our lives. Through networking
we meet the people that lead to the experiences that take our lives along it’s
creative path.
She is an expert in life. She is also an expert in business and people. She has built a
business one client at a time while training others to do the same. She has received
industry awards for sales and marketing and developed innovative programs for
organizations. She knows how to put people and the pieces of experience together
for an outside-the-box opportunity.
