The One Who Makes Things Happen

Bob and Andy, the smelters

In networking, there are three kinds of people: those who wait and watch for things to happen, those who make things happen, and those who wonder what the heck happened.

To be effective networkers, we need to become catalysts, the ones who make things happen. We make things happen by knowing what needs to happen, then acting upon that knowledge. We know what needs to happen by getting to know our fellow networkers, by learning who to introduce them to.

Are you a natural catalyst? Do people look at you in amazement at the way you make things happen? Being a catalyst ties back nicely to the notion of building a network that is both wide and deep. The better we know our BNI colleagues, the more adept we’ll be at connecting them to the right people. That requires depth AND breadth.

Let’s have a listen to people who make things happen, like Heather Monahan, who teaches us to ask for what we want (but here’s a hint: we have to create value).