Sometime in May
2019, I met a young man at an event I had been invited to speak at.
The Moderator of
the event had asked that we network for about 10 minutes. This young man walked
up to me at the back and introduced himself. He told me the industry he was
working in, described what he did in a summary, gave me his card and went back
to his seat.
This young man
stood out because he had emphasized what he did and that stuck with me as his
field was something, I was working on within The Smart Investment Club (a
platform where we teach about Investment and practice what we learn by seizing
credible Investment opportunities).
To cut the long
story short, I called him a few weeks after and till date, we have transacted
in mutually beneficial businesses with the monetary value running into tens of
millions.
Often times, we
read a lot about Emotional Intelligence, Financial Intelligence and more, but
Connectional Intelligence; what you may call Networking Intelligence is
relatively unknown. The proper art of Networking
which is the enabler of successful social, financial and economic relationships
has not been properly mastered by a lot of us.
Technology has
changed things and networking with the aid of technology has taken new
dimensions. It is possible to be in business transactions with people you have
never met in person and have no inhibitions about dealing with them because you
have gained confidence through your interactions with them. Given the same set
of circumstances, some people fare better in closing out deals and prospects
than many others because of their ability to "connect" well.
What is
Connectional Intelligence (CI)?
According to Erica
Dhawan, "it is the ability to create and drive greater value by
effectively harnessing your networks and relationships". She goes on to
say that CI is the next, greatest trait or skill that leaders will use to bring
change to their workplaces and the world.
Connectional
Intelligence is the ability to combine resources, people, tools and technology
in relationships with an end result of wealth or value creation. It is about
sharing mutual value with the person you are connecting with.
Everyone meets a
lot of people at different events and collects loads of cards (I have lost
cards and sometimes shredded some when decluttering). Hardly would anyone
remember you if you don’t leave a succinct, lasting impression on their mind.
What value can you bring to the table for them?
Remember, everyone
you meet is your potential business partner, enabler or collaborator. When you
meet with people and exchange contacts, you must have in mind three Ws
The
"Who" you are
The
"Why" you are talking with them
The
"What" matters to you both
The secret to
doing this effectively is Mastering an Elevator Speech which should contain no
more than 5 sentences that summarizes what you do. In 5 mins, you should be
able to “sell” yourself and engrave a lasting impression about you in the mind
of the listener.
My pitch would go
like this for an example:
“ My name is Sola
Adesakin I am a Multi-Passionate and Multi-Talented Finance Coach I help people
and businesses identify what their financial capabilities and how to scale it
up. I help them Make, Manage and Multiply their money. I have helped many
individuals and businesses bounce back from stress to wealth”.
Erica Dhawan goes
on to mention the 5 Cs of connectional intelligence which are: curiosity,
combination, community, courage, and combustion my relationships and networking
skills have taken a great shape ever since I got deliberate about getting more
connectional intelligence.
At this 2019
Wimbiz conference and just anywhere you get to meet new people, be deliberate
about how you network with the people and what you do with their contacts
details.
I am grateful to
Toyin Ademola who created this awareness about CI to me.
Sola Adesakin FCA
FCCA CPA MBA
Lead Coach/
Founder
Smart Stewards
No comments:
Post a Comment