{"id":9064,"date":"2013-12-01T17:15:59","date_gmt":"2013-12-01T22:15:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/?p=9064"},"modified":"2014-11-01T17:20:10","modified_gmt":"2014-11-01T21:20:10","slug":"the-7-deadly-networking-sins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/enx-magazine-archive\/2013\/12\/the-7-deadly-networking-sins\/","title":{"rendered":"The 7 Deadly Networking Sins"},"content":{"rendered":"

From networking events, holiday office parties, to social networking sites, opportunities to \u201cmeet\u201d new connections abound. Exactly how do you make the most of every introduction? Let\u2019s start with what <\/span> not<\/em><\/span> to do. Whether you associate the \u201cseven deadly sins\u201d with medieval religious teachings or modern-day entertainment, they can be applied here to build your reputation and your business. Be sure to avoid these seven deadly networking sins:<\/span>

Pride<\/strong><\/span><\/b>
You may think, \u201cIf you don\u2019t believe in you, who will?\u201d However, self-promotion requires tact. Toot your horn too often or too loudly and all you can expect is a wave of unreturned messages and deleted connections. People are attracted to authenticity. Crafting a false image is a turnoff to all.<\/span>

Solution:<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 Share your accomplishments and the spotlight with those who contributed to your success. You might even score bonus exposure by reaching beyond your network.<\/span><\/span>

Greed<\/strong><\/span>
If <\/span> your<\/span><\/em> concerns are your <\/span> only<\/span><\/em> concerns, why should others care about you? But when you seek to meet others\u2019 needs and do a great job, they\u2019ll be more inclined to reciprocate. Reversing that sequence will surely prevent it.<\/span><\/span>

Solution:<\/em><\/span><\/i>\u00a0 Focus your messages and offerings on the interests and needs of your audience, not what you\u2019re looking to promote.<\/span>

Lust<\/strong><\/span>
If you\u2019re too eager or lusting after the attention of others, your otherwise professional efforts can lead to a very unprofessional reputation. Nobody invites crossing the line of acceptable and professional efforts with that of becoming a pest revealing personal cravings over that of the other’s needs.<\/span>

Solution:<\/em><\/span><\/i>\u00a0 You can\u2019t force someone to reciprocate. Do what you said you\u2019d do or send what you promised and let the rest happen naturally.<\/span>

Anger<\/strong><\/span>
If you read a comment with unintended sarcasm or interpret a short missive as an angry one, you might be tempted to reciprocate in kind. The power of a smile and laughter can produce priceless and ever-expanding opportunities, but the consequences of discourtesy are immediately, and potentially irreversibly, destructive.<\/span>

Solution:<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 Consider communication carefully. Responding in anger can destroy your reputation and your relationships.<\/span><\/span>

Gluttony<\/strong><\/span>
If you\u2019re sending mass relationship-building emails or group texts in an effort to save yourself time and effort, you risk losing the opportunity for the gesture to be regarded as sincere and to be taken seriously. By default, \u201cmass\u201d is mutually exclusive of \u201cpersonal.\u201d<\/span>

Solution:<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 Balance group messages by inviting personal responses of interest. Or, better yet, communicate one-on-one whenever possible.<\/span><\/span>

Envy<\/strong><\/span>
If you\u2019re building yourself up at the expense of others by putting them down, your need for the spotlight will backfire. Don\u2019t focus on what others have or the connections others have made. Set your own relationship goals based on what you have to offer your network, not what you seek to gain from them.<\/span>

Solution:<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 Congratulate others on their successes instead of stewing on what you haven\u2019t yet accomplished.<\/span><\/span>

Sloth<\/strong><\/span>
If your efforts to connect or stay in touch border on the apathetic, you need to shape up, perhaps in more ways than one. A lack of drive and determination to \u201cexercise\u201d meaningful connections and capitalize on opportunities will only result in relationship atrophy.<\/span>

Solution:<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 Schedule regular communication and be sure to engage when opportunity presents itself–most certainly at holiday office parties and social gatherings. It may be drudgery as the start of any exercise regimen can be, but positive results will prove worth the time and effort.<\/span><\/span>

Each and every one of these sins is easy to fall prey to but just as easy to avoid. However, it does take conscious thought, determined actions, and purpose of focus toward others to realize optimal relationship value that rewards all parties all the time.<\/span>

What is ultimately at stake here is the development of your personal brand. Fundamentally, there is no value in being unlikable. Generally speaking, the complete antidote to the seven deadly sins is nothing more than simply being nice to all people all the time. In fact, some relationship experts estimated that simply being nice can result in a 30 to 40% increase in success over those people and\/or companies that are not nice. Whoever thought that simply being nice could in fact be the very thing that completely sets you apart and distinct from everyone else, and helps pave your road to success?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From networking events, holiday office parties, to social networking sites, opportunities to \u201cmeet\u201d new connections abound. Exactly how do you make the most of every introduction? Let\u2019s start with what not to do. Whether you associate the \u201cseven deadly sins\u201d with medieval religious teachings or modern-day entertainment, they can be applied here to build your reputation and your business. Be sure to avoid these seven deadly networking sins: Pride You may think, \u201cIf you don\u2019t believe in you, who will?\u201d However, self-promotion requires tact. Toot your horn too often or too loudly and all you can expect is a wave of unreturned messages and deleted connections. People are attracted to authenticity. Crafting a false image is a turnoff to all. Solution:\u00a0 Share your accomplishments and the spotlight with those who contributed to your success. You might even score bonus exposure by reaching beyond your network. Greed If your concerns are your only concerns, why should others care about you? But when you seek to meet others\u2019 needs and do a great job, they\u2019ll be more inclined to reciprocate. Reversing that sequence will surely prevent it. Solution:\u00a0 Focus your messages and offerings on the interests and needs of your audience, not what you\u2019re looking to promote. Lust If you\u2019re too eager or lusting after the attention of others, your otherwise professional efforts can lead to a very unprofessional reputation. Nobody invites crossing the line of acceptable and professional efforts with that of becoming a pest revealing personal cravings over that of the other’s needs. Solution:\u00a0 You can\u2019t force someone to reciprocate. Do what you said you\u2019d do or send what you promised and let the rest happen naturally. Anger If you read a comment with unintended sarcasm or interpret a short missive as an angry one, you might be tempted to reciprocate in kind. The power of a smile and laughter can produce priceless and ever-expanding opportunities, but the consequences of discourtesy are immediately, and potentially irreversibly, destructive. Solution:\u00a0 Consider communication carefully. Responding in anger can destroy your reputation and your relationships. Gluttony If you\u2019re sending mass relationship-building emails or group texts in an effort to save yourself time and effort, you risk losing the opportunity for the gesture to be regarded as sincere and to be taken seriously. By default, \u201cmass\u201d is mutually exclusive of \u201cpersonal.\u201d Solution:\u00a0 Balance group messages by inviting personal responses of interest. Or, better yet, communicate one-on-one whenever possible. Envy If you\u2019re building yourself up at the expense of others by putting them down, your need for the spotlight will backfire. Don\u2019t focus on what others have or the connections others have made. Set your own relationship goals based on what you have to offer your network, not what you seek to gain from them. Solution:\u00a0 Congratulate others on their successes instead of stewing on what you haven\u2019t yet accomplished. Sloth If your efforts to connect or stay in touch border on the apathetic, you need to shape up, perhaps in more ways than one. A lack of drive and determination to \u201cexercise\u201d meaningful connections and capitalize on opportunities will only result in relationship atrophy. Solution:\u00a0 Schedule regular communication and be sure to engage when opportunity presents itself–most certainly at holiday office parties and social gatherings. It may be drudgery as the start of any exercise regimen can be, but positive results will prove worth the time and effort. Each and every one of these sins is easy to fall prey to but just as easy to avoid. However, it does take conscious thought, determined actions, and purpose of focus toward others to realize optimal relationship value that rewards all parties all the time. What is ultimately at stake here is the development of your personal brand. Fundamentally, there is no value in being unlikable. Generally speaking, the complete antidote to the seven deadly sins is nothing more than simply being nice to all people all the time. In fact, some relationship experts estimated that simply being nice can result in a 30 to 40% increase in success over those people and\/or companies that are not nice. Whoever thought that simply being nice could in fact be the very thing that completely sets you apart and distinct from everyone else, and helps pave your road to success?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1814,1877],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9064"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9064"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9064\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9066,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9064\/revisions\/9066"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}