"I don't have time for all this networking follow-up."
A client said this to me recently. She was exhausted and overwhelmed by the sheer number of coffees, lunches, phone calls, and email check-ins on her calendar.
It made her wonder whether it’s really possible to build a big book without sacrificing yourself in the process.
So, I asked:
How many people on this list are relevant to the business you're currently building?
That uncovered the real problem: She had recently started her own law firm. As part of that, she'd niched her focus. But she hadn't niched her networking list.
She was adding more people to her list without taking people off who no longer fit her practice. This had her spending a lot of time on wasted networking.
This is a trap I see often: The activity trap.
We assume that doing something (anything) will create results. But what kind of results?
If you’re not strategic about what you’re doing (and why), then you likely won’t get very good results. You might even get the wrong ones.
In my client's case, we needed to reevaluate her network for how it fits the practice she’s now building (not the one she’s leaving behind).
Warning: this can sneak up on you.
Most of us build towards a larger vision — one that takes years. Your experiences along the way will change you. You'll grow. And your vision will shift, too.
Initially, in small ways. But over time, the gap widens.
The strategies and tactics that worked for your original vision might not work for the one you're building toward now.
So...
If you haven't reevaluated in a while, Friend, it's probably time.
XO,
Heather
P.S. I'm convinced that this trap is the biggest reason we're a mess politically (on both sides). We keep assuming that doing "something" is better than doing nothing without ever analyzing whether the strategies being utilized are actually working (or working well enough for the investment).
Perhaps it's time to apply this new standard to our politicians (and more importantly, to our strategies for solving societal problems).
