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 UCLAs 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. Lets 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 whats 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 others 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 youve 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 others 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. |
