I wrote this book because I am constantly asked, ‘Janine, how do I network? How do I find the right people who have the right skills to help me move forward in my life?'
Now you've read this book, the answer to both these questions will be very clear to you.
Get off your butt and do the work.
Reading It's Who You Know without putting into action any of the advice or strategies is useless — no, it's crazy!
As you've seen, building a strategic and smart network is the real deal, but you must own the process and commit to investing the time and effort into bringing your network, your personal Nexus of 12 key people, to life.
Everything I have shared in this book I teach and implement myself. When I arrived in Australia in 2000, I had already built a career and a network in the UK, but then I had to start all over again — to find a job, establish my personal brand, build a life and rebuild a career.
In the early days there was no doubt that I was networking to build my profile and business — it was a transactional swapping of business cards and contacts. But as I grew my ideas did too and I experienced firsthand the power of a tight, connected and trusted network of people who work together collaboratively to drive change and momentum for each other.
My network is my solid foundation. I have the right people with me at all times on my journey. Teachers to help stretch my thinking and force me to dig deeper. Promoters to pick me up when I need motivation or to make connections to new opportunities. Butt-kickers keeping me focused and on track. And a steady Pit Crew, who I could not possibly survive without as a mother, wife, entrepreneur, business owner, philanthropist, dreamer, Connector, health fanatic or friend. I simply would not live a balanced, connected and present life without my 12 key people.
I choose to surround myself with positive, big-picture, can-do thinkers. I choose to surround myself with the right people. This is what fuels the fire in my belly, puts the spring in my step and waters the seeds of ideas that grow in my mind. As my mentor says to me, it's about doing the work I love with the people I love in the way I want to do it.
You are ready now. You are absolutely capable of doing all of this too, of building your very own network of 12 that can help you achieve whatever it is in your personal and professional life that you want to accomplish.
Let the thinking and ideas flow, allow the concept of the 12 key people to sink in, then go back to the relevant chapters in the book and start putting into practice all the things you've learned. Review your network, seek out who you need. Choose to make an impact by developing your own network to connect with the right people in the right way and to cultivate those relationships over the long term.
Remember why you picked up this book in the first place. Maybe you were curious about how to network more effectively, maybe you were feeling disconnected from the world, lacking support or motivation, or maybe you just knew there was a smarter, more successful way to network.
So you've got all the knowledge you need — it's now up to you to use it, to get going. Don't let your network whirl around you at the speed of a tornado. Get in control and build something that works for you.
Networking matters and always will, but it's your network that matters most.
The power is in who you know, and that means surrounding yourself with a small but strong and strategic network — a network that works with you and for you.
So go on — get off your butt and go and build your network. It's time to find out who you know.