In the workforce, having a successful career can often be about personal branding and forging connections with others in the industry. But these things can be tough for introverts, who are naturally prone to desire time alone, prefer personal reflection and thought, and are often very shy.
The essence of successful business development can be summarized in four steps:
Meet and connect with motivated business people - executives, entrepreneurs, investors, etc.
Understand their goals and objectives
Look for opportunities within your team or broader network to help them achieve their goals
Partner with them to create value
For our business, this approach is a team sport. As partners, we've always worked better by leveraging each other's distinctive strengths. As Bill mentioned in a recent column, he is an introvert and struggles with traditional, hand-shaking networking events. Karl, on the other hand, needs to be out meeting and talking to people, and sometimes gets bored with day-to-day tasks.
