Years ago, I worked for the Girl Scout organization. It was then that I learned a valuable lesson on the need to identify your weaknesses ... and how to use that to your advantage!
At one point, I worked for an Executive Director who was outstanding at building solid relationships in the community. She knew how to relate to people. She knew what to do and say to excite people about giving to the Girl Scout organization. Her counterpart in management, the Assistant Executive Director, was quite the opposite. She had a tougher exterior. She was all about managing the business. She related to people on the basis of job performance. I remember recognizing these differences and wondered how they managed to work together for so long and in such harmony. Simply put ... they capitalized on each others' strengths. They surrounded themselves with people who were strong in areas that they were weak.
Building a referral network that compliments your strengths is a smart way of doing business. Imagine surrounding yourself with people who are strong in areas that you are weak? The support and value that they bring to the table is incredible. The opportunities for collaboration could be endless. The value that they could bring to your clients can position you far ahead of your competition ... and who doesn't want to do THAT in today's economy!
I recommend a book called, "Discover Your Strengths" by Marcus Buckingham to help you being to recognize the areas in which others can help strengthen your network.
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