The world is absorbed with online connections. Today, in our hyper-connected world, people are focused their social media relationships built on Likes, Follows, Comments, and Shares. But does the number of “connections” you have on LinkedIn or the Followers you have on Facebook translate to the size and value of your network? I would argue that no, while the size and engagement level of your social graph is a powerful tool you can utilize to spread a message, it is not the same as networking or growing a strong personal or business network. No matter how the world changes, true, quality networking will always be about creating relationships by connecting with another individual.

What does networking look like today? Networking is so much more than passing business cards or connecting on LinkedIn. To be the most effective, you must enter every networking situation with a shift from a sales mindset to a relationship mindset. Ask questions. If I am in a room with business people, I ask about who they are and I get to know them in order to build a relationship. I feel that every single person I meet, could help make me a better person. And, that I have an opportunity to make their life better, as well. Relationships are the core of life and relationships create opportunity.

Then, I find something that we both have in common or an intersection of our worlds. This helps build a common bond that will be the spark for the relationship. This commonality could be something as simple as an interest in a sports team, having attended the same school, or any point of conversation that is memorable and unique to your relationship.

Finally, I focus on how I can give, before I focus on what I can get. I find a way to assist them with something they need, a goal they have, a passion, or a business need. Offering to help without expecting return will work to solidify the relationship we are building.

Networking today is the process of

1. Focusing on getting to know the other person,
2. finding a point of commonality, and
3. looking for a way to assist them with something they need. Always give without expecting a return.

I’ll share an example of a great networking experience I had recently. I met a business leader named Jon within a few months of moving to Austin. He has been part of very successful companies throughout his career and was introduced to me by someone who I had met in Austin. I had helped the first person with something and he helped me by introducing me to Jon. Relationships create opportunities!

When Jon and I went to have coffee, I focused on building the relationship, not selling him anything or jumping into shop talk. We talked about who he is what he is interested in. Eventually, we talked about my passions and our enthusiasm for Austin since moving, my desire to get to know the city, and the cash back app company I had founded called Dosh. Based on that interaction, he ended up offering to introduce me to his network. By the end of the day had already introduced me to 6 other business leaders. Within 24 hours, I had scheduled coffee or breakfast meetings with each of them.

Those 6 people have introduced me to a world within the Austin community that has led to tremendous opportunity, new personal relationships, and to new hires of outstanding caliber at Dosh. That one original relationship ended up leading to incredible connections for me personally as well as for Dosh as I work to grow the business. Relationships create opportunities!

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I have been honored to raise a family of four boys alongside my wife, Shawntel. Together, we have worked to instill in them the values we believe are most important in life: how to care for others, the importance of hard work, have a positive attitude, appreciation for what we have, and so many others. Beyond being a good person, I believe these lessons have a direct impact on the level of success you will experience in life. As a business leader and serial entrepreneur, my ability to be a strong and effective leader has played a major role in my success.

PUT IN THE HARD WORK

Leadership is one of those skills that is best taught by example. I was lucky to have in my great examples in my parents growing up and have worked to be a positive example for my children throughout their lives. It starts with a lesson my parents taught me from a young age: to have anything in life, it requires hard work. If you are striving for that promotion, saving for date night, or studying to get into your dream college, everything will require dedicated time and effort. But hard work is about more than just the time you put in. It’s about persevering through the setbacks. This includes one of the most difficult things about being dedicated to your dream: embracing the “No.” Learning to look at each “No” as progress instead of a setback is challenging emotionally and logically. However, reframing the “No” into a step closer to the right “Yes” will enable you to eliminate the fear associated with rejection. The “No” is not failure, but a learning moment. It is through these moments that success is possible. This is a vital step in becoming a strong leader.

HAVE A POSITIVE ATTITUDE

The second lesson my parents taught me was the importance of a positive attitude. If you go through work, life, or your relationship looking for the next roadblock, the next reason to quit, the next unfairness, you will find them strewn about your path in abundance. There is no one who can look at the world through this frame of mind and find success. Instead, you must have a positive attitude that appreciates and recognizes the small (and big) wins, the strokes of luck, and the hidden opportunities. Leaders who inspire their teams are able to visualize success and share that optimism to create a contagious positive attitude throughout their company.

When I look back over my career, it was these two foundational leadership lessons that have enabled me to find success. I have learned to exemplify these skills in the face of challenges and the “No.” I have learned to focus on the vision and keep a positive attitude throughout and use that to inspire my team. This experience is what I used to teach my children the same values and leadership skills throughout their lives. In fact, this is not the first time I have written about the specific actions my wife and I take to instill this into our children. I have written in other blogs about our Red Plate Dinners and the importance of individual recognition and appreciation. I have written about the importance of the search for knowledge and desire to know yourself and those around you, through our Dinner Questions tradition. And I have written about the business trips and money management lessons that enable our children to understand business and personal ownership early on.

LIVE IT DAILY

These are just a few of the specific actions that my family has incorporated into raising our children to be strong and moral leaders. However, there are opportunities every day to teach leadership through example and storytelling. That simple question, “How was your day, Dad?” is an opportunity to teach through a true experience that occurred that day, either in business or personal life. Whether a challenge or success, these stories help our children learn about relationships, business, problem solving, and how to have a positive attitude in the face of adversity.

EMBODY OPENNESS AND HONESTY

We believe that a commitment to openness and honesty provides insight to real-life challenges that adults face throughout their careers and lives. It is likely that one day one of our sons will find himself facing a similar challenge and will be able to recall how his parents handled it and use that knowledge to make the best decision. They will learn daily how to deal with difficult life experiences.

We are so proud of our children and the success they have achieved already. I have seen them carry these lessons out in real life, whether it be in school, golf, baseball, work, or with friends. They are able to process and understand and work through complex problems with a positive attitude and a drive for success. My oldest, Braden, has navigated his career path and has stayed committed to his passion for his own life while achieving success, despite unexpected challenges and the “No.” I see it in him in the way he interacts and supports his friends and how he is supportive and loving to his wife.

REMEMBER HUMILITY AND WILLINGNESS TO LEARN

Each of my children will take a different path and each will encounter challenges and successes. I am proud of the paths they have taken so far and excited to see their continued success as they grow. My wife and I will continue to share with them our life experiences and how we will handle each one. And, knowing my children are growing up to be strong leaders, I too, will listen to their stories and experiences and learn from them because, after all, the final lesson in being a strong leader is knowing when to be humble and learn from those who are wiser than you.

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Photo by Demi Kwant on Unsplash

How does a company begin? Where does the spark of inspiration originate? For many, the idea is sparked when a need is recognized. But a successful company needs more than just an idea. A company is made from an idea, a researched and proven gap in the market, and a team of people who are passionate and qualified to bring the idea to life and profitably fill that gap.

At times, the spark of a new company comes from a constant analysis of current market conditions and comparing which trends are converging, or are likely to converge in the near future. In the past, I saw the prevalence of social media and mobile service and created Solavei, which drove over 400,000 mobile service enrollments exclusively through social marketing in its first three years. In 2012, I saw a new gap in the market: a need for a discount consolidation program that gets users cash back without them spending hours digging through online coupon sites for discounts or scanning receipts by hand into their phones. Combine this with the fact that 68% of adults in the United States have a smartphone, up from 35% just 4 years ago, and it was obvious the ideal platform for a service like this would be an app. This spark turned into my current project, Dosh, an app that automatically finds cash back for consumers without the hassle of scanning receipts or searching for offers online. This process transfers the money spent on advertising back into the hands of the consumers and allows companies to more effectively reach their target market.

The basic steps I use at the start of a new company are:

1. Determine the details of your idea:
   1. Analyze the current market condition, the convergence of trends, and determine where the gap is.
   2. If filled, would this gap lead to demand, to profit?
2. Build out the company business plan:
   1. Determine exactly what the company will do.
   2. What resources will the company need? Financially? Technology? Expertise?
3. Determine who you need on your team:
   1. What expertise do you need to hire?
   2. How many people will you need to bring your company to life?
   3. What company culture do you want to create?

Once you have these questions outlined, the start of your company is getting close. Still, it is imperative to remember that a company is dependent on the quality of the parts. This means, you need to find not only the right expertise, but the right people with that expertise. I always recommend finding people who are far better than the company founder in each of his/her individual areas of expertise, whether it be finance, marketing, operations, or technology. Then, ensure these people are passionate about the project and are ready to take ownership of their department. I have always found that giving people ownership of their area of expertise results in the best outcome for a company.

One of the most important components of a starting successful business is the necessary capital and the right investors who believe in your vision. Once you have the capital to launch your company and begin identifying your team, empower them to be the “CEO” of their own area. I have spoken in past blogs about the CEO Mentality and I consistently find that this creates better results, morale, and passion for the company. Another important piece is educating each of your team members so they clearly understand what the vision of the company is and know what is necessary to achieve that vision. It is deeply important to ensure that each person has the same understanding of the vision and priorities of the company. Without this clarity, individuals will have a difficult time reaching their objectives.

What other steps do you use when starting a new company? What components would you add?

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Photo by Jen Light

Quality time with family is so important. When each of my boys reach 10 years old, they know something special will happen. That is when they begin planning a one-on-one trip with me during the summer for 5 to 7 days. This trip is always to accompany me on a business trip to another city or country, sit in each of the business meetings, and get to experience what it is their father does for a living. What’s exciting is this is a trip they get to have every year and always to a different location.

During the day they sit in everyone of my business meetings which gives me an opportunity to see first hand the relationships that I have and what causes business to progress.  These trips aren’t all work and no play. We are sure to plan experiences that are uniquely important to them and who they are. In the past, my sons have chosen to play golf at a course they’ve always heard about or view a great play in London or NYC, or go to a baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston. I try to give them the experience of visiting my favorite restaurants or sites in cities that I often visit as well to share with them my passions, as well.

It is amazing having my boys with me and sharing that time with them. I greatly enjoy sharing with them my passion for the work I do as well as teaching them why I do and say what I do in meetings, how to act professionally and how to present myself. All of these elements are vitally important to success and are applicable no matter what career path they take in life. These are real life moments where I can take the opportunity to teach them important lessons while at the same time watching grow personally and professionally as they develop their own powerful presence.

With sons who are now 23, 20, 11 and 9, I’m looking forward to the trips this summer. Brennan counted down the months until his 10th birthday, as he knew his trip was coming.  And my second son, Barrett, who turns 21 in April just asked me, “Where are we going this summer, Dad?” The tradition will continue with Bryson, our 9 year old, being he’s already naming the places he wants to go.  The countless memories that have been forged and the experience each of my sons have gained from our family and individual trips, is my way of preparing them for the real life situations that they will experience once they are running their own companies or working in their field of choice. They are developing their leadership skills, world view, and business insights that will be tied to our times together.

The memories for me though are worth more than any trophy or any amount of money that I possess.  Sitting on the plane sometimes by myself reliving in my mind the different trips, deep conversations, the laughter and seeing their eyes light up when they do something they’d only imagined.  Memories…..Braden at 11 years old, staying in London at the Lanesborough Hotel, touring history with my son, seeing a play on London’s “Broadway” and walking the streets of London, eating at my favorite Chinese restaurant Hakkasan and talking about the days meetings.  Waking up in the morning on the coast of California with Barrett at 14 years old, driving in the car to our first meeting and talking about our day, seeing him in the crowd as I spoke at an investment banking conference and feeling more pride knowing one of the most important people in the world was watching me, playing golf in the afternoon then feeling so incredible that night as we watched the San Francisco Giants win their first game of the playoffs in the season they won the World Series.  My first trip with Brennan to Puerto Rico where we boarded the plane and I looked to see the amazing smile of happiness, scuba diving with him in crystal blue water and him standing on stage with me as he spoke with such eloquence and price about some of the most incredible people in the world. Memories I’ll cherish for a lifetime!

These trips are designed to expand my son’s horizons and broaden their worldly perspectives, but I find myself constantly learning from my son’s unique vision and dreams. In the end, I may appreciate these trips even more than my sons do. I cannot wait for our next trip together.

The post PART IV – How Business Trips Will Teach Quality in Work and the Power of Relationships appeared first on Ryan Wuerch.

Photo Credits  _eWalter_

Leaders come in all varieties and are not limited by their title or position – instead, leaders are characterized by a set of traits they possess and represent on a daily basis. How many of the following do you do every day? Where can you improve?

1. Wake up early.
2. Eat a nutritional breakfast.
3. Greet their team with positive enthusiasm.
4. Prioritize their responsibilities for the day.
5. Make tough decisions with a combination of instinct, experience and data.
6. Show sincere appreciation for their team and the hard work they contribute.
7. Delegate responsibilities with faith the job will be done well.
8. Focus on the short- and long-term goals when making decisions.
9. Check in with their team to see how they are doing individually and as a group.
10. Take breaks to refocus and relieve stress.
11. Make exercising a priority.
12. Spend quality time with those closest to you.
13. Read books that further the learning process.
14. Plan priorities for the next day.
15. Face challenges with confidence and determination to succeed.
16. Inspire their team by living the vision and staying positive.

Acting as a leader means you are there both for the success of the company, and the success of the people you work with. It also means working hard to find solutions to challenges and staying up late to solve problems. This takes a lot of energy so it is vitally important to take care of your physical self as well through healthy eating, rest, time for relaxation and exercise.

What traits do you see in leaders around you on a daily basis?

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Photo Credits Tunnel

Would you consider yourself a big picture thinker or someone who focuses on the processes? When an expansive project lands in your lap, do focus on the end goal or do you instinctively start thinking of a To-Do list? In business and life, we will encounter people who are the visionaries of the world and those who are the planners. Both are good and both are absolutely necessary to the success of a company.

If you find yourself falling in the big picture camp, you will find you need to be a planner at times. But how can you become more detailed oriented if you are naturally more of a concept thinker? And why should you bother to work to change your thinking?

Having detail-oriented skills will allow you to accomplish more of your big concept ideas and to realize them to their full potential. Consider a luxury hotel experience versus a mid-range hotel. What are some of the differences? First, you may find that the lobby is more ornate. You will notice the room has a nicer view. These are both very obvious differences you would expect to get for paying a premium price. However, there are smaller details at work that create the overall feeling and experience of your stay. The paper used in the stationary might be just a little thicker, your sheets could be just slightly higher thread count, the towels softer. Maybe instead of a standard alarm clock you have one that connects to a mobile phone to play your music. There may be a note personally welcoming you to your room, the staff will know you by name, bottled water is left by your bed –these are the little things that make a big difference.  Would you notice these things if they weren’t there? Maybe, maybe not, but all of these touches add to your luxury experience.

And they were not implemented without attention to detail.

How do you become more detail oriented? Here are a few ways to start improving your skill.

First, think of someone you know who is detailed oriented. When looking at your current project, try to think of what they would do. Would they start by outlining a timeline? Would they contact key people who will be involved in the project? Then, talk to that person and see what input they have. This way you will better learn their strategy and be able to replicate it on future projects.

Second, if you have a project you know will require several repetitive steps, writing out those steps will ensure you do not miss anything. Even if you are not someone who generally makes lists, for the first few times, make yourself check off steps as you go.

Third, slow down to check in with yourself and the project. How has the project been going? Are there pieces that still need to be examined again? What would make this project just a little bit better? Remember, someone had to take the time to personalize that note in your hotel room. What little touch can you add to your project? Are you moving too fast?

Fourth, take a step back. If you are getting so wrapped up in the details of your project you feel like you are missing the forest for the trees, step back and reevaluate what the goals and priorities are. Not every detail can or needs to be addressed. Determine which are going to have the biggest impact, and focus on getting those right.

Finally, after your project is complete, review and evaluate. How did it go? Were there details that need to be altered next time? Was this project received differently by your audience than previous projects with less focus on details?

Focusing on details may seem like a lot of work, however, it pays off significantly. Creating that ideal customer experience is what will inspire them to buy, keep them coming back and even get them talking with their friends and family about your company.

Do you agree about the importance of detail? What experience have you had where one small change made a big difference? Do you think you are more detailed-oriented or concept-focused? I’d love to hear in the comments!

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Photo Credits Dan X O’Neil

What is it that enables great leaders to grow their following, impact change and make a difference? It is more than education and connections –lots of people have those. It is something rarer.

It is instinctive intelligence.

Instinctive intelligence is being able to know things, see things and act upon them with an understanding that cannot be taught in a textbook. But, it is not acting based on a gut feeling. Leaders cannot reach their potential for success if they are acting only upon instinct, there will be too many mistakes made along the way.

Instead, great leaders use experience and combine it with data in order to create a high probability of success. Consider seasoned professional athletes. When they are on the field, they are able to read the game in a way that a rookie hasn’t fully developed. The seasoned athletes are able to use their experience in combination with their instinct to determine which way to run on the field, who to pass to or where the ball is likely to go. They need both their experience and their instinct to be successful. Relying on just one or the other would result in mistakes that may cost the game or the season.

Rookies can develop their instinctive intelligence by studying the success of seasoned leaders and through consuming data, typically in the form of game film, player stats and player behavior. During the early part of their career, they also need to overweight the influence of data and underweight their instincts because the experience has not been gained yet. Studying trends, successes and failures and the environment around them will build their intelligence. Their specific combination of influencers will make each leader’s instinctive intelligence unique to the individual.

How does this relate to your career? How can you utilize some of the same strategies professional athletes use to better your instinctive intelligence? Are there industry leaders you can follow, stats you can study and consumer behavior you can analyze? Adding this to your daily regimen will enable you to build your experience and knowledge faster so you will be able to rely heavily on your instinctive intelligence in the future.

Has your experienced lined up with this? Do you feel that instinctive intelligence can be learned?

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Herb and me at his printing business

When we got our Seattle Mariners season tickets five years ago we didn’t realize that the greatest thing about the games wasn’t going to be watching baseball but was rather developing a great friendship with Herb and Janice Blackinton who sit directly behind us. We’ve come to know their kids, grandkids and great-grandkids and have relished in hearing Herb’s laughter and stories.  We’ve talked and shared Seattle baseball wins and losses (mostly losses). Herb is 72-years-old and I’ve often said to Shawntel that someday when I’m his age I hope to enjoy life, family and friends like we’ve seen him do.  Recently, he took me aside and confided in me that he has been diagnosed with cancer. He then asked me if I wanted to visit his printing business he had built from the ground up and in which he had found great success. While he sold his business 16 years ago to a large public company which afforded him to live a life that most would dream of, he was still very much a part of his business and its success is a very important piece of who he is.

I visited his business last week. He gave me a tour of the facility and I was able to see his excitement as he talked to me about the large printing presses, their world-class customers, and showed me every aspect of the facility.  As we walked throughout the building, he introduced me to employees as if they were family. He knew everyone by name and I marveled at how many employees had worked with him for their entire careers, some for 18, 20, 25 and 30 years or more.  Each of their stories was amazing.

During our lunch I asked him what three things he felt defined him as a person. He thought for a moment while I waited, knowing this man possessed sage wisdom. He is the type of man I’d be proud to share some of his attributes, a man full of energy and joy, someone who is loved by his family and many friends and is satisfied in his accomplishments, both personal and professional. He smiled then and started with a story.

He told me how he wasn’t a heavy practicing Christian, but he saw himself as someone who embraced Christian values, which was his first point of definition. He was never brought up going to church but it was a constant presence in his life. Each week he would attend Cub Scouts, then Boy Scouts, at a local church. The values learned were embedded in his heart.

The second defining value was to have a conscience. He told me of how early on in his childhood his father had asked him a simple question, “If you find a wallet on the street with two twenties in it, what do you do with it?” Of course you return it. That is the only answer that will provide a clean conscience.  This too was evident in his business. He could not have reached his level of success without truly being honest, open and moral with his work, employees and customers.

The final value was family. This was evident even before we went to lunch as his season tickets were always filled with family members who clearly loved and deeply cared for him. He treats his business the same way. Those employees I met while walking through the printing plant, were not just former employees to him, they were family. Important business relationships are not just business, they are valuable and personal relationships that when cultivated will carry you through the toughest of times and make victory so much better when shared with them.

I thought back to the visit we had just made to his business and could clearly see how these values had been built into every aspect of the success he had created. He had introduced me to employees like friends, showing his heart of love.  Herb again smiled when I told him how I saw these values in his business.

I asked him how he thinks of customers.  He told me it isn’t all that complicated. It was simple, his customers have a need and it is his job to help them solve it. Focus on treating them like family while solving their need and the money will follow.

I’m proud to have been blessed by having Herb in my life. Being diagnosed with cancer is a new challenge in front of him but his smile and optimism once again shows how great a man he is.  Even in the face of a great challenge and without having all the answers, he continues to teach me.  What a great man!

Thank you Herb!

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Photo Credits, Tim Alamenciak

What is a defining characteristic you see in high-performing athletes, successful entrepreneurs, well-respected artists and high-level educators? The characteristic I see in all these individuals is present despite their different socio-economics, upbringing, education or experience levels.

It is PASSION.

I have spoken on the difference between a leader and a follower. Consider for a moment, how many successful leaders have you followed who have lacked passion or a drive to accomplish that which was in front of them? The answer is probably none.

Now consider where you are right now. What goal do you have for your business that you believe in so strongly, one you will go for despite all challenges and obstacles?

Accomplishing a dream and making a real change in the world around you is hard work. Steve Jobs said we have to have a lot of passion for what we do because if we don’t, any rational person would give up. I agree entirely.

Other successful entrepreneurs have said similar things on the importance of passion in work; Jeff Bezos said, “One of the huge mistakes people make is that they try to force an interest on themselves. You don’t choose your passions; your passions choose you.”

And when your passion is intertwined with love and the optimism of what could be, you will be driven to capture what most would think is impossible.  Mark Twain, I feel, said it best, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

See more of what Steve Jobs had to say on passion in this short video of his talk to entrepreneurs:

My passion is to see millions of people’s lives positively impacted through a social commerce platform that will redefine distribution as we know it.

I would love to hear what your passions are in the comment section below. Remember, when leaders are truly passionate, everyone around them who is part of their pursuit, feels that passion in themselves as well.

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