Porter Gale’s book on “Your Network is your Net Worth” pretty much sums up the importance of the “N” in my L.E.A.R.N. series – Network.

Richard Branson said:

Succeeding in business is all about making connections.

Your Network is your Net Worth

Networking with people has evolved over time. With technology, we can make connections both online and offline. I see it as a win-win approach, whereby one not only can win friends but also influence people.

When you start to focus on your passion and network around your beliefs, you discover lasting relationships and personal transformation. When you start to give good value to others, you will also eventually find that you get value in return. Reciprocity is the foundation of positive outcomes from a connection.

I see connections as a two-way street. You make connections with people who are the experts in the domain knowledge to learn from them. You should also make an effort to share your knowledge with people in need to help them.

Learning from others

In order to fast-track your learning and development, it is important to know and learn from people who have “been there done that” in the domain.

I’m privileged in my life to meet many awesome mentors. Personally, I learnt so many things from my network of mentors:

  • Technical analysis and futures trading from an ex floor trader
  • Entrepreneurship and implementation of my blog from an award winning entrepreneur of the year
  • Options trading from the mentor of mentors
  • Value investing from a group of passionate investors

The interesting part with technology evolution is that some of my mentors are even “virtual” nowadays. YouTube and Facebook Live webinars have become a “norm” and huge repository of good content. And increasingly, self-learning has replaced face to face classroom training.

However, I’m not advocating that face to face connections are no longer required. In fact, that is a crucial part of connection and building relationships. Nothing beats the human touch. Zoom and many of the connectivity apps have revolutionised the way we network with people. In the past few months during the COVID19 lockdown, I believe I have “met” more people virtually and made useful connections.

Share with others

I find that the best way to consolidate and internalise knowledge is to teach someone. I believe in the value of gifting others and paying it forward. In order to be able to articulate what you know to other people, you need to be clear about the subject. Along the way, this will help you to clarify your doubts about a subject. When your “student” asks something, it could also be a blind spot which you’ve ignored. It’s a win-win scenario and we grow our knowledge.

Conclusion

Network is a two-way street. One can seek help to fast track his learning by learning from mentors. One can also gift his knowledge to others and improve his own understanding. Learning is a life-long journey of discovery and I hope you will continue to L.E.A.R.N.

Yao Wen

Yao Wen

Dad, Investor & Treasury professional

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