Effortless Networking Do You Suffer From The Quotknowingdoing Gapquot

Writen by Sri Dasgupta

If you're reading this article, you probably read a fair amount in general. And my guess is that you probably know a lot about business networking and what you should and shouldn't do, at this point.

So the question is, are you doing everything that you already know?

We often know exactly what we need to do -- like eating healthily, exercising, and so on -- and yet, we don't do it.

Can you relate to it? Yes, me too!

Well, the same thing happens in our professional lives as well.

This is the "knowing-doing gap", as described by the authors of the book by the same title.

A lot of my work with private clients focuses on helping individuals close this gap.

So instead of giving you yet another tip on how to network better, how about I share with you a simple process to help you use what you already know?

Here it is:

1. Pick ONE thing that you've been meaning to do, but haven't done yet -- for whatever reason.
2. Make a commitment to do it this week.
3. Then, as the week progresses, pay attention to whether or not you actually do it.

Either way, you will get useful information to help you close the "knowing-doing" gap for this one particular thing.

So don't worry about "failing" -- just go through this 3-step process.

At the end of the week, answer these questions for yourself, and see what you get:

• Were you able to do what you intended to? If yes, what allowed you to follow through? If no, what prevented you from doing so?
• What did you learn about this particular "knowing-doing" gap? And how will use this information?

This last step of looking back at what happened in specific detail, and generating ideas about how you might leverage this information, is critical -- so don't skip it!

I'd be curious to know how this affects your networking efforts. So let me know how it went -- my contact information is on my website.

(c) Copyright 2006, Srirupa Dasgupta Srirupa Dasgupta is the author of Effortless Networking: Everyday Wisdom to Transform your Business and Life. She helps small business owners, entrepreneurs and self-employed professionals build, sustain and leverage the professional and personal network that is necessary to succeed. To get a free 15-page guide on the "5 simple ways to Network Successfully", visit her website at http://www.EffortlessNetworking.com .