Latest / Networking Unleashed: Building Profitable Connections / Networking Unleashed: An Interview with Marja Fox and Michael A Forman, Professional Speaker

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Networking Unleashed: An Interview with Marja Fox and Michael A Forman, Professional Speaker · Networking Unleashed: Building Profitable Connections

0:14
Welcome to Networking Unleashed, Building Profitable
0:18
Connections, the show where relationships create
0:21
opportunity and communication drives results.
0:25
I'm your host, Michael Foreman. Most people think
0:29
networking happens one conversation at a time.
0:32
But what if the same skills that help you build
0:35
trust with one person are the exact skills needed
0:39
to lead a team, align an organization? and navigate
0:44
complex challenges. My guest today brings a unique
0:49
perspective on communication at scale. We're
0:53
talking about leading a team isn't all that different
0:57
from building a network, why smart leaders know
1:00
when to bring in outside perspectives, and why
1:03
some of the biggest opportunities come to those
1:06
who are willing to play the long game. In a world
1:10
that rewards instant gratification, this conversation
1:13
is a powerful reminder that trust, influence,
1:17
and meaningful relationships are built over time.
1:21
If you're looking to strengthen your communication,
1:24
improve your leadership, and create relationships
1:28
that produce lasting results, this episode is
1:32
for you. I'd like to welcome to the podcast today,
1:35
Marja Fox. She's an expert in everything I just
1:39
explained. And I would just like to ask, first
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of all, hello, Marja. How are you? I'm good.
1:46
How are you, Michael? Good. I would just like
1:49
you to give us the cliff notes of how you got
1:52
where you are today. You have no idea how difficult
1:56
a cliff's note version of my life is because
1:59
it feels like it was all over the map. But here's
2:03
my best attempt. I now, as you say, facilitate
2:07
executive team conversations, usually around
2:12
strategy or big strategic questions, the things
2:14
that are far in the future. How I got here? Most
2:19
recently, I was a VP at Ecolab, so spent some
2:23
time in a kind of formal organizational executive
2:25
leadership position myself, which gives you absolutely
2:29
a great idea of where the real sticky points
2:32
are. Prior to that, most of my career was at
2:36
McKinsey. So I was a management consultant doing...
2:39
Similar kinds of work, right? Tackling businesses
2:42
or organizations' biggest problems through a
2:45
management consulting lens. Prior to that, though,
2:49
I was a chemist, a PhD chemist, and a theater
2:53
nerd. all of which has actually come full circle,
2:56
standing in front of a room, helping them have
2:58
a conversation, polls on my theater skills, solving
3:01
really hard problems, polls on my chemistry skills.
3:04
So all of those things woven together to get
3:07
me here, focused on areas where hard problems
3:11
need to be solved and they need to be solved
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with people. Very good. And I can't agree with
3:20
you more since that's what I go across the country
3:23
talking about. So we're on the same line, same
3:26
level. Okay. So you say communicating with a
3:31
team isn't all that different from networking
3:34
one -on -one. What fundamental principles apply
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equally to both? I like to think of two things.
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Leading with two things, whether I'm networking
3:45
one -on -one or whether I'm dealing with a team,
3:48
or especially when things get tough. If you can
3:52
fall back on two things, they've never failed
3:54
me. One of which is curiosity. Just being curious
3:59
about where another person is, why they think
4:03
the way they think, why they're poking at you
4:06
in ways that might feel irritating, but probably
4:09
contains an important nugget of truth. And if
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you start from a position of curiosity, you're
4:16
less likely to miss some of those things because
4:19
of the pricklies that might otherwise be going
4:21
on. So that's one thing. And I think it's equally
4:24
applicable one -on -one or in groups. And the
4:27
second thing is generosity. It comes with listening
4:32
with generosity and it comes with giving with
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generosity, your own ideas, your own assets,
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your own resources. I think, I'm sure you've
4:40
talked about it. add infinitum on this podcast
4:43
but the people who go out and network one -on
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-one in order to extract tend to do pretty poorly
4:50
same thing in a big group if you go into a discussion
4:54
ready to drag a group into your perspective or
4:59
your preferred ways you probably aren't going
5:02
to get very far So how do you give? How do you
5:05
give space? How do you give insights? How do
5:08
you give respect? So those two things, curiosity
5:11
and generosity, I think really set people up
5:14
to have great conversations in which, frankly,
5:17
everyone wins. There's an 80 -20 rule with networking.
5:23
The other person speaks 80%, you speak 20%. And
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part of that 20 % is asking questions. So you
5:33
get to the root. And the other thing, you hit
5:36
upon it and you didn't actually go deep enough
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because when I network, I do with what's called
5:42
a servant's heart, all right? I look to give
5:45
before I receive. So if you go to a networking
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event or even one -on -one and you're looking
5:52
to say, how can I help this person? It takes
5:56
all the pressure off your shoulders, but it makes
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you more memorable. Yeah, absolutely. Okay. So
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why do some leaders struggle to create alignment
6:08
with their organizations, even when they're communicating
6:11
frequently? Yeah. There's a lot of directions
6:16
one could go to that. But what I see very frequently
6:20
is a lack of the things we just talked about
6:26
in how they engage their organization. And it
6:29
comes from a good place, or it comes from an
6:32
explainable place. Most senior executives have
6:37
been rewarded over the course of long careers
6:40
for knowing the answer, for telling people what
6:44
to do, for standing firm in their beliefs, even
6:48
in the face of wins that might be trying to push
6:51
them around. These are the things that got them
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where they are. As a leader who is trying to
6:59
convince a team or an organization of a direction
7:04
and not just convince them on the level that
7:07
they understand it, they heard it, but that they
7:10
believe in it so that they will go do with heart
7:15
and passion the things that need to be done requires
7:19
them to be involved in it. So communication at
7:24
that level and when a leader is struggling is
7:27
usually because the communication was essentially
7:29
one way. It's let me tell you the thing I've
7:34
decided rather than let's decide a thing together
7:39
in the case of your top team or even lower in
7:43
the organization when it's literally not possible
7:46
or even. not advisable to have 300 people involved
7:50
in setting your strategy. There's still a difference
7:52
in a conversation that says, here's the things
7:55
we know and we're pretty clear on. Here's some
7:58
of the open questions that frankly fall in your
8:01
sphere, in your lap that we need you to help
8:04
us with. And now you have a conversation. When
8:08
you have a speech, it rarely gets through in
8:14
the way that a conversation does. You said it
8:19
without saying it. You said the difference between
8:23
being a leader and a boss. Because you said everything
8:28
but those words. A leader, you get down into
8:32
the trenches with everybody because you're teaching
8:35
them how to lead. You're giving them responsibility.
8:39
It's a give and take. And being a boss is just
8:42
shouting orders, barking orders. So you said
8:46
it without saying it. You're absolutely right,
8:49
though. And we see it all over, right? People
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who, especially in their early years of becoming
8:53
a leader, think it means being a boss with a
8:57
bigger capital B, when actually it's an entirely
9:00
different set of skills. Absolutely. A different
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set of skills. And the person who is a leader.
9:09
will tend to go further than being a boss. A
9:11
boss will be middle management, not go any further,
9:14
and not understand why he's not getting promoted.
9:18
So yes, I understand that. What can networking
9:22
professionals learn from leaders who successfully
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communicate across large teams and a diverse
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group of people? I think the... Maybe two things
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that I can highlight that one will be very related
9:39
to things we've just talked about. One will take
9:42
us in another direction and one is just listening,
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right? You've already emphasized that 80 -20
9:47
rule. Most of leadership and most of successful
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leadership comes down to listening. What I'll
9:54
add on that point is listening can be mistaken
10:00
for I heard the thing. I waited for my turn to
10:06
respond. And I said what I wanted to say. That's
10:13
a kind of passive listening. And it's unfortunately
10:16
we don't have a second word because that's not
10:20
what I mean. It's listening for what is unsaid
10:27
in addition to what is said. It is listening.
10:33
for where the sticking points are. It's listening
10:37
for where is the nugget of brilliance in something
10:43
else that might be meandering or a little off
10:46
base, right? It is a far more active and engaged
10:50
type of listening than the, I gave you a turn,
10:56
now it's my turn to speak. So that's one direction
11:00
I would think about. And the second thing that
11:04
I would highlight is what I'll deliberately call
11:06
preparation. Preparation over planning. So many
11:11
times we enter conversations without any kind
11:15
of preparation or planning. Even in a formal
11:19
meeting, we'll show up and we'll have an agenda
11:22
and that feels good. But that's sort of the limit
11:25
of what we do. If you think about so many other
11:29
tasks in your life, you would never show up with
11:32
so little forethought into what to expect, what
11:37
could unfold, what might happen. And I would
11:40
say, whether it's a formal meeting or a more
11:42
informal opportunity to communicate, you should
11:46
be investing in some preparation. And I said
11:49
I choose preparation over planning because, and
11:52
the difference is this. Because of everything
11:54
I've said about listening and engaging, you cannot
11:58
have a full script. If you have a full script
12:02
and you intend to stick with it, you are no longer
12:05
listening. And planning to me indicates that,
12:09
right? I know what I'm going to say at minute
12:11
32 and then at 47 I'm going to say this and that's
12:15
not what I mean. But preparation in the sense
12:18
of who is it that I'm going to be engaging with.
12:22
Who are these 12 people? What do I know about
12:25
them? Not just their roles, but. Where have they
12:28
been? How do they think? What is the hardest
12:31
thing that they've encountered in the last week
12:34
or the last month? What is the thing that actually
12:36
has nothing to do with what we're about to talk
12:38
about, but probably is sitting on their brain?
12:40
This is what I mean by preparation, such that
12:44
you can anticipate some of where the push might
12:47
be, some of where the disconnects might be. That
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preparation sets you up to be the kind of communicator,
12:56
the kind of network, the kind of leader that
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the most successful people achieve. Absolutely.
13:06
And I was thinking of so many things while you
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were talking. And as I was thinking about it,
13:11
you would discuss it by the next sentence. You're
13:15
so on point with everything. And all I can say
13:19
is while you're listening. When you said you're
13:23
only half listening because you want to concentrate
13:25
on the next thing that you want to say. And that's
13:27
the worst thing that you can do is figure out
13:30
what you want to say next without listening to
13:32
them. So the best thing is to reiterate what
13:37
they said to you and say, OK, then you said this
13:42
and you're going to respond this way. And that
13:46
was just so on point. And also when you're preparing,
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and I'm a big believer in preparing, right? But
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the way that I prepare is really bullet points.
13:58
If this is discussed, I can bring up these points.
14:02
If this is discussed, I can bring up those points.
14:05
And if nothing is discussed, I have a few other
14:07
bullet points. So I have basic knowledge, but
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nothing is set to time. I don't have to remember,
14:16
oh, no, I have to do this one before I do. No,
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I just have to glance down to, oh, yeah, and
14:21
talk about it. So I understand completely what
14:25
you're saying with your preparation and with
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your listening skills, because it is a skill.
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It is a skill because it's very easy for you
14:35
to start to wander as the other person's talking
14:38
unless you really listen to them. I love the
14:42
tip on bullet points. I think that's fantastic,
14:45
right? And look, there's something a little funny
14:46
about bullet points. Like the moment we write
14:48
in a sentence, it becomes very static and chiseled
14:52
in stone and somehow bullet points trick our
14:55
brains. They just feel a little more loose and
14:59
flexible. They're an outline, right? They're
15:01
a symbol of an outline and that helps us, I think,
15:04
get our minds in the right place. One more thing
15:08
I want to offer. that you prompted, which ties
15:11
back to that theater background. And this might,
15:13
this analogy might help for some of your listeners.
15:16
In high school theater, we had a script, right?
15:20
Everybody, line, here's your whole script. But
15:23
you get on stage and somebody misses a line.
15:27
Now what? And the important thing to get to the
15:32
end of the scene is to know what the scene was
15:36
supposed to accomplish. You don't actually have
15:39
to memorize the script and you don't have to
15:42
get there word by word the way the playwright
15:46
intended. If you know what the scene was trying
15:50
to accomplish, you can pretty much work with
15:53
the people around you to get there. So what I
15:56
would add to your bullet points, and I think
15:58
you probably do anyway, is what's the headline?
16:01
What is it? What is the overarching objective
16:04
here? Because if you can keep that in mind, then
16:09
you're not so worried about, I need to say this
16:12
thing. You know where you're trying to get to.
16:16
And if the people you're with kind of steer you
16:18
this way, I need to go that way. But if they
16:21
steer you this way, then you know you need to
16:23
go left, right? So I think that's just keeping
16:26
in mind the objective of the scene. in addition
16:29
to your bullet points, is another good way to
16:31
help you listen at the same way that you are
16:35
leading towards the things that you think are
16:39
right and proper and best. Very good. Yes, I
16:43
agree 100%, 110%. I absolutely agree. And when
16:48
I said that you were on point before, I mean
16:51
it now also, because you just brought it all
16:53
together. You advocate for third -party support
16:56
in difficult conversations. Why do leaders, why
17:01
do smart leaders often bring in outside perspectives
17:05
instead of trying to solve everything themselves?
17:10
Maybe two things. It seems like all my answers
17:13
have two things these days. Two things. One of
17:16
which is on big strategic questions. It is often
17:23
useful. It is blanket useful to have multiple
17:27
perspectives. You are looking forward into uncertainty.
17:32
You are dealing with usually a team of people
17:37
who are somewhat committed deliberately to past
17:41
choices. And so there are certain perspectives
17:45
that become very shared within that group. And
17:50
those were good. for what you needed to do yesterday
17:54
and today. But as you think about the future,
17:57
it is helpful to have people in the room who
18:00
are not tied to yesterday's decisions. So that's
18:05
one thing from a, it's called a content perspective,
18:08
right? The actual decision or the debate you
18:11
need to have benefits from perspectives that
18:14
are somewhat untied to the business as it is
18:18
today. But the second thing relates very much
18:22
to all that we've been talking about. There is
18:25
a lot to think about when it comes to helping
18:30
groups of people have great conversations. That's
18:35
what facilitation is, right? Facilitation with
18:38
a capital F. Probably everybody on your, all
18:40
your listeners have been exposed to facilitation,
18:43
lowercase f, the way that I would call it, right?
18:45
Somebody who stands up in the room, takes the
18:47
notes, makes you do awkward trust falls, that
18:50
person. What I'm talking about is frankly a much
18:55
more kind of intellectual and engaged type of
18:58
guide through difficult conversations. And that
19:04
is a full -time job. If a leader is trying to
19:09
both participate in the conversation at the same
19:12
time that they're trying to facilitate the conversation,
19:17
that can be done on simpler questions, but it
19:21
becomes very difficult to do either of those
19:24
jobs well when you're trying to do both of them
19:27
at the same time. So for the hardest conversations,
19:31
I selfishly I would advocate for outsourcing
19:35
the ensuring of a great conversation because
19:38
that's something that somebody else can do for
19:42
you that allows you and your team to really focus
19:45
on the meat of the discussion. Steve Jobs comes
19:49
to mind. Steve Jobs, who was a genius when it
19:55
comes to Apple, but when he started to develop
19:59
his board, he knew what he does best. And he
20:04
knew what he didn't do best. And he hired people
20:08
for those things that he didn't do best. So he
20:12
didn't have yes men. He didn't have people saying,
20:16
oh, that's a great job, Steve. Oh, Steve, that's
20:18
perfect. Oh, Steve, that's wonderful. No, he
20:20
said, whoa, what about this? So he brought in
20:23
those other perspectives. right away. And so
20:27
he knew what he was able to do. He knew what
20:30
he was not able to do. And that brought forth.
20:33
So that, I think, animates your whole idea of
20:39
what you just said. Perfect. Yeah, it does. It's
20:43
over the course of my work as an independent,
20:46
as an executive, and as a management consultant
20:48
at McKinsey, I must have worked with, I don't
20:51
know, hundreds of senior executives. I have seen
20:54
extraordinary ones. I have seen terrible ones.
20:59
And if you just look at them plainly, they fall
21:02
all over the map, right? There are big, bold,
21:06
huge personalities. There are very quiet, almost
21:09
mousy ones who When they do speak up, you lean
21:12
in, right? They're all over. But the thing that
21:15
I think is most consistent across the extraordinary
21:20
leaders is humility. It is self -awareness and
21:25
it is the humility to say, I'm great at these
21:29
things and not so great at these things. And
21:32
if I'm humble enough to say that, then I can
21:35
staff for it. And they do. Absolutely. Absolutely.
21:39
In both networking and leadership, how do you
21:43
create an environment where people feel heard
21:46
rather than simply managed? Yes. Oh my gosh,
21:51
it's so important. All the things that we've
21:53
talked about listening are relevant here. Let
21:55
me add a really simple tactic that I think your
22:00
listeners can use. And I think it works, I'm
22:05
just testing myself internally, but I think it
22:07
works whether you are out at a networking event,
22:11
you are sitting at a lunch across from somebody,
22:14
or you're in a meeting. And that very simple
22:18
and underutilized tactic is writing things down.
22:24
It is something you used earlier around, hey,
22:27
I heard you say this and repeating it back. Great,
22:30
super valuable. But when I stand up at a flip
22:34
chart with my smelly Mr. Sketch marker and write
22:38
down the thing that was said, people really know
22:43
that they've been heard. And I think you can
22:47
do it in a notebook. It's not quite as effective
22:49
as visually seeing it, but I think it's massively
22:52
underutilized. We've gotten used to... putting
22:56
PowerPoint presentations up in front of people
22:59
at meetings or printing them out and everybody's
23:02
just looking down, I'll tell you what, I don't
23:04
use them at all, ever. There is never a screen
23:07
on in my meetings because to really be heard
23:11
and to really hear each other, we need eyes looking
23:15
at each other and we need, I cover the walls
23:19
in flip charts of the important things that have
23:22
been said. And the ways that we're coalescing,
23:27
the early decisions that we've made. So I think
23:30
the verbal confirmation of listening, but the
23:34
visual confirmation of listening is something
23:37
that I think your listeners should probably consider
23:39
adding to their toolkits. And that's so true.
23:43
And I'm a big one when it comes to follow up,
23:46
right? Because people, A, either they don't follow
23:50
up at all, or B, they follow up. whenever they
23:53
want to, or C, it's maybe I will, I'll follow
23:56
up tomorrow or the next day or anything else.
23:58
I run a business networking meeting every week,
24:04
every Thursday evening. And they all know that
24:08
my secret sauce is follow -up. And when you said
24:12
about writing things down, whenever you go to
24:16
a networking event or a meeting, you take your
24:18
business card on the back of it. You write down
24:22
the date, the name of the function, and something
24:25
you spoke about. Because in two weeks, when you're
24:29
looking at that card saying, who the hell is
24:32
that? I don't remember that. You turn it over
24:35
and say, oh, that's right. I know who that is.
24:37
And you continue with your follow -up. So it's
24:40
a learning device. I've always written things
24:43
down to remember them, to learn them. But for
24:47
somebody else, bullet points, writing it down,
24:51
It drives it home. It really does. That's a great
24:54
one. And I love the addition of not just writing
24:58
it down in the room, but writing it down after
25:00
in your follow -up email, or if an executive
25:03
team has made a decision. They can feel great
25:07
about it in the room and it disperses the moment
25:12
they leave the room unless you have a mechanism
25:16
by which somebody has recorded and written it
25:19
down and given people another forum to digest
25:22
it, right? You revisit things or a decision doesn't
25:25
stick. So I think exactly the same principle
25:28
applies in both those kind of group settings
25:30
and the individual ones. Yeah, that's why recording
25:34
your meetings and doing things like that is so
25:37
important because you don't remember everything.
25:41
You don't. You'll pick up something different
25:45
every time you listen to it. So that all goes
25:48
with it. Okay. Why are so many professionals
25:52
impatient when it comes to relationship building
25:55
and how does the impatience limit long -term
25:59
success? Let me first confess, you're talking
26:03
to somebody who's impatient. Okay, so it's true.
26:09
I'm not lying. But jokes aside, I think many
26:12
successful people are impatient by nature. And
26:16
not even just about relationships, right? But
26:18
about everything. We're driven. We like to see
26:20
things happen. We like impact. We want what we
26:24
do to matter. And so that impatience. is really
26:29
valuable in a whole host of places in our lives.
26:34
But if we then try to apply that or force that
26:39
onto relationships, we pretty quickly find it
26:43
doesn't work. Relationships are not on a timeline.
26:48
Yeah, go ahead. Yeah, no, but it's a skill. It
26:52
really is. You have to practice it. You can't
26:55
just say, you know what? I'm an impatient person,
26:57
but now all of a sudden I'm patient. It doesn't
27:01
work that way. Yes, that's right. So there's
27:02
this first step of sort of being aware. that
27:06
I might need to add a different skill, maybe
27:09
even an opposite skill to my arsenal to be deployed
27:13
in the right situations. And let me add, there
27:17
are also business challenges that benefit from
27:20
patience. So it is a good skill to be able to
27:23
access, not just for relationships, but for a
27:27
whole host of things. And you go out about deliberately
27:31
building it. I think it's very much aided by
27:35
thinking long -term and what we talked about
27:41
at the beginning, leading your relationships
27:43
with curiosity and generosity, then it's not
27:46
an agenda, right? There's not, I'm going to meet
27:49
this person because of this thing, but. I'm going
27:54
to meet this person because I wonder what they're
27:56
all about and who knows where it goes. And I'm
27:58
not just curious about them. I'm curious about
28:01
the path that this relationship might take. And
28:06
that not only helps you build patience, it helps
28:11
you see things that might have been completely
28:15
ancillary or way off with what you thought that
28:21
relationship was going to yield or had the potential
28:23
to yield in the first place. I have certainly
28:26
engaged in partnerships or had clients that I
28:30
never thought of in that way until it turned
28:35
up. The other thing I think that helps is knowing
28:41
that once you can get yourself in the mode of
28:44
developing relationships patiently, The old ones
28:49
pay off, right? So it doesn't feel so urgent
28:52
when you're starting out, when you're really
28:54
like learning the skills of being a network or
28:56
you're new to a job or a company or you're new
29:00
professionally. There is such this, I need things
29:03
to move now that gets somewhat ameliorated once
29:08
you have. a body of momentum going behind you
29:11
because the things you've invested in three,
29:13
five, seven years from now are actually paying
29:16
off now at the same time that you're investing
29:18
in the things that might matter three, five,
29:20
seven years from now. Networking is all about
29:24
patience. It's all about being patient. And you
29:29
really have to realize that you're not just speaking
29:32
to that person, but you're speaking to that person's
29:36
network. Right? Because let's say that person
29:40
can't use your services, but they know of somebody
29:43
who can. But if you're sitting there talking
29:47
and not letting them talk, they'll never recommend
29:51
you. So it goes a long way. Okay. One of my favorite
29:55
closing questions is always, who else should
29:59
I meet? Yeah. But you have to be confident enough
30:03
to even ask that question. Yes. So that's a whole
30:09
other conversation. Yes. How can someone balance
30:12
short -term business pressures with long -term
30:16
investment required to build trust and meaningful
30:20
relationships? Yeah. Long -term business is not
30:27
just for trust and meaningful relationships,
30:29
but also for the health and performance of the
30:32
business. I know there is a very common framing
30:39
of a dichotomy between short -term and long -term.
30:42
And I understand the tension that comes having
30:45
sat in an executive seat myself. So I'm not trying
30:48
to downplay or invalidate that tension. But they're
30:54
more aligned than we realize. If we can do the
30:59
smart things to keep ourselves focused on the
31:03
future, the short term just becomes easier. It's
31:07
hard to start. But if you can get it going, it
31:11
feeds itself. And this certainly is the space
31:14
I sit in, not just from relationships, but from
31:16
a business standpoint, right? I'm a strategist.
31:19
So most of the decisions that I'm helping senior
31:21
executives make together fall into this strategic
31:25
area. These are decisions that you're trying
31:28
to make for your organization that might come
31:30
to fruition three to five years out. And I often
31:34
have to give my clients a little pep talk on
31:37
why are... we even doing this? I've got this
31:41
order coming across my desk now. This client
31:44
or this customer is mad about this thing we missed.
31:47
There's so many urgent things flying around.
31:51
So why do we even think about the long -term
31:55
at all is a common question. But the long -term
32:00
thinking is not planning ahead for a decision
32:06
I'm going to make three to five years from now.
32:08
Here's my planning versus preparation again,
32:10
right? That's not what we're doing when we're
32:13
talking about strategy. It's not what we're doing
32:15
when we're forming a new relationship. It is
32:17
not so in three years from now, I'm going to
32:20
make this decision or in three years from now,
32:23
this person's going to give me this thing. What
32:26
it's doing is helping us inform the decisions
32:31
we make. today. Because we have a sense for where
32:37
we want to be on the horizon. If we didn't have
32:41
that sense, if we never picked up our eyes and
32:44
looked out at the horizon, we might just be wandering
32:47
in circles, dealing with all the urgent stuff
32:50
that falls on our desk now, or bumping into people
32:55
and building relationships somewhat haphazardly.
32:59
So it's about A sense of where you want to be,
33:03
not a pinpoint destination. I'd rather be this
33:06
direction than that direction. That helps me
33:10
think about what are the moves that are smart
33:12
for me now? What are the kinds of people that
33:16
I might want to know? What are the things I want
33:20
to know about them and the ways that I can help
33:24
them? So it's that. It's a difference between
33:27
a map and a compass. Your long -term is a compass.
33:30
It's giving you a rough direction, not a concrete
33:35
path or recipe or set of driving instructions
33:39
that will help you make really good business
33:42
decisions today and will help you make good relationship
33:45
decisions today. A very good analogy. And I think
33:50
I'm going to have to steal that. You may. Thank
33:54
you. That's a very good analogy. Okay. Let's
33:58
bring this podcast full circle. And if a listener
34:01
wanted to dramatically improve their communication,
34:05
their relationships and influence over the next
34:08
90 days, what's one habit would you encourage
34:12
them to adopt? I'm going to go with something
34:17
we've already alluded to, but when you, as a
34:21
senior leader, I'm going to focus on teams because
34:25
that's what I do. You're a senior leader. You're
34:27
sitting with your team. When you feel yourself
34:30
having the instinct to open a meeting or a conversation
34:36
with a statement, I challenge you to turn it
34:40
into a question. That is going to fundamentally
34:45
change the way those conversations proceed. You're
34:50
going to get more information. better and your
34:55
team is going to believe in those answers in
35:00
a way you may not have experienced before. So
35:02
it's a tactical, small thing that often has massive
35:07
impact. So try it. Wow. That was very good. Very
35:12
good. Marja, this was fantastic. I learned so
35:16
much because I'm going to steal it and put it
35:19
into my speaking times. If somebody wants to
35:23
get hold of you, either to hire you, for you
35:27
to be their mentor, or just to say hello, how
35:31
can they reach you? Two options. First is to
35:34
go to my website, marjafox .com. That's M -A
35:37
-R -J -A -F -O -X. There is not another one.
35:43
And on there, you'll find a contact form if you
35:46
want to reach out to me. There's a newsletter
35:47
to subscribe to. There's blogs. There's things
35:50
to look at. The second way that I would encourage
35:53
your listeners to consider, because it just puts
35:56
us in an ongoing dialogue, is to find me on LinkedIn.
36:00
I post six days a week with all sorts of insights
36:04
and nuggets and tips. You don't have to even
36:06
let me know you're there if you're not ready
36:09
for that. But it'll just keep us in the loop,
36:11
keep me in front of mind for you, give you lots
36:14
of additional ideas to think about as you're
36:17
running your own meetings, engaging with your
36:19
team. That again is Marja Fox. Won't be hard
36:22
to find me. You can connect or just follow if
36:25
you want to be on the down low. Fantastic. This
36:29
conversation is a reminder that the strongest
36:32
relationships, whether in business, leadership,
36:35
or networking, are rarely built overnight. The
36:39
people who create lasting success understand
36:42
that communication is an investment. Trust is
36:46
earned through consistency, and meaningful results
36:49
often come from doing the right thing long before
36:52
payoff is visible. Take one step this week. Invest
36:57
in a relationship without expecting an immediate
36:59
return. Send a note, make an introduction, offer
37:04
support, or simply check in. The long game often
37:09
produces the greatest rewards. value in today's
37:14
episode, make sure you like, follow, and subscribe
37:16
to Networking Unleashed, building profitable
37:19
connections so you continue the best insights
37:21
on networking and communication. And share this
37:25
episode with someone who understands the relationships
37:28
are built one conversation at a time. If you'd
37:32
help strengthening your communication. building
37:36
stronger professional relationships, and creating
37:39
opportunities through meaningful connections,
37:42
visit michelaforman .com. So until next time,
37:46
communicate with intention, think long -term,
37:49
and build connections that become your greatest
37:52
competitive advantage. Marcia, thank you so much
37:56
for coming on the podcast. You were a wonderful
37:58
guest. Thank you. It was a pleasure to be here.
38:08
insights today. And of course, a big shout out
38:11
to you, our amazing listeners, for tuning in
38:15
and spending your time with us. If you're interested
38:18
in my digital courses, being coached or having
38:21
me come and talk to your company, just go to
38:24
Michael and fill out the request form. Remember,
38:28
networking isn't about being perfect. It's about
38:31
being present. So take what you've learned today,
38:34
get out there and make some meaningful connections.
38:37
If you've enjoyed this episode, please don't
38:40
forget to subscribe. Leave us a review and share
38:44
it with someone who could use a little networking
38:46
inspiration. Let's keep the conversation going.
38:49
You can find me on Apple, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube,
38:54
or my website, foreman .com slash podcasts. Oh,
39:03
I would like to welcome you to the Fusion Alliance
39:06
Business Expo 2. That's right. We're having another
39:11
networking expo. Now, this one is going to be
39:14
even better than the first one in March. This
39:17
one is October 22nd, held at Iphone Restaurant
39:21
and Event Center, 6000 Medlock Bridge Parkway,
39:25
Georgia. Now, this is your chance. This is your
39:30
chance to showcase your business, connect with
39:32
the community, and gain unmatched exposure. This
39:36
event is designed to highlight your thriving
39:39
business and is a must -attend gathering for
39:43
most local leaders and entrepreneurs. So now
39:47
what is there going to be? First of all, it's
39:50
free admission to the public. So come one, come
39:53
all. There's going to be a large audience to
39:56
see your business. You're going to gain new customers,
39:59
build your brand, and establish strategic partnerships.
40:04
Whether you're looking to gain new customers,
40:07
build your brand, or establish strategic partnerships,
40:11
Business Expo 2 is the place to be. Don't miss
40:15
your chance to be part of this exclusive annual
40:18
showcase of Johns Creek's best businesses. Remember,
40:22
it's October 22nd. Remember that. October 22nd,
40:27
between the hours of 11 a .m. and 4 p .m. The
40:31
location? 6 ,000 Medlock Bridge Parkway, Johns
40:35
Creek. You can go to the website, and it's www
40:40
.fusionalliance .info. F -U -S -I -O -N -A -L
40:47
-L -I -A -N -C -E .info. You can get all of it
40:52
there. You can be a vendor. You can be a sponsor.
40:54
Or if you want, you can just come on and enjoy
40:57
it. So come on down. Everyone else is going to
41:00
be there. And just... Enjoy yourself.