Running Your Own Information Black Market

You have probably seen some of those old war movies where there is one soldier who runs some type of black market. Others would go to him for anything - food, cigarettes, boots, jeeps, liquor - even contraband. This soldier had his finger on the pulse of the many arteries of his organization and could get things done. He would also have a luxurious quality of life compared to the other recruits. You can achieve the same effectiveness that comes from being connected, without having to go through boot camp. All you have to do is develop yourself into a hub of information, advice and solutions. The key is helping others so that you can help yourself.

In other articles, we have discussed the importance of internal networking to your organizational success. Identifying the right people to help you get things done, even to resolve crises, must be handled in an organized, proactive way. In this article, we will take a look at how to maintain an internal network relationship over time, so that you will be able to get benefits out of the relationship when you need to.

Once you have identified a key contact and the first meeting (familiarization) is over, you must follow up to keep the relationship firm. If you do not, then it will be worse than never having met with them in the first place. Follow up by periodically sending them information and advice. Remember…