MONDAY MANNA
A service to the business community
March 20, 2006




PROVEN PRINCIPLES FOR BUILDING YOUR NETWORK
By: Rick Warren

All leaders are devout believers in and practitioners of networking. To become president or CEO of a company or organization of considerable size, a person must rely on a massive network of friends, advisors and contacts they built over the previous years.

U.S. President George Bush, for instance, is reported to have continued his habit of personally staying in contact with his network through brief phone calls and writing notes every day. Even at the end of a busy day, he was known to pick up the telephone and make as many as 20 calls to friends across the nation.

SUCCESS IS RARELY A ONE-MAN SHOW. IT IS USUALLY A TEAM EFFORT.
Meeting people. Working with teams. Developing a list of trusted advisors. Having personal contacts in place when you need the resources. These all are aspects of networking. And today's technology has made it easier than ever before.

Telephone conference calls, fax machines, overnight mail, e-mail, and cellular phones are just some of the devices that today make it possible for you to stay in touch with far more people than you could even imagine just a few years ago. These innovative and life-changing tools are available to anyone who recognizes the benefits of networking. You no longer have to live near the people you network with on a daily basis. You can reach out and touch them as often as you want – through technology.

HOW CAN WE BUILD AN EFFECTIVE PERSONAL NETWORK?
There are many approaches for developing a network of people that can be useful to leaders in accomplishing their missions and goals. However, some of those methods can be self-serving and manipulative, designed solely for the leader’s purposes. An ancient but ever-timely resource, the Bible, gives what I consider to be six building blocks for constructing long-term, mutually beneficial relationships:

1. The leader must be CONSIDERATE. “Do a favor and win a friend forever; nothing can untie that bond” (Proverbs 18:19).
2. The leader must be CONFIDENTIAL. “A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret” (Proverbs 11:13).
3. The leader must be CANDID. “An honest answer is the sign of a true friendship” (Proverbs 24:26).
4. The leader must be CONSTRUCTIVE. “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend shapes a friend” (Proverbs 27:17).
5. The leader must be CONSISTENT. “A friend loves at ALL times, and a brother is born for adversity” (Proverbs 17:17).
6. The leader must be COMMITTED. “Some friendships do not last, but some friends are more LOYAL than brothers” (Proverbs 18:24).

The point seems fairly obvious: If leaders desire networks of friends and advisors that are considerate, confidential, candid, constructive, consistent and committed, the leaders themselves must pave the way by example. In building a personal and professional network,

You will attract whatever you are!

Rick Warren is the author of the highly acclaimed, best-selling book, The Purpose-Drive Life, which has been translated into many languages and sold throughout the world. It affirms the importance of having a carefully considered, clearly expressed purpose to guide everyday life. This is adapted for “Monday Manna” from one of Mr. Warren’s columns.
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Reflection/Discussion Questions

1. Do you have a network of friends, advisors and contacts? If so, how would you describe this – how does it function in conjunction with your daily work responsibilities?






2. What traits do you look for in a person who “qualifies” for your network? Why are these criteria important for you?





3. Do you consider yourself to be a part of another leader’s network? If so, what do you think you contribute through your relationship to help the leader function more effectively?





4. Do you agree with Mr. Warren’s “six building blocks” for an effective personal network? Why or why not?







NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to look at some other passages that deal with building a network, consider the following:

Proverbs 1:5, 20:18; Matthew 14:7-11; Mark 12:28-31; John 15:13-15




週一嗎哪
服事全球工商界

建立人脈的原則

所有的領袖都是人脈的虔誠信徒和實行者。要成為具規模之公司或組織的董事長或總裁，一個人必須倚靠過去多年間許多朋友、顧問和接觸過之人們所形成的人脈。

例如，據報導，喬治˙布希總統一直有習慣與他的人脈們，每天藉著簡短的電話或短信保持聯絡。即使忙碌的一天結束後，他還是會拿起電話，撥多達20通電話給全美各地的朋友。

成功很少是單人秀，通常是團隊努力。多認識人，團隊一起工作，找出可信任的顧問，在你所需要資源之處有可接觸之人。這些都是人脈的不同層面。而且今日的科技使建立人脈比以前更容易。

電話會議、傳真機、快遞、電子郵件和行動電話就是今日可使你與許多人保持聯繫的發明。可聯絡人數之多，是幾年前無法想像的。任何認知人脈好處的人都可使用這些創新並改變生活的工具。你不需要每天與你要聯絡的人住得很近，就可隨時透過科技與他們聯繫。

我們如何建立一個有效的人脈？
有許多方式可建立一個幫助領袖完成使命和目標的人脈。然而有些方法是自私、操縱別人、只為了領袖的目的。聖經是一本古老但永遠適合當代的資源，它提供我們建立長期互惠關係的6個基石：

1. 領袖必須體貼。「幫助人，贏得永遠的友情，任何事都無法破壞這友誼」（箴言18章19節，信息版）。
2. 領袖必須保密。「往來傳舌的，洩漏密事。心中誠實的，遮隱事情」（箴言11章13節）。
3. 領袖必須率直。「應對正直的，猶如與人親嘴」（箴言24章26節）。
4. 領袖必須有建設性。「鐵磨鐵，磨出刃來。朋友相感也是如此」。（箴言27章17節）
5. 領袖必須前後一致。「朋友乃時常親愛，弟兄為患難而生」。（箴言17章17節）
6. 領袖必須忠誠。「濫交朋友的，自取敗壞。但有一朋友，比弟兄更親密」（箴言18章24節）。

重點相當明顯：若領袖希望人脈中的朋友和顧問是體貼、保密、率真、有建設性、前後一致並忠誠，領袖自己就必須先作榜樣來鋪路。在建立個人和專業的人脈上：

你將吸引與你同類型的人！



思想 / 討論題目

1. 你是否有朋友、顧問和接觸過之人們所形成的人脈？ 若有，你可如何形容它－－對你每天的工作有何幫助？


2. 你尋找何種「特質」的人成為你的人脈？ 為何這些標準對你很重要？


3. 你認為自己是否是另一位領袖的人脈？ 若是，你認為透過你們的關係，你貢獻出什麼去幫助那位領袖更有效地領導？


4. 你認同本文作者建立有效人脈的「6個基石」嗎？ 為什麼？



註：若你有聖經且想要看有關建立人脈的其他經文，請看：
箴言1章5節，20章18節；馬太福音14章7-11節；馬可福音12章28-31節；約翰福音15章13-15節