Link: http://www.fastcompany.com/3038537/how-to-make-new-friends-as-an-adult

While many Americans applaud a can-do attitude, running a small business does tend to isolate entrepreneurs.

It can be lonely in the boardroom. Many hard-working professionals are hunkered down to the task of running their enterprise.

As a result too many business owners miss out on the camaraderie of socializing with other business owners. It’s not just about promoting your business; there’s a lot of valuable insight that can be gleaned from other entrepreneurs. Exchanging tips, passing along local news developments and sharing interesting happenings in their circles of influence all set the stage for a supportive business community.

Face-to-face interactions not only facilitate the sharing of valuable intel, but they also take a relationship to a deeper level of trust. What begins as an exchange of a business card may turn into a close, productive business friendship.

All these positive things that eventually flow from a nascent friendship begin with that first welcoming handshake.

Yes, we’re all busy with our endeavors, but don’t miss out on a valuable opportunity to better grasp the intricate web of connections that hold a business community together. That’s why penning the next scheduled networking event on your calendar is crucial to growing your business and ultimately realizing your professional aspirations.

Copyright (2015): All content and images used on this site are owned or licensed by Doug Gulbrandsen for use on this site only. Unauthorized use is prohibited.

Face-to-face interactions not only facilitate the sharing of valuable intel, but they also take a relationship to a deeper level of trust. What begins as an exchange of a business card may turn into a close, productive, business friendship.

All these positive things that eventually flow from a nascent friendship begin with that first welcoming handshake.

Yes, we’re all busy with our endeavors, but don’t miss out on a valuable opportunity to better grasp the intricate web of connections that hold a business community together. That’s why penning the next scheduled networking event on your calendar is crucial to growing your business and ultimately realizing your professional aspirations.

Copyright (2015): All content and images used on this site are owned or licensed by Doug Gulbrandsen for use on this site only. Unauthorized use is prohibited

Stuck behind a desk all day? Too many Americans spend too much time sitting, and that carries serious health repercussions.

Here’s a way to increase your burn rate and your business connections at the same time: Get out of the office and attend that networking meeting!

It’s easy to fall into a daily routine, but the New Year offers a perfect opportunity to forge new friends. Here are a few ways to increase your influence among your peers and connections:

1. Strike up a conversation.This doesn’t have to be limited to the topic of the meeting. Sometimes amazing connections happen through serendipity. Talk about your last business trip and share a tidbit with someone at the meeting. Perhaps you heard about a new business that just opened. Pass that along to someone else. Maybe you’ll be the catalyst for something new and exciting. It’s a great way to increase your business profile.
2. Keep that smile power going.When you’ve been glad-handing and making introductions, it can be tiring. The demand of taking note of names, keeping your smile bright and remembering details from your conversations is actually hard work. It puts a strain on your brain to keep track of all those new folks. There are many different tricks for remembering new people and their interests. Keep working at it, and you’ll soon find a memory method that works for you.
3. Share interesting news.Make it a habit to read every day. Information gleaned from newspapers, business journals and new industry developments add spark to a conversation. Come ready to share business intel with your networking friends. They will appreciate a friendly tip. You’ll soon become known as the go-to person for the latest news in your business sector. Just one caveat: No negative gossip. That goes against the whole spirit of networking.
4. Reap the benefits of standing. Getting out from behind your desk is a great way to burn calories!Standing instead of sitting bestows a significant health benefit.

Here’s the take-to-heart lesson: Aim to build your connections this year!

Copyright (2014): All content and images used on this site are owned or licensed by Doug Gulbrandsen for use on this site only. Unauthorized use is prohibited.

Business professionals have two jobs. The first is their occupation. The second is the task of creating and sustaining an ecosystem of connections that nourishes both the soul and the business.

Without both a business will eventually whither from isolation. It’s crucial to stay in circulation with both peers and prospects.

Here’s the cool thing about getting out of the office to go meet and mingle with others. It changes your perspective. When you’re hunkered down in your office day after day, you lose the synergy that comes from exchanging ideas with other business owners. If you don’t get out there and converse with others, you will miss out on friendships and valuable information about what others are up to. Eventually you might even fall prey to discouragement.

If you stay out of circulation long enough, then comes an inward focus that’s anything but productive. You cogitate over problems. That causes you to feel discouraged from all the negative thoughts. Eventually you tell yourself you’re just not up to attending the next meeting. You give a few half-hearted excuses to your fellow networkers.

A few weeks go by and suddenly reality hits you. Your ideas, excitement about your business and even your can-do attitude — all seemed to have disappeared.

It’s time to look around you. Think about the people in your professional life. They need you just as much as you need them!

Pick up the phone and invite another business owner to the next meet-and-greet. Stoke those relationships in 2015. Then watch the magic happen!

Copyright (2014): All content and images used on this site are owned or licensed by Doug Gulbrandsen for use on this site only. Unauthorized use is prohibited.

The complexity of interpersonal relationships can confound the most astute dental practice manager.

Building a cohesive team is a challenge in any industry. Left to their own devices — particularly in the presence of a communication vacuum — dental staff members will form alliances. It’s just human nature.

Cultivating a team spirit is a good thing, but make sure the relationships among staff members in your practice are clearly defined.

Nature abhors a vacuum. Left to flesh out their job responsibilities without clearly defined parameters, dental care professionals may create their own rules and form their own work culture.

This is true for any personal service professional, but in dentistry there are particular elements that make building a cohesive team a bit more challenging. It’s all about proximity. Bumping into another person releases stress hormones. The integrity of our personal space is what gives us a sense of comfort and relaxation. It’s a positive factor that balances out those little stresses incurred over the course of the workday.

The nature of dental care requires a team to work in very close proximity. If the hygienist is behind schedule, that rattles the process. If the X-ray technician had a tough time getting children off to the school bus, more stress enters the picture. People under stress tend to lose patience more readily. Upset feelings are contagious.

There is a solution: Investing in team-building exercises can defuse that tension. It’s an easy, preventative step that will contribute to a more relaxed, efficient dental practice where smiles abound!

Copyright (2014): All content and images used on this site are owned or licensed by Doug Gulbrandsen for use on this site only. Unauthorized use is prohibited.

In a world where digital mice nibble away at our attention all day long, the notion that business professionals should meet in person in a real-time environment seems outdated.

Why expend the energy to get into your car and drive across town to meet with a fellow business owner when you can simply text each other? Or what about email? Isn’t that sufficient to discuss business affairs? Well, actually no, it’s not.

“When you strip away everything else and get to the core of collaboration, the real value is people interacting with information and each other – in real time,” says Harbrinder Kang. He’s the VP of Corporate Social Responsibility for Cisco.

Yet with all the technological advances, face-to-face communication far surpasses any other communication venue in our world today.

Over the last 10 years, the inventiveness of the human mind, as evidenced through great thinkers and inventors, could have dispensed entirely with in-person, face-to-face communication. But we all know that would strip the soul completely out of the process of building a vibrant business network. We need the full data bank of all those sensory-rich experiences that happen when two minds meet face-to-face.

Much of our personal communication is subliminal. We don’t notice it because the process happens without our conscious awareness. That doesn’t mean those interactions aren’t critical to our social and business relationships. They are absolutely necessary to forging enduring business friendships.

The bottom line: Show up in person, and serendipitous relationships could change the trajectory of your business.