In today’s world it’s hard to be an expert on everything – especially when it comes to deciding upon a future direction for your career. Whether you decide to make an incremental change or “pivot” to something entirely new, you need to rely upon your network of contacts for advice, information and intelligence. That’s one of the key takeaways I got from Reid Hoffman’s new book, The Start-up of You: Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself and Transform Your Career.
Acquaintances in your professional network can connect you with people and companies, help you understand and address your shortcomings, recommend companies that have cultures that would be a good fit with your personality and alert you to new articles, news and other developments from your target companies. These are “soft skills” issues that a Google search can’t help you with. In short, if the members of your professional network have a clear picture of what you’re looking for, they can do a better job of helping you.
Linkedin, the company that Hoffman co-founded, has an amazing tool set that can help you to find the people and information you need. But gathering, organizing and making sense of all of this data can quickly result in data overload. Fortunately, mind mapping software is up to the task.
In this Mind Mapping insider report we’ll look at a way to utilize a mind map to organize your contacts, formulate your questions and capture all of the information that results from your conversations with members of your network.
As I walk you through the process of creating such a network intelligence map, I will also show you how we’ll use several mind map elements in unique ways to make this an even stronger and more powerful tool. This report also includes links to download my network intelligence map in 6 popular mind map formats, so you can customize it to meet your needs!
Even if you’re not actively seeking a new position, I’m confident that developing your own network intelligence map will give you an important sense of where you are now – and where you could go in the future, as opportunities present themselves. As Hoffman points out:
“Network intelligence isn’t useful only in times of trouble. We need it in good times and bad, which is why we should be constantly tapping our networks for multiple streams of information about everything from job opportunities to market trends to changes in office dynamics.”
Hoffman’s advice on how to leverage the intelligence of your extended Linkedin network is top-notch. I’m very excited to report that I’ve been able to translate that into a mind map that, frankly, kicks ass. In fact, I would go so far as to say that this may be one of the most important and valuable Insider reports I’ve created in the two years I have been running this membership program.
Members-only resource
This link to this network intelligence report is only visible to members of the Mind Mapping Insider membership program. It contains a wealth of resources that can help you to be more productive, creative and have a greater impact in your life.
New reports and resources are being added to the Insider area every week. If you’re serious about becoming a mind mapper, why not check out the Mind Mapping Insider program today?
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