As a leader in your organization, community, and industry, developing meaningful relationships with others in your circle – and beyond – is critical. But networking and developing these types of relationships doesn’t come easy, for many of us.

Natalie Siston, Founder of Small Town Leadership, is a networking, relationship-building, and professional development coach. She joins this episode of unsuitable to talk about what makes her networking approach different and how, with the right tools and motivation, anybody can find networking success.

Take the “Hey, Friend” Challenge

We are surrounded by neighbors, work colleagues, daycare parents, classmates, and Facebook friends that we THINK we know… but how well do we really know them? Natalie calls these our “hey friends,” and she thinks forming relationships with them is a great way to start improving our networking skills. Here’s how you do it: identify one “hey friend” in your life, introduce yourself to them, tell them about this challenge, and make an honest attempt at connecting with them.

If you struggle to develop meaningful relationships, you will be interested in these other topics discussed in this episode:

• Natalie’s secret sauce to make networking less daunting.
• Why it’s important to make meaningful connections – emphasis on “meaningful.”
• How you can start networking (even if the thought of networking is overwhelming to you).

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