How to identify 4 key people to fast-track your progress and use a copy-and-paste script to ask them for help (without coming off as desperate or a time-waster)

T O B U I L D A R O C K - S O L I D S U P P O R T C R E WA N D T R A N S F O R M U N C E R T A I N T Y I N T O O P P O R T U N I T Y

3 P O W E R F U L S T E P S

How do I stay connected whilst working from home?

What should I be doing in my business right now to survive?

How do I find a new job in this climate?

How do I network online?

I’m exhausted, lonely and missing people, what do I do?

These are questions I am asked on a daily basis by leaders, entrepreneurs, business owners and anyone involved in the world of work. In a decade of massive disruption, there is so much uncertainty and complexity; anxiety and unknown. It’s paralysing!

Yet whether we are navigating a pandemic, recession, job loss, competitive threat or the day-to-day highs and lows of a business and career, you can take the right action, make the right decisions and live and lead the life and career you want.

Your success always relies on taking ownership of who you are, who you want to be and who you surround yourself with.

So to feel connected and supported; energised and confident – no matter what is going on, you need to build the right support crew around you to help.

The following step-by-step guide has helped thousands of people just like you navigate challenging times. Please use it and share widely.

Y O U R Q U E S T T O B E B R I L L I A N T

OneI D E N T I F Y Y O U R C O R E 4 P E O P L E T O F A S T - T R A C K Y O U R S U C C E S S

HINT: The people you think could fill a role are usually closer than you think. Consider your career to date, where you studied or people you have already met in former jobs, at conferences or even on training programs. What about someone you met on a course that inspired you and might be able to help?

In It’s Who You Know, I reveal a framework of 12 key people you need to know to fast-track your career and success. These key 12 people are categorised into 4 core groups, and you need just ONE person in each of the 4 groups to create a solid support crew.

1. Promoter — makes noise about potential possibilities and inspires you to dream big

2. Pit Crew — keeps you on track, nurtures you and prevents untoward emotions from getting the better of you

3. Teacher — helps you develop knowledge, wisdom and foresight

4. Butt-kicker — accelerates your journey, pushes you to do more and holds you accountable for your actions.

So thinking about the goals you have for yourself over the next 12 months, who is your promoter, pit crew, teacher and butt-kicker?

As you read through the following checklists, think about who you already know, and if there’s a gap, consider who you’d like to reach out to and why.

CHECKLIST

Cheers you on at all times

Creates opportunities

Inspires you to become more

Helps you explore different paths to success

Gives you business and career leads

Is in for the long haul

Helps you achieve your visions, goals and dreams

Influences your activity and decision making

Models behaviour you want to adopt

Tells you, ‘I’ve got this opportunity for you…’

P R O M O T E RC R I T I C A L P E R S O N 1

CHECK-IN

Yes, I have a Promoter.

Write their name:

No, I need to find a Promoter.

Who do you know who might fit this role?

CHECKLIST

Cares about you as much as your goals and dreams

Connects you to people that matter and makes introductions that count

Keeps you balanced so you live in the here and now as much as the future

Keeps you match-fit for sustained energy over the long term

Ensures you are balancing your career needs with personal needs and caring for the important relationships in your life

Encourages you to be more and to embrace who you are

Checks in with you regularly

Asks, ‘How are you?’

P I T C R E WC R I T I C A L P E R S O N 2

CHECK-IN

Yes, I have a Pit Crew.

Write their name:

No, I need to find a Pit Crew.

Who do you know who might fit this role?

CHECKLIST

Shares their knowledge and experience

Helps you create the path to success

Models behaviour or knowledge you’d like to adopt

Discusses your ideas and guides you through your thinking

Presents you with information you haven’t seen before

Possesses more experience than you

Challenges your thinking

Encourages you to be curious about possibilities

Says, ‘I’ve been reading/listening to/watching … and this is what I think. What about you?’

T E A C H E RC R I T I C A L P E R S O N 3

CHECK-IN

Yes, I have a Teacher.

Write their name:

No, I need to find a Teacher.

Who do you know who might fit this role?

CHECKLIST

Asks you about your goals and plans and how you are going to get there

Checks in on your progress regularly

Expects clear deliverables

Gives you honest feedback: the good, the bad and the ugly, flagged for improvements

Keeps you focused and decisive

Holds you accountable

Helps you navigate challenges and find new solutions

Helps you do more with less

Says, ‘You can do it, just get on with it’.

B U T T - K I C K E RC R I T I C A L P E R S O N 4

CHECK-IN

Yes, I have a Butt-kicker.

Write their name:

No, I need to find a Butt-kicker.

Who do you know who might fit this role?

Who is missing from the core 4 people you need to know? A promoter, pit crew, teacher or butt-kicker? Do you have one gap, or more?

The next step is to fill those gaps by connecting with someone you have identified could support you. People are usually more than happy to help – if you respect them and their scarcest resource: time.

So before you reach out for help, you have to know what you are asking them for, and how you can help them in return.

TwoF I L L T H E G A P S Write your ONE question for each person you need to connect with.

1. Promoter name

and question

2. Pit Crew name

and question

3. Teacher name

and question

4. Butt-kicker name

and question

CONSIDER: if you only had 5 minutes with this person, what’s the one question you’d like to ask them?

FOR EXAMPLE:

• What are your top three career tips?

• What do I need to do now, to help me get a job later?

• What is the one thing you wished you knew when you started your business?

• What has been one of your biggest challenges to date and how did you overcome it?

• What are some of your learnings about managing a virtual team?

One of the biggest challenges when connecting with others (especially if you admire them or don’t know them very well) is knowing how to ask for help, without coming off as desperate or a time-waster.

So to make this super easy for you, copy-and-paste the following script into an email or LinkedIn. This proven script will help you elegantly and effectively reach out to someone and start a conversation.

ThreeA S K F O R H E L P

Your fail-safe connection script

Hi (INSERT NAME)

My name is (INSERT NAME) and I am (INSERT WHAT YOU DO)

I’ve been watching your work and what you have achieved and I’m particularly inspired by (INSERT SOMETHING RELEVANT)

One of my favourite authors, Janine Garner, talks about being brave enough to reach out to those that inspire you and want to learn from - and so here I am!

I am passionate about (INSERT SOMETHING RELEVANT ABOUT YOU) and as someone who is an expert in (INSERT) I’d really like to ask you about (INSERT YOUR ONE KEY QUESTION). Would you be able to spare 15 minutes to meet/zoom/for a phone call?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Best,

(YOUR NAME)

P.S.

P. P.S.

F O L L O W U P !

T h e m o s t I M P O R T A N T t h i n g

And don’t forget to follow-up if you don’t hear from them the first time! (People are busy, remember.) It may take 5 follow-ups before you get an answer from them, so pick one of these scripts to help:

• I’m following up on my previous email – would you be free for 15 minutes as I would really value your thoughts and insight?

• I’m following up on my previous email – is there anyone else I can talk to about this?

• I’m following up on my previous email – is there anyone else I can liaise with to find some time in your diary?

• I’m following up on my previous email – to share a bit more about me here is something I recently wrote on

• I’m following up on my previous email – here’s some more information about some of the recent work I have been doing in this space.

If you really want to give yourself the best chance of this connection leading into a valuable future relationship after your phone call or meeting, then never forget the power of acknowledgement and action, e.g:

Thank you for your time. I really appreciated your comment about (INSERT) and your suggestion to (DO). I am going to get started on that and I will let you know how I go. If there is anything at all I can do to support or help you in any way please let me know.

Thank you again!

S U B S C R I B E T O T H E U N L E A S H I N G B R I L L I A N C E P O D C A S T

Join Janine as she interviews leaders, entrepreneurs and champions from around the globe, such as:

• Performance coach of the Australian Wallabies, Hayden Masters

• Founder of The Entourage, Jack Delosa

• Founder of Business Chicks, Emma Isaacs

Honest, raw and always inspiring, grab a cuppa and subscribe now.

O R S E A R C H F O R ‘ U N L E A S H I N G B R I L L I A N C E ’

Y O U C A N F I N D T H E P O D C A S T O N A P P L E

Janine is obsessed with unleashing the brilliance in individuals, teams and companies. As a connection expert at the organisational level (collaboration), interpersonal level (networking) and intrapersonal level (energy and intent), her whole world revolves around helping others reclaim and reignite their influence.

A highly sought-after keynote speaker, educator and author, Janine works with high profile global leaders, and helps many of Australia’s top 50 ASX companies and multinationals — EY, CBRE, DXC Technology, Hewlett Packard, Micro Focus, Optus and CBA, to name a few.

Janine is the best-selling author of It’s Who You Know: How a network of 12 key people can fast-track your success and From Me to We: Why commercial

collaboration will future-proof business, leaders and personal success.

Her new book Be Brilliant: How to Live and Lead a Life of Influence is due out in July 2020.

She is the host of her own podcast, ‘Unleashing Brilliance’, featuring the untold stories of individual successes from people around the world.

Janine believes we need people, teams and companies to be absolutely brilliant to lead today’s complex environment into tomorrow’s unknowns. This requires collaboration, transformation and leverage and it demands better conversations, training and connection.

janinegarner.com.au

ABOUT JANINE

@janinegarner

www.janinegar-ner.com.au

www.janinegarner.com.au

www.janinegarner.com.au

© JANINE GARNER 2020

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