Duckworking

Some weeks ago, I was driving with my sons, we wanted to have some "Tacos" and meanwhile we where chatting. All of a sudden, Mauricio told us, "Look, there is a lady walking a duck.".

In the beginning we didn't understand, the sentence was meaningless, so we asked him, what are you talking about? So he ask us to turn around and look at the sidewalk, and we will find the woman.

It happens that a lady, with some Asian characteristics, was walking down the street, with what it should be her pet, a duck. And not a small one, a big size duck, adult, with all his white feathers, and his yellow duck beak.

It was kind of a strange picture, this lady, hasn't her pet with a strap, as if would happen if her pet was a dog. But when she walked, she was talking to her duck, and tell him to walk faster or to move to the right. Something totally strange for me and my sons. When she arrived to the corner of the street, she take the duck with both hands and they both cross the street, and when arriving to the next side, she place the duck back for him to walk with her.

We couldn't get down the car, but watch was happening, we could see some people stopping her and asking about her unusual pet. We could imagine some of this questions: How do you get a duck for a pet? What's his name? How old is him? How did you train him?

Some of my suggestions when you have a duckworking:

1.- Having different pets, could give you the opportunity to meet a lot of people, moreover if you take them for a walk. Give yourself the chance to answer all the questions you've been asked and seize the opportunity to increase your network.

2.- Consider the fact that in some cultures, some people may be offended, if you are not hurting your pet, and you learn about the caring of it, you have nothing to worry about, just think that it may be someone that do not agree.

3.- If you are the type of people that do not has a pet, give yourself the opportunity to meet people that does. Ask them about the care they should have, the space, among other things. Maybe you won't go and buy a pet, but you will seize the chance to meet another people.

Transportation Networking

Arturo, my youngest son, enrolled this semester to a high school that is far away from where we live. This has made that he develop some networking skills. He says that he didn't learned that from me... but I love to tell this story, because the parents example is then copied by the kids.

It happens that there is a transportation that takes him and brings him back from his high school, but the nearest point that the route could bring him is about a 50 minute walk, it means its about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from where we live. In the mornings, we organize ourselves to drop him in my way to work. But in the afternoon, he usually arrives earlier than me, so he has made some arrangements to solve his transportation problem.

The first thing he do, was to meet his bus peers, then he watched the ones that lived on his way, and when the mother of one of his friends offered a ride to the other bus stop, he took her word and get the first walk free.

When he arrived to the bus stop, he realized that there was a lot of people waiting, and when the bus finally arrived, it has no place to get up. That happened with 3 different buses. So one of the guys standing there say out loud: "I'm heading to Cacalote, do someone want to share a cab?", with my son, 2 more people say yes, and shared a taxi, they save some money, and get to know some other ways to solve the transportation problem.

The last time, he didn't get to board the bus, neither share a ride, so he started walking and eventually the former owner of the transportation company that give him service, ask if he want a lift, of course Arturo, get into the van and thank "Pepe" his gesture.

With this story in mind, my recommendations to do some networking are:

1.- Get to know the people that do the same activities than you, like being students at your same high school, it will give you some confidence token and you may seize the advantages like getting some free rides.

2.- When some other people need the same service than you, try to share, this will become really useful if you are on vacation, you may get the opportunity to meet people, and get some good discounts.

3.- Have some friends with people that you used to have services from, and having a good relationship, will allow you to get recognized and offer you some type of help.

Have you lived an experience that you want to share?

Conduct Networking

I received a video related to the crowd control or mass control. In this example, you can easily watch that a girl starts doing the same activities than the group without making any questions. 

As you see this girl, when at the doctor's place, and started to see what the other patients do. she wanted to adapt to the group customs, so each time the bell rings, she do what other people do. She didn't make a question, just mirrors the attitudes from the people surrounding her. 

When the people leaves the room, she still continue with the behavior that has been developing, for about 5 minutes. Then an outsider arrives and it's suppose not being conditioned, so this boy does what I recommend to do, ask the people, Why are you doing this?

Her answer that it is because everyone else does, is not a grounded answer that explains her behavior. Until here the video facts. Relating this with the Networking Theme, you may understand why people chooses to do what they do.

Everything can be asked, so you may take an action to do what the rest of the people do, without knowing the causes and just act or ask the people about their actions and then act. In a personal relations context, this second attitude, allows you to make some more interactions and learn about the causes of making some ordinary activities.

When you are a small child, you are generally taught to obey without making questions, and when you are a grown up adult, you have the obligation to make them. So for people that studied around the 80´s or back, for sure your education be a little more rigid or traditional, where students not easily make questions to teachers. Nowadays its easily to collaborate because of the development of new teaching-learning techniques. Now is expected that the students make intelligent questions to understand the different possible answers.

Getting back to the point, the networking gives you a chance to understand causes. Some recommendations include:

1.- Ask to understand causes, be an observer, and ask questions, no one should get mad if you make some questions. Maybe you could get some insights.

2.- Be careful on your asking manners, avoid being offensive or rude and that your question is not a mock of the people or their customs. Only ask why they are doing the things that way, and  maybe you find some other ways of thinking or acting.

3.- Once you get the information in a correct way, then you can decide if you want to continue with the behavior or not.

Have you asked some of this questions before?