Visiting Networking

This season I had the opportunity to gather with people that don't live in Mexico City and watch how they plan their agendas to make some networking. I share some of the activities they have done to organize their vacations and make them a little bit more cultural than ever.

The first request came from my sister and nephews. She called in advance to our dad and me and told us that she like to visit "Villa de Guadalupe". This is a Catholic sanctuary for our Mexican Virgin Mary, here in Mexico City is one of the most frequently visited places for pilgrims.

Gabriela told us that she wanted that her son and daughter live the experience to approach this site. I think immediately in my kids; they haven't visited this place either, so as soon as we can, we make the logistics for the trip. We were there learning, buying, asking for blessings and traveling among the vault. Everything because she made the request on the right time and moment and we could manage to organize.

Another request was made by my friend Diana and her sister Ana Carol, they came to the city with business matters, but also they take advantage of the trip to make some city tourism. First Diana told me her arrival dates and I had the opportunity to invite them to Molino Blanco. At that place we get together wit Karla, who has 3 years at this city and she is all informed about the cultural agenda of the city.

Once they introduced themselves, Diana and Ana Carol talked about what they would like to do at the city, and Karla bring up an agenda to visit museums, churches and another historical sites. It was pretty amazing listening the possible visits and some of them were very well adopted and other not so much, so Karla keep on making recommendations.

I like to share some suggestions, if you go on a visit or if you are the one receiving so you may improve your networking competences.

1.- If you know where you wold like to go, give the advise as soon as possible, this will make you time and more opportunities to find tickets, better places, times, etcetera.

2.- If you decide for a specific place, you probably get more people to the visit. This will only make more fun the event and give you more opportunities for networking.

3.- If you haven't been at the place before, ask to the people that was. It will be easier for you to get better suggestions if you let this people know in advance what would you like most.

4.- Take into consideration the personality of the requester, its not the same a girl than a boy. Its not the same an elder than a teenager, if you are going to give advise, first know the place personally so you can give an advise from your heart. 

Networking Rules

This holiday's I have the opportunity to watch the behavior of some of my family and friend members, so I can develop the following rules that may help you to keep up with your friends or at least leave a very good impression of you:

1. If someone let you his car, always leave the gas tank full. In this vacations I lend my car to some of my family members, and each time I went on it an drive the tank always looked at its full capacity. This is a fine way to say thank you and leave a good impression that may allow you that you get again the car for another occasion.

2.- Don't smoke when someone else is visibly altered by the situation. I came from a smoking family, and for them every place is a good spot to do it, for their particular point of view. A non smoker isn't disturbing, but a smoker usually does. What to do? use the open spaces or limit yourself to spaces where the smoke can be contained. When my sister Gabriela get sick, our Dad agreed to smoke outside exclusive to avoid disturbing her more, we all thank him for the gesture, and because we all know how hard it is for him.

3.- When someone invites you a meal or a coffee, give the follow up within a week. It is harder for a woman to do that in our Latin culture, but you will always find a way to give back the attention. 

4.- If you ask for help to your friends at some house chore, give them food in compensation. This year Javier, my friend, invited us to help him with his wedding materials. What I most recall on that event is that he prepared some food for every one and make us feel in our own house.

5.- Return the money owed as soon as possible, it doesn't matter how small the amount is. This will leave clean your image and also you will have a clean credit history. At work, we probably cover our teammates at lunch time. The best way to keep a friendship came with the moment you pay back your debts.

6.- If you spend the night at a friends house, do the bed or fold the sheets before you leave. This will help your friend to avoid having an extra house work, for sure you will have another invitation, because you showed up that you cooperate with the house chores. 

7.- When somebody cook for you, offer yourself to clean the kitchen. Also the past year Ofelia and Tania went to my house to make a cake. Ofelia baked and Tania do de dishes, I want them back to make some cookies. 

8.- If you miss a call, send a text message as soon as possible, if you aren't allowed to make the call back. This way you will show your friend how important he is for you. 

Do you have some additional recommendations to improve your networking? Share with us.

2015 statistics

I want to share with you some numbers from this blog, maybe you find them interesting:

This Blog has 2851 visits through the year with more than 120 images shared. The most viewed post was "When a friend leaves", august 5, 2015).

I publish this year 42 new posts, that in total make 91 posts for the whole blog. The most visited day is Wednesday, because is the day I usually publish.

The top 5 posts for this year were:

When a friend leaves

In Memoriam Networking

Big Bang Networking

Masks Networking

Birthday Blog

The referral sites were:

Google

Facebook

Blogspot

Wordpress

I have visits from several countries, being the following the most popular:

United States, Mexico, Russia, Germany, France, Poland and Ukraine

I want to thank everyone for visiting this blog and reading my space. Hope to have you back next year.

Agreement Networking

The last week a friend of mine, publish a picture on one of my mega chats, half an hour later, he write down: "Thanks for giving comments" and left the chat. Nobody made a comment until then, and the next messages were of surprise because we didn't expect that he leave the chat.

When people have some expectations of what other people should do, the conflicts begin, so I share some recommendations that I personally follow on how not to involve the own expectations with other people feelings and avoid conflicts.

First: Do not make assumptions: Don't give anything for granted, if you have doubts, ask. When we make assumptions, we create huge stories that commonly have no basis. It's better that you clarify the things with your friends, and if you don't have the opportunity to  make it, then learn to think that there should be something that hasn't have anything to do with you. You will realize that you have a thankful life.

Second: Make a commitment with your own words: Be coherent about what you thin and what you say, this make you respectable to the other's eyes. If you make a promise, accomplish it as soon as possible, and if for some reason you couldn't do it, talk to the person you made the commitment and organize a new moment to do it.

Third: Do your best always: Push yourself and do it with your own style, the people will be glad to know that you always do your best. Do it with humor and enjoy what you do, this transfers to the other people and they will invite you to participate in more activities.

Fourth: Do not take nothing personal: In the way the people want to hurt you, they hurt themselves, the problem is with them not you.

Remember that doing Networking requires a little effort from yourself, empathy with your friends and understand that not everything turn around yourself, but around your friends. In the way you practice this recommendations you will see that your personal relations grow.

Thankful Networking

As you may know, I just recieved my PhD Degree, and I want to use this space to thank all the people that one way or another were involved in my study performance.

Some of the people mencioned in this post are also named at my disertation, but I think that it's not enough space to tell your friends that you realized how much they influenced your path. So I start:

To my close family: Eloy, Mauricio and Arturo... You have been all this years around me and in not few ocasions, have to leave me alone for me to move forward.

To my other close family: Dad, Mom, Gabrie and Jaime... you supported me at so many levels and help me by pulling out the best of me.

To my third closer family: Cesar, Suzette, Marce, Cesar, Gretchen and Jaime E... thank you for sharing my siblings with me, and also for all the things you provided.

To my fourth closer families: Zermeño Infante Family and Padilla Basterra Family... all of you were aware, by asking and congratulating me. You are a lot, and you know it, I can't write all the names but you are all in my heart.

To my former in law's family: Gonzalez Leal, thanksa lot for this five years supporting my studies.

Institutionally I have to thank all the people that economicly supported my studies:

For Tecnologico de Monterrey: Patricio Lopez, Hector Escamilla, Carlos Villanueva, Alejandro Cristerna, Cesar Barraza, Lourdes Dieck, Orla Branigan and specialy to Rosario Toro, who was the one that push me to do this studies.

For the Graduate School: Yolanda Heredia, Katherina Gallardo, Catalina Rodríguez, and my teachers and teamates. A special mention to Armando Lozano, my guide and tutor during this project. Also the people that participated in my investigation and which I still keep contact.

During my studies, I have the support of great friends and groups, like in my family, the names could go on and on, so you may identify your group, or some of them: MFC, Movi, ExaCECVAC, ExaAnglo, ExaRegio, ExaLAE's 92, ExaMEE's (some generations), SuperFitness, ExaGMBA (several generations), Club Altavista.

I can't set aside, all the people that were beside me in my job or in the supporting areas:

Universidad TecMilenio: My friends from the Academic Vicepresidency, and the work teams that I have at the Educative Innovation Direction and the Design and Innovation Direction. I have to include some certification suppliers that share information for the theorethical background of the research.

Universidad Virtual: The Global MBA team, closer and extended, to all the coordinators and assessors that always supported me. Also the teachers and academic team for this program. The VIPEC area that were with  me during the transition time and for the Educational Observatory that always give me information.

At EGADE Business School: To the team at the Admissions Direction, and also for all the campi and sites. For al the extended teams from the national directions of marketing, academy, executive education, to the local teams of the site directions, program directions and supporting teams.

Last but not least, I want to make an special mention to all the people that followed the ceremony livestream. This people are right now my closer group of friends and I want to mention that I love your support.

Networking Chats

Have you been participating at WhatsApp group chats? For example friend's groups, teammates groups, event organizing groups? Its an important way to do networking, but first you have to consider some aspects to avoid hurting people that is also at this chats.

I have some different groups and suddenly I realize that there is people getting in or out of this chats. I always wonder shy this things happen, so I share a couple of recommendations to deal with this events.

When you decide creating a group, or are invited to some one previously created, ask the people in the chat to introduce themselves. In many occasions you can only see the nicknames or the acronyms of the people and not always everyone knows each other from before, so its a good detail to make people to introduce themselves.

It's important that the people in the chat are aware of the objective and themes that are going to be covered by the chat. Once before I get invited to a trip organization chat, and suddenly a woman started sending selling messages. A man, clearly told her that that was not the chat objective and if she insisted on sending those messages, her participation will be cancelled. The lady stopped the messages.

If your are going to get out of a group, say goodbye before you do it, so you may not cause confusion with your partners. Explain your reasons or simply let them know that because you have new commitments you couldn't continue your participation for that chat. Let them know that you are getting out because you want to, and not for being offended with the rest of the group.

If you are the chat administrator and want to take out somebody, tell the people that you are going to take him out, so he's aware of the situation. You may not give an explanation, but if you were asked tell him its because his participation is not convenient for the group dynamics.

Remember that technology features are here to make our lives easier, but they do not replace the human treat and the good manners. Lean on your conscience and think how do you want to be treated, and behave in agreement. Live a networking mindset.

Do you have some story to share with us?

Wedding/Job Networking

When you have an harmonious relation at your work, you can go to social events and have a great deal of fun, I just advise to look out for some details that prevent you for crashing the party.

Javier and Juan wedding went on, the one I told you that we helped on the mask making over. Javier is some of my team mantes and he take special care about the details the wedding was about to have. He and Juan distributed the seatings for the event, for example.

All of my coworkers were sited together at a table, and some others on the next table, so we were a big group at the wedding.

When you have enough trust and a good work environment, you became as a little family and usually begin to get knowledge of some aspects that for the professional environment maybe its not easy to bring on.

Me and my peers did our best to have the time of our lives, we forget about the job responsibilities, and merge at a different space. So much was the fun that we came back to have a little more fun, now we are organizing the "Posada" because we have a great time when we are together. It's really amazing to know that in a job you can have friendship acquaintances, at the end we spend about a third of a day on the job.

Some useful tips for network with your coworkers at party environments:

a) Be respectful, be aware of not crossing the trust limits with your friends.

b) Get to know the date of your friends, most of them will not be acquainted with the rest of the team, but its a perfect opportunity to meet them.

c) Take care of your group, there always be someone that lost his cell phone, or that get a little bit drunk. Do not take pictures or video, never interfere between the trust bond that you created.

d) Have a great time and do networking.

Do you have a wedding experience to share?