In a previous column, we discussed the importance of championship as an essential career-enhancing strategy. Championship is distinctly different from networking in that champions defend ideas and people, which is a much more committed stance than that of an associate you are in touch with on a regular basis.
The “reality matrix” is a crucial tactic in creating and managing your championships to meet your goals and objectives.
On a piece of paper, create three columns titled Goals/Attributes/Contacts.
Column No. 1–Goals:
In the far left column of the page, write down all the goals you have for a three-month, six-month and 12-month time period (you can divide these into categories such as sales goals, marketing goals, administration, etc.). Be as specific as possible.
Once you have your list, prioritize these goals within each category. Use an A, B, C or 1-10 ranking method.
Column No. 2–Attributes:
For each goal, imagine what kind of person would be best able to assist you in achieving your goal. In picturing this person, write down the key attribute (as distinctly different from skill set) that this person must have to help you succeed.
Column No. 3–Contacts:
In the last column, add names of people who fit the attributes you have listed for each goal. Do not limit yourself to those you already know; think of people you would like to meet, whom you would want to have as a champion.
Keep the cycle going: This matrix then becomes your daily championship bible. If you use it effectively, you will begin to strategically build “circles of coincidence” and “purposeful collision” in your ability to map champions against goals.
Revisit this matrix often and ensure that it is actively tracked in your database. And do not forget to cycle through champions. As you get more targeted in your approach, you may find that your first idea of the appropriate champion for a particular goal changes.
Don’t forget to reward yourself: When you have successfully met with a champion on your list and/or moved a championship forward toward your goal, be sure to pause and pat yourself on your back. This is hard work, and you want to be sure that you keep track of your successes.
When I first went to the Silicon Valley, I did not know a soul. But using my “reality matrix,” in five years I was able to meet almost everyone on my championship list. Sometimes it took me three months, sometimes three years.
Regardless, my championship strategy was instrumental in building a sustainable business plan, and my network of champions has continued to grow as I move into new ventures and new geographic territories. In a world of speed and growth facilitated by technology, it is still the deals made between two or more people that create long-term business opportunities.
By spending 30 percent of your time on championship, you are investing in relationships that are meaningful, mutually beneficial, and ultimately transportable across all industries and hierarchies. Next week I will discuss the importance of how to manage championships.
