Brent Rupnow

Photo by Adam Solomon on Unsplash One of the most popular questions I receive as a career coach is, “How do I develop an ongoing relationship with a new contact?” It’s a valid question because a “one and done” approach isn’t really networking, even though many approach it that way and then wonder why they’re not seeing results. The primary goal of an initial meeting or introduction to a new person when networking should always be to get a second meeting.

BUSINESS STRATEGY Case studies of two of the biggest business blunders — New Coke and Kodak — and how they could have been avoided. It‘s tough to know when it’s time to make a change. If the decision is a business pivot, we need to be extra careful. There isn’t a clear system or answer that works for every dilemma. But there has to be a better strategy than trusting your gut, especially if you, like me, think your gut’s not always reliable. Large corporations are no stranger to this struggle.

Photo by Drew Saurus on Unsplash Vision We’ve already established that your vision is 5 years out. In practice, I would define a long term vision as anything consisting of 3–10 years into the future. We live in a world that sometimes views next week as long term. It needs to be far enough from now that it requires serious planning. To do serious planning, you need to do serious thought. There is no part of this process that is more important than crafting a real vision. It needs to be specific.