FranklinCovey Blog

How to Build Emotional Bank Accounts

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010 | Great Work, Great Career | 3 Comments

Below is another great question that has come in regarding Great Work, Great Career.

Q:  I struggle to find ways to add value to my contacts/network/village.  What are some other ways to build the Emotional Bank Account?

A:  I see my village as three circles, each one a bit smaller than the other with different levels of EBA deposits required for each.  The largest circle is the network to which I contribute in a largely electronic fashion.  The middle-sized circle are colleagues or friends that I have met face-to-face and probably talk to occasionally or meet for lunch.  The smallest circle are my most trusted friends, family, and colleagues.  Each circle of the village requires different activities.  I contribute to my large social network by posting and answering questions and passing on information that will be useful to an individual or group of people.  Just today, on the Organizational Change Practitioners group on LinkedIn I responded to a request for a change activity for large groups.  It started a conversation with Hanna, the woman who posted the question.  I also contributed to a conversation on the Sales Executive Council Peer Roundtable regarding the Inside Sales function.  By contributing to the small number of groups I belong to, I build relationships and build my reputation without investing more than 30 minutes/week. 

For the middle sized circle, I receive weekly updates regarding changes to my LinkedIn contacts and send congratulatory e-mails regarding promotions or updates.  I make a point to e-mail the individual with a funny story, a quick update, or some news that applies to their career or organization at least a few times a year. My birthday was last week and I received a lot of e-cards and quick e-mails from people who must have received an update from a social networking site.  I also send hand written thank you notes.

The inner circle receives the most investment of time because I do all of the above plus ask for and provide mentoring, act as a professional sounding board, set aside time for conversations and lunch or dinner when I’m in the same city and even work on projects to assist them with their great careers.  It sounds like a lot, but I know that I don’t invest more than  2 hours/week in networking.  And it provides a tremendous payoff—emotionally as well as career-wise.  To quote the Beatles, “The love you take is equal to the love you make.” (in building your network/village).

What have you found helpful as you build emotional bank accounts with your networks? I would love to hear from you.

Author: Jennifer Colosimo, Chief Learning Officer at FranklinCovey

You can also follow Jennifer on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jencolosimo

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3 Comments to How to Build Emotional Bank Accounts

Dhanunjai
January 8, 2010

The strength of your relationships depends on the quality and quantity of sharing you do with others. So to build to build a good relationship with anybody just hare your thoughts honestly.

Pamela Miles
January 16, 2010

Valuable advice from a sound source. Building and maintaining relationships in this manner is well worth the investment of time. You will find people attracted to you, referring others to you and your life will be filled with opportunities if you make time for people in your life.

Jennifer Colosimo
January 17, 2010

Dear Dhanunjai, I agree with you. It is all built on a foundation of trust. Thank you for commenting!
Jennifer

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