(By John Hurst) I've just started reading 'Winning With People' by John C Maxwell. It's a superb book aimed at assisting the reader in their personal and business relationships. Whilst reading the introduction a comment stood out that I found challenging. It read 'You can't control another person's response to you'. All you can do is make yourself the kind of person others want to know and with whom they can build a relationship.'

John Maxwell goes on to ask the reader how much they want to win with people by listing 5 questions:

1. Readiness: Are we prepared for relationships?
2. Connection: Are we willing to focus on others?
3. Trust: Can we build mututal trust?
4. Investment: Are we willing to invest in others?
5. Synergy: Can we create a win-win relationship?

What challenging questions. In all honesty, I was reading through these and not completely sure I could answer positively to each. It is such a challenge to me that before I put myself in a situation where I want to build relationships that I mentally check through these questions. Why not try it next time you are networking and see how it helps you be more successful.