Reprinted by permission

The following detailed outline is a wiki entry posted on the AboutUs Web site. Its content will continue to evolve as other users read and edit it. 

SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF A  NETWORK WEAVER

1. You are opportunity seeking
2. You help people have big dreams but facilitate doable projects
3. You help people understand and apply network concepts, values, and behavior
4. You help people deepen the quality of relationships
5. You work with others to create scale and impact

1. You are opportunity seeking

• Focus on the positive, are optimistic
• Continually unearth new resources and add to the network's periphery
• See problems and needs as opportunities
• Every new relationship is an opportunity to connect that person to others
• Ask a lot of questions
• Identify peoples' strengths and gifts

2.  You help people have big dreams but facilitate doable projects

• Have a big vision but see the importance of taking small steps
• Love to unearth other people's dreams and visions
• Comfortable with uncertainty but persistent in making things happen
• See patterns in the network: where there is energy, where there is isolation
• Able to learn from experience; decide next step after reflecting on previous step
• Not attached to specific next step but strategic
• Able to see when something doesn't work and move on

3.  You help people understand and apply network concepts, values,
and behavior

• Share information and resources without expectation of a direct return from that person
• Often express the importance of collaboration
• Point out the value of knowing people with different perspectives and from different backgrounds
• Help people map, analyze and enhance their networks
• Treat everyone as a peer—of equal value but not the same
• As an individual, you are unique, a "character," but with little ego
• Help people understand Smart Networks [healthy networks] concepts and translate into practice

4.  You help people deepen the quality of relationships

• Help people deal with differences and conflict
• Encourage people to listen to each other
• Insist that people check assumptions about what others are saying
• Encourage people to identify their shared beliefs and values and overlapping interests
• Model an approach to relationships that is positive and appreciative and focused on strengths
• Help people make accurate assessments of others
• Show people how to build trust through low-risk collaborations with others

5.  You work with others to create scale and impact

• Encourage others to become network weavers and take responsibility for increasing the health of their networks
• Mentor others in project coordination skills
• Encourage people to initiate collaborations with others
• Help people bring innovation and new perspectives into their networks
• Help small projects move to scale
• Encourage people to see the "patterns of success" and apply them to other situations
• Convince policy makers to be a part of your network

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