Recently Apple launched their new iPhone – number 7. The launch made international headlines and was met with a lot of excitement and some controversy (over the cordless earphones). This launch was a perfect example of why Apple has maintained its position as the world’s leading tech company. It illustrated a core value for Apple that we share at BNI and that has led to great success – traditions + innovation. Taking an existing product that is hugely popular and then innovating this.
This value of traditions + innovation is one of the 7 core values that we have here at BNI. You may know some of them – for example Givers Gain – but you probably don’t know them all.
Recently Graham Southwell (BNI New Zealand’s National Director) reached out to Dr. Ivan Misner (the founder of BNI) for some explanation of BNI’s 7 core values. Dr. Misner made a YouTube video in which he discussed the values that you can view online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1x9s2hJoHs. He noted that BNI has recently tweaked its values statement because of feedback from members based on their experiences.
Today we will talk about the first four of our 7 core values and why they are important for us at BNI.
- Givers Gain. This is the core philosophy of BNI. It’s incredible that so many people in our organisation understand and practice this value. The idea of ‘what goes around comes around’ is intuitive and a key part of successful networking. Remember – it’s a standard to apply to yourself, rather than a sword by which to cut others.
- Building Relationships. This was the foundation of BNI when it was first set up and is what we are all about today. Networking is about building positive, strong relationships. Lifelong learning. The more we see members, leadership teams and director consultants immersed in a culture of learning, the more successful our chapters are. More education and learning leads to greater engagement and more successful networking.
- Traditions + innovation. This value may at first seem counterintuitive but as the Apple example proves, it is the secret to success for contemporary businesses. Our traditions lay the foundation to who we are by showing where we came from. However, we must always be leading with innovation to stay current. This means that new advancements in technology and thinking must be absorbed into our process. Don’t lose touch with new changes in business and don’t be afraid to try new things at BNI.
There are 3 more core values (including 2 unwritten ones) that we’ll touch on in next week’s Networking Education Article. Until then, think a little bit about how you can innovate in your networking practice at BNI.
