‘It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.’ We’ve all heard that cliché phrase, but any successful person will preach the importance of a strong network. Building relationships is vital to your personal and professional growth, and there are certain steps you can take to make yourself more likable in order to make those connections.

Michelle Tillis Lederman CPA, MBA, PCC, was named one of Forbes’ Top 25 Networking Experts and is the founder and CEO of Executive Essentials, a training company that provides customized communications, leadership coaching, and training programs.

In this episode, Hala and Michelle dive into what makes somebody likable and how that differs from person to person. Michelle explains the dangers of networking for need and how we can approach networking more personally to build more meaningful long-lasting connections. They also discuss the laws of likability, the three types of listening, and the different levels of connectors.

Topics Include:

- Michelle’s early desire to become a teacher

- Pivoting from finance to teaching

- Defining likability

- Relationship networking

- The problem with networking for need

- What does it mean to be disliked?

- Laws of likability

- Discovering authenticity

- Staying authentic while adjusting your energy

- Figuring out what is likable about you

- It’s not about you - it’s about the relationship

- The three types of listening

- Verbal, vocal, and visual community

- Minimizing language

- Mood memory

- The value of referrals

- Different levels of connectors

- And other topics…

Michelle Tillis Lederman is a top networking expert and author. Her clients include government officials, scholars, and Fortune 500 companies, like Madison Square Garden, Citi, Johnson & Johnson, and Ernst & Young. Michelle is a firm believer in the power of relationships and has dedicated her career to teaching people how to communicate with confidence, clarity, and connection.

She has delivered seminars internationally for fortune 500 companies, universities, high schools, and nonprofit organizations. She has written multiple books on likability and networking, including The Connector’s Advantage and The 11 Laws of Likability.