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Hi all, This week we focus very much on the power and importance of Communication, making Connections, building your Network and creating Communities. All of which my guest, Steve Lenox, does exceptionally well. Steve runs his own consulting business, Lenox Consulting, and has offices here in Cork as well as in New York and New Jersey. In addition to his busy consulting practice, Steve is the President of the Irish Network USA which is the national umbrella organization integrating the Irish Networks that exist in various cities across the United States. It allows members of the networks to connect with their peers and to develop relationships that will foster success in their business, economic, cultural and sports ventures. During Steve’s time here, it has grown to over 20 Chapters and has a mission to bolster business between Ireland the US. During the conversation, which we recorded just around St. Patricks Day, Steve talks me through his career, lessons learned along the way and shares lots of advice from personal experience on how to develop and grow in business.

The topics discussed are:

• Steve’s Irish American Background
• Steve’s first experiences in Ireland as a student in Galway in the late 1990’s
• Communicating at the core of all the work Steve does.
• How Community & Communications are tied together
• Always having a natural ability to talk with others and help build community
• Early roles working for Senator Lautenberg in New Jersey and running his office on a day to day basis
• His position of President of the Irish Network USA for the last number of years.
• Focusing on Business Development, Public Affairs, Legislative Advocacy & Digital Strategy.
• The difference between Statesmen v Politician
• Making the decision to leave the political role to working for himself - When is the right time to do it?
• Having a Mentor and Support to get his own career up and running
• Having the skills to get his consulting business off the ground
• Developing Business Contacts in both Ireland and the US as the Business started up
• Committed enough to make produce
• Core values– Honesty, Hard work, Trust, Loyalty
• Control v Freedom – working this this and being able to develop this
• Knowing that not every contract comes in and how to keep going!
• Details on Irish Network USA – which Steve is the president of in the USA
• Setting up chapters across the USA building this up
• Different levels of energy required for different situations
• Introvert, Extrovert and Ambiverts
• Work-life Balance
• Productivity and Approaches
• Feeling your way through crisis and incidents
• Making Difficult Decisions
• Advice & Mentors – Don’t bring the problems, bring the solutions
• Developing skills and approaches

Key 1% Better Tips:

• Success – happy with work, paying the bills
• Learning from early business mistakes
• Networking & the desire to talk with others with purpose
• Until someone says no, you keep on pushing!
• Selling yourself and your reputation
• Getting clear on the core values
• Learning from the role as president – being able to accommodate different peoples personality
• Delegation and know he can’t do everything
• Recognising the difference between who you are in work, life and in different areas

Books Recommended -  Plunkitt of Tammany Hall The Godfather Get in touch with Steve: Twitter -  https://twitter.com/LenoxConsulting Website -  http://www.lenoxconsulting.com/ Just a quick note to say thanks for listening. There are a lot of podcasts to choose from and you picking this one means a lot to me. I know that sounds like a cheese-ball thing to say, but it’s true! I’m enjoying creating these shows, learning from them and I’m hoping that you are too. To help me make the show even better, I wand & need your help. Your feedback is essential. So, please take a few minutes to get in touch (links below, or subscribe on iTunes and leave a rating or review). If you liked this episode, share out the link via one of the socials. It will help me reach a bigger audience. If One Person gets something from the Episode that makes them 1% Better, I’ll be a happy man. Finally, if you really love the show, and really want me to take it to the next level, I’ve set up a Patreon site where you pledge some financial support. That would be awesome. You will also get exclusive access to upcoming podcasts and article posts that are just for those that are Patreons. Connect in with Rob on the socials or via email on: Email    Twitter   Facebook   Website