Defining the Ambassador’s role
The BYN program connects BYN participants with experienced staff members known as ambassadors and with campus and community experts in efforts to expand networking and learning opportunities. The role of ambassadors is to facilitate monthly world café sessions, network with staff and community members, and help build a community at UC Merced.
Facilitate world café monthly sessions
The world café format is flexible and adapts to many different circumstances. World café's foster collaborative dialogue, active engagement, and constructive possibilities for action.
Network with staff and community members
- Networking is learning and sharing
- Questioning your colleagues’ ideas and opinions
- Sharing feedback with others
- Sharing insight and knowledge with others
- Observing and replicating others’ work
- Reflecting with others
- Sharing your network with new staff. Your network extends beyond your managers and peers. Make sure you extract valuable learning from multiple sources during your day-to-day interactions.
- Team members
- Leaders
- Formal managers
- Informal managers
- Other employees
- Direct reports
- Peers
Build community by building relationships
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Real relationship building isn't about putting on a performance. It's about adding value. So, don't let self-limiting assumptions get in the way of that. Be curious and care about others success. Ask about their goals, priorities, projects, and interests. Then look for ways to help, with insights, personal stories, referrals, advice you've heard, articles, books, movie recommendations, anything.
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Even small contributions can make a big impression. Remember, it also adds value simply to help someone feel better. We like to be around people who help us feel better, and you don't need any power, status, expertise, or authority to do that. When you try to help others get what they want, many will naturally want to help you get what you want, which leads to action step number three. Let others help you, just as you want to help them.
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Make introductions. When you connect people, they think positively of you whenever they see that other person and are naturally reminded to introduce you to other people as well. Making introductions is a great habit. You listen and learn more about people you meet, so you can connect those people who will gain from knowing each other. I know a legendary, amazingly successful insurance professional whose entire strategy for developing business over many years has been to make one introduction a day. That's it.
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Watch The Importance of Building Strong Relationships by big think and Robert Steven Kaplan.
