By Today’s post is about why networking (not computer networking and configuration but your connections with PEOPLE) is important and is not a dirty word.
At the beginning of my career, when someone brought up the topic of networking…well I simply poo-pooed them. I was full of pride and thought I could and should do everything on my own, without the help of others. I thought networking was only important for people in sales. And I thought, “why would I stay connected with [insert name], I’m not staying in this industry?”. But all of those thoughts are false. I was wrong (WHAT?!). What I’ve learned is you can’t be the expert of everything. But you can build a team that as a team can succeed. Have you learned nothing from all those Marvel movies and comic books? As an example, one of my colleagues was decidedly more technical than me. We worked FABULOUSLY together because I could talk with the client easily and translate the business need to the technical solution and he could deliver on some of the more techie stuff that was beyond my skill set. And guess what, for not staying in the insurance industry…umm I kinda stayed in the insurance industry. What I have learned over the years is that cultivating your network/your connections is just as critical to your success as any talent or skill you possess. But networks don’t build themselves. And the last place you want to be is in need of connections only to discover they aren’t there. So first let’s talk about the why.
Why do we network?
- To connect with people who have similar interests
- To seek knowledge
- To get career advice
- To vet a possible career change
- To prospect/find sales
- To search for a job for self or a friend
Please note that the sales and job bullets, which are what I used to think about when I thought about networking, are the last two in the list. The better approach on networking is to think of the Godfather (without the mob and murder and violence). Many people have already written on the connection between The Godfather and networking. I won’t steal their thunder and let you google on your own. Suffice it to say that networking is about helping others and sometimes helping yourself (“should that day ever come” – can’t you just hear Don Corleone’s voice?).
I attended several trainings by Mark McGraw over at Sandler and while his focus was on sales, I really liked applying his sales training to building your network. If I can summarize (and hopefully I didn’t miss the point of the sessions I attended), you should be leading your conversations by asking how you can help someone/fill a need for them.
Don’t panic if you have not been a master at cultivating your network. This is not an epic failure. All is not lost! You can always start now. Your challenge, should you choose to accept it
- Connect with me on LinkedIn.
- Connect with some alum from university.
- Connect via MeetUps.
- Attend a speed networking event.
The important thing is to make the connection and KEEP the connection (that’s the cultivate part). Cultivating can be as simple as a phone call, text or email. But it has to be done. You don’t want to reach out to someone out of the blue and have them ask ‘now how do I know you?’. Meet someone for coffee, or as my friend/network GURU Joe Cannon says -meet for BLD (breakfast, lunch, dinner).
Good luck!