Networking your way to your best life EVER…..

Love it or hate it networking is one of the best ways to develop your career and life experience. Engaging with our fellow humans provides an opportunity for us to stop and take ourselves out of our day to day, open our minds and learn from others.  Conversations enable us to have a pulse on the marketplace, different perspectives, develops our communication and engagement skills and connects us to some fascinating people.  Networking adds value whether it is for your career ambition or life, but how do you ensure that you network your way to your best life EVER?

 

I used to hate networking it felt excruciatingly painful, and I could not wait for it to be over.  I take you back to my first job as a Resourcer in recruitment, networking events were part of the job.  The events brought IT contractors together to build a community of like minds, share insights on the latest and greatest in the market and over time built strong interrelated networks of skills, experiences, talent that we could all tap into when the right project came along, it was not so much ‘what you knew’ as ‘who you knew’. 

 

My first event felt like I had hit the jackpot, nice venue, canapes, free flowing beer and wine, not bad for my first proper job! The mission ‘get to know as many people as possible’, simple.

 

But for me it felt REALLY awkward, my co-worker was in her element moving around the room from person to person, laughing and nodding away, collecting business cards, soaking in all the local intelligence, she was really enjoying it and getting to know EVERYONE, she was networking. Why did I find this simple activity so difficult?  Answer, I was paralysed in over thinking it was all about me, when in fact, years later I realised it is far more interesting and valuable to think of networking as all about others.

 

Now I too move around any room physical or virtual, just as my then co-worker, armed with my realisation that good networking is simply connecting.  It is one of the most powerful ways to get to know our fellow humans, build insight, knowledge, connection, support and the more human you are the more value you get.

 

A great networking experience has little to do with you and what you should talk about, the power is in being curious, enabling others to talk about themselves, exploring their situation and experience provides you with a wonderful foundation to build upon.  The more you know about others, the more you can develop conversations on mutually beneficial territory and add value to each other.  That is when the magic happens, you build a network based on human connection that supports you for years to come, as John Corcoran co-founder of https://smartbusinessrevolution.com/ says ‘You have to place a premium on relationships, no matter what industry you’re in’. 1

 

My 5 top tips for networking your way to your best life EVER…..

 

1. Know your purpose.

Take a moment to think about why you want to network, is it to build knowledge, meet people in a particular industry, expert area? Grow connections in a specific discipline?  Being clear on ‘Why’ you are doing it helps you to frame and connect with the why, your intention and the outcome you want to achieve.  Afterall if the purpose is to find a new job networking offers a great opportunity to learn what is out there in real time, especially if the trend has continued as noted in a recent Forbes article that mentioned a report that suggested in 2017 ‘companies weren't even listing 70 % of jobs’ 2.

1. Tap into your feelings.

Think about how you want to feel during and post the event, what will enable you to feel that and get the most out of it? What does success feel like?   If you feel uncomfortable at these events, role play ahead of time, are there topics that you can prepare that help you feel confident that you can tap into if needed?  Does the networking event match the outcome you expect?

1. Prepare to be curious.

Prepare a handful of questions that help you to be curious. It could be that there are specific topics from your purpose that you would like to explore with people at the event, asking people for perspectives, insights on specific topics often opens dialogue.  Ask others what they are looking to get from the event, are there other events that they would recommend, why?  

1. Think about your growth.

Networking opportunities can provide you with growth and opportunity to get out of your comfort zone.  Think about what you are looking to learn from the experience that could be helpful for you.  Be open, show you are human; vulnerability offers others an opportunity to share their perspective often resulting in a realisation they too have a shared experience or have advice on what could serve you best.  Targeting specific areas, you wish to grow and seeking to fill this gap through other insights, expertise and experience can be valuable. 

1. Make the best of the outcome

Post event reflect on what you experienced, what worked for you, what didn’t, who did you meet? How will you continue to build the relationships?  What specific action can you take to continue to grow the experience onward.  Follow ups, virtual coffees, continue conversations. Remember, everyone you meet and connect with knows other like minds or people of similar interests, through them, you are connecting to so many other people, make the most of it.  As David Burkus says in his book Friend of a Friend ‘The entire collection of humans, 7 billion strong and counting, is basically one interconnected network. Everyone is a friend of a friend (even if we haven’t met that friend yet). Every new person we meet opens up our ability to navigate that network, and any given person can open us up to an entirely new world’3.

 

I believe that networking is something we should practice, lean into, and be proactively engaged with throughout our careers.  My one regret over the years, whilst building my career and navigating stakeholders internally, I was too insular, too inward, too busy to invest in valuable networking.  After spending two years building my own business, I can honestly say it has been one of the most nourishing, value adding activity, not only for building a business, but for satisfying a basic human need, building connection, community, and a wealth of experts that I can tap into for all sorts of things to enhance my best life EVER!

 

References 

 

1. Grow Beyond What is Safe, with John Corcoran  https://coachingforleaders.com/podcast/362/ 
2. Forbes article The Art Of Networking In 2020 https://www.forbes.com/sites/soulaimagourani/2020/02/17/the-art-of-networking-in-2020/?sh=45b182ea68e3
3. David Burkus - Friend of a Friend . . .: Understanding the Hidden Networks That Can Transform Your Life and Your Career