Stop Cringing At The Idea Of Networking

Growing your professional network can be stimulating and mutually beneficial to all involved. Here are three easy ways to expand your professional circle.

When people talk about networking for professional success, I think there’s often this underlying assumption that networking is something you do in order to get a specific result i.e. get a job. In my personal experience of building networks in Curaçao, the Netherlands, England and Hong Kong, I have never directly gotten a job or even an interview through my connections. However, my contacts have been crucial to my personal and professional development and ultimately to achieving success within each job that I have had. As a result, I see networking as an essential element for the exchange of knowledge, skills, resources, information and general mutual support. By seeing it this way, I’m not repulsed by the idea of networking because I don’t see it as “using” people for personal favours, instead I look forward to building new relationships because of everything that I can learn, give and co-create with other people. Yes! To me, social interactions matter to career success, overall happiness, sense of community, and quality of life. 

Are you a professional who feels under increasing pressure to network more, adopt social media platforms, and assemble communities that scale both at work and personal thriving? 

By understanding the science behind networks, you can leverage your networks in ways you might never have thought of in the past. Here are three simple ways that you can build and nurture a network in order to make the most of your personal and professional life.

1. Reconnect And Revive Dormant Networks

David Burkus, co-author of the book “Friend of a Friend: Understanding the Hidden Networks That Can Transform Your Life and Your Career” examines the science of how networks work and reveals what the best networkers do. He guides us through distinct strategies for leveraging our network and how to improve life and business. He advises reconnecting with old friends and renewing dormant ties. Thus, you may want to get back in touch with friends or acquaintances that you’ve not heard from lately.

Connecting with an old friend can be of tremendous benefit to everyday lives and beyond. It is easier to form a relationship with dormant ties than utter strangers. For example, when I moved to Hong Kong, I sent a message to an acquaintance who I had not spoken to for 10 years but through my facebook feed, I knew she was here too. Despite being nervous about getting in touch after so long, I figured what’s the worst thing that could happen anyway? She could ignore me. On the other hand, she could respond. And she did. Not only that, she also introduced me to another person who, like me, was new to Hong Kong and this person has turned into one of my best friends here. She’s also been an excellent source of information that has been crucial to my career success.

2. Meet People From Diverse Backgrounds

Another thing that is very helpful is meeting people from diverse backgrounds and cultures. I personally think this enriches life and can positively impact your career, even if the initial months and years seem daunting. Since I left Curaçao (with a total population of 150,000 people) in the late 90s, it has been very difficult to find people exactly like me anywhere else. This has pushed me to always build diverse networks which has made me realise that as human beings we often have far more in common with one another than not. I am also incredibly grateful for this as it has broadened my worldview by seeing different viewpoints and appreciating things from multiple perspectives.

3. Connect Through Mutual Friends

Finally, meet people through mutual friends. While this seems like the most accessible network building technique, it can also be tricky as some people might be very protective of their network. But I personally believe in both sharing my network and interacting with friends of a friend. Based on the notion of six-degrees-of-separation, everyone in the world is six or fewer connections away from one another. In other words, we are just six handshakes away from meeting anyone who could be a crucial addition to our network. This is also the quickest way to grow your network. The more people you know, the more connections you can make, and the greater your access to career success, overall happiness, sense of community, and quality of life. 

In short, the way to stop cringing about networking is by reframing the way you perceive it. Think of it as an exchange of knowledge, skills, information and mutual support rather than seeking a favour. You never know what doors open, as someone who worked with me found out!

Suggested Activity

Why not take action today and challenge yourself to do at least one of the following: 

• Reconnect with someone who always brings a smile on your face when you think of them. 

• The next time you have the chance to meet new people, choose to approach someone who looks the least like you. You might be surprised how alike you really are.

• Either offer to introduce a friend to a friend or ask a friend to introduce you to one of their friends.

Reframing the beliefs that get in the way of us achieving things in our lives can be difficult. Developmental coaching can help with this. Click here to schedule a free coaching exploration call if you want to know more about this,