Whatever Happened to Networking?

 

What does professional networking mean to you? Is it reaching out when you need a job? Asking someone for an introduction? Connecting because someone has information that might benefit you? Or is networking supposed to be something more?

I've been thinking lately about how many ways we now have to connect with one another. LinkedIn, professional associations, conferences, email, social media, alumni networks, the opportunities are almost endless.

Yet I wonder whether we're actually networking more or simply contacting more people.

There is a difference.

Real networking, at least as I understand it, should involve the genuine exchange of ideas, information, opportunities, and sometimes assistance, with no guarantee that anything comes back to us.

Sometimes you make an introduction simply because two people should know each other.

Sometimes you send someone an article because you think they'll find it useful.

Sometimes you tell someone about an opportunity even though you're not interested in it yourself. And sometimes you simply ask: “How are things going?” without following it with a request.

I also wonder whether today's professional environment has made this harder. Layoffs, reorganizations, economic uncertainty, competition for positions, and concerns about job security can create an understandable instinct toward self-preservation.

When everyone feels like they're competing for the same opportunities, professional relationships can quietly become transactional: What can this person do for me?

And I'll admit something. I'm guilty of it too. I'm not claiming sainthood here. I've reached out to people because I needed information, wanted an introduction, was exploring an opportunity, or thought someone might be able to help me.

But I am trying to be better about reaching out when I do not need anything. Perhaps that's how we begin rebuilding meaningful professional networks.

·         Share someone's work.

·         Make an introduction.

·         Recommend someone for an opportunity.

·         Answer a question.

·         Offer advice when it's requested.

·         Celebrate somebody else's success.

·         And occasionally check in with someone simply because they're part of your professional community.

Maybe the best networking question isn't: “What can this person do for me?”.

Maybe it's: “What can we learn from each other?”.

Professional networking shouldn't simply be the accumulation of contacts. It should be the cultivation of relationships.

Leadership Reflection

What does meaningful professional networking look like to you, and what can we do to create more of it?

Please share. No pitches. No selling. Just ideas.

Dr. Flavius A. B. Akerele III, EdD, MBA

#ProfessionalNetworking #Leadership #ProfessionalDevelopment #RelationshipBuilding #CareerDevelopment #LeadershipReflection #Community #LifelongLearning