I don’t have to convince you of the power of a professional network,
do I? One that is not only inside your current company but that reaches
outside of its walls? Or that networking is often listed as one of the
most important unwritten rules of success in business? And that research
shows that your next business opportunity (and often, job) is more
likely to come from a loose connection in your network than from a
friend or close colleague?
But networks are like any good
investment. The great ones can have an extremely high ROI (return on
investment)…. but not right away, and often not from the sources that
one might expect.
I only have two simple rules of networking:
1) I try to meet at least one new person in my area of interest every month, or significantly deepen an existing relationship.
2) I do something nice for someone in my network every week.
This
second doesn’t have to be a big find-someone-a-job favor, but instead
can be connecting two people who should know each other, sharing
research or information that someone you know may find useful, or
posting a LinkedIn recommendation on a colleague.
These likely
won’t find you a new job or get you a big deal next week. (I almost
don’t know how to reply to the email sitting in my in-tray from someone
who says that she keeps trying to sell things to new people in her
network, but some of them won’t buy….or reply.) But over time, these two
very simple rules are small seeds that you plant, any one of which can
one day provide a strong return. And in the meantime, they'll give you a
lot of joy.
No comments:
Post a Comment