Forget Teamworking, its all about Networking.

If you want to succeed in this day and age, forget about the simple notion of Teamworking and look for power of Networking.

Sure there is a place for teams and to a degree teamwork. Heaven knows we all bang on about the F1 Pit Stop teams and their weekly display of well drilled teamwork and the wondrous output of an Orchestra, using them as models for developing excellence in teams. However, in this time of change, agility and innovation, is Networking more valuable than Teamworking?

Networking has been described as the ‘collaboration with others to enhance our potential beyond that which we could achieve on our own.” Perhaps the key difference between Networking and Teamwork lies in their objectives. Teamwork may be essential for a group of people to achieve a common objective, but networking is about helping each other despite our objectives often being unrelated.

In the booming Gig economy, many people are rarely in teams, but exist in networks, coming together with others for projects or meetings to provide their expertise and collaborate.

Take the complex and intertwined ways we do business, not just from IT network perspectives, but businesses themselves. We sell to customers, we buy from suppliers, we partner with others to supply clients, our clients on one hand can be a partner on another, our suppliers can be clients. We can be competitors one day, and then through acquisition or merger, become a colleague. We work more in virtual teams, taking advantage of flexible working, mobile working and so on. More of us work in cafes and business deals can start on trains with stranger sat next to you.

I think people need to be more aware these days, more ’network’ savvy, more open to listening, sharing, connecting and learning from others. I believe there is an even greater need for emotional intelligence and understanding of the power of networking. There is an abundance of information available – perhaps even an excess – making the ability to be creative, to make the most of information and the skills to bring ideas to life, even more valuable. Therefore the ability to network with others, to connect and ‘join the dots’ is a key business skill these days, especially with the ever moving landscape we are in. The old adage, ‘It’s who you know, not what you know….’ rings true.

In a world where everything is getting networked and connected, including cars, phones, computers, companies and social media, it is time to ensure we invest in people, relationships and the most important network we can develop, the human only network!

When it comes to looking for a new job, networking – or the value of networking - becomes even more obvious. The results of reports vary to some extent, but all agree that it's definitely a popular way to get a job. Some experts say that 70 percent of people ended up in their current position thanks to networking. Others say it's more like 80 percent or even 85 percent. According to new LinkedIn global survey results, almost 80 percent of professionals consider professional networking to be important to career success. Not only that, but 70 percent of people in 2016 were hired at a company where they had a connection. Despite the importance of networking, the survey revealed gaps in how professionals had trouble staying in touch with and maintaining their networks, particularly when things were going well for them, which is of course the perfect time to invest in your network!

What is networking, and what isn’t it? The list of what Networking is not, is long and varied, and includes: breakfast briefings where people talk at you; gathering handfuls of business cards; some bloke trying to sell you a fire extinguisher (photocopier or similar); a million LinkedIn connections or Twitter followers; an opportunity to sell; shouting too loudly (as one person told me).

Networking is ‘a place to go and give’, it’s about relationships and connections, investing in them, nurturing them, it’s about being open and available and respectful. It’s about sharing.  

So in a world where everything is getting more ‘networked’, we need to.