How to Network for Career Success

Having worked in the A/E business for almost 50 years, I've had plenty of time to reflect on what has meant the most to me over the course of my career. I can point to many notable accomplishments. I've really enjoyed the work for the most part (hence I'm still at it). I've accumulated a great deal of knowledge and insight. I've worked with some great companies.

But the things that stand out, that represent the very best of my career, are the relationships I've developed and the people I've been able to help along the way. Nothing else compares. That's why I'm routinely advising young professionals to give priority to building and nurturing their network.

Networking in our business has unfortunately been conflated with selling. You meet people and build relationships so you can sell to them. No wonder so many of my colleagues have a negative impression of networking! The palatable discomfort with the activity keeps many of them from taking it seriously.

So let's recast the role of networking. It shouldn't be driven by your desire (or your firm's desire) to sell, but to serve. Ultimately, the greatest reward of your career is the opportunities it provides to help others flourish. And through serving those in your network, you will undoubtedly be served in return—including building connections that can eventually lead to new business opportunities.

The mutual benefits of growing your network can be realized at any stage of your career, and they're cumulative. The time you invest today in building relationships can pay off for years to come, assuming you actively maintain those relationships. With that backdrop, let me suggest some tips for building and maintaining your network:

Start with those you already know. Networking isn't all about meeting new people, as some seem to assume. In fact, that's not even the hardest part. It's maintaining and nurturing the relationships you've already made that poses the biggest challenge. Start by compiling a list of existing relationships that you want to be included in your active network.

Reconnect with those you've lost touch with. This has never been easier because of social media platforms like LinkedIn. I've reconnected with numerous former colleagues and business contacts this way. But don't stop there. Passive social networks are easy to build, but not very productive if you're not actually interacting with people.

Determine how to be consistent in your contact. The key to building a strong network is to have regular interaction with those in your network. Determine how frequently you want to connect with each person in your network—and this will vary by individual—and then make appointments in your calendar or CRM system to help you follow through.

Commit to serving those in your network. Networking commonly fails to yield satisfying results when it's approached from self-serving motives. When you are driven to help others, you are rewarded both by the intrinsic value of doing that and the fact that most will be inclined to reciprocate. Serving those in your network includes providing timely information, sharing ideas and advice, making introductions and referrals, and sharing valuable digital content.

Don't diminish the benefits of digital interaction. Yes, face-to-face meetings and phone and video calls are the best ways to connect. But for busy professionals, maintaining regular contact should include a healthy dose of using email, texting, and social media as well.

Become a content hoarder. So that you have valuable content to share with others, you should develop a habit of routinely collecting and storing it. Whenever I find an article, blog post, white paper, report, ebook, or video that I think might be of interest to others, I store the link in one of my many bookmark folders, organized by topic. Periodically sharing these links is a great way to stay in touch between conversations.

Always follow up on your promises. There are a surprising number of unfulfilled promises made in our conversations—"I'll send you that information," "Let's get together for lunch sometime," etc. Failure to follow through is so common that we often don't notice when it happens. But if you're consistent in doing what you say, people eventually take note.

Promptly return calls and emails. Tardy responses communicate to others that they aren't all that important to you, even if that's not the message you intended to send. If you're too busy, send a quick message saying so and make a promise as to when you'll follow up.

Get actively involved in professional associations and trade groups. These provide opportunities to both build relationships and help others. But it requires more than simply attending sponsored events. To get the most networking benefit from these groups, you want to get involved behind the scenes, working on committees, serving in leadership, or organizing activities.

Meet new people without any preconceptions of where it might lead. Why do so many of us feel uncomfortable with having that initial conversation with someone? Often, it's because we've burdened it with expectations of what we might get from that conversation, perhaps because the person is someone of influence or a potential client. Just engage the person as a peer and see where it goes—looking for opportunities to serve, of course.

Practice extrospection. This involves concentrating on the other party rather than yourself. In doing so, you'll likely be turning a common liability (the tendency to focus on yourself) into an asset (by turning the spotlight on the other person, who probably has a similar issue with self interest). In practice, this means listening intently, asking great questions, and speaking only in response to questions or to offer help.

Building your network and serving those in it is a great way to build a legacy. That's because ultimately people are at the center of the work you do—as clients, coworkers, or other stakeholders. Those relationships are an enduring treasure worth preserving.