Networking
Josef Langerman
Academic | Digital Transformation Expert | Experienced CIO and CTO | Executive Coach to Boards and Executive Committees
Business is a human enterprise, and the success of any business is determined and driven by people. Yes, profits are important; but we all need the support of other people and success in business is about working with people, and not against them. This is where networking comes in.
So what is networking? It's all about the people we know and the people who know us.
Malcolm Gladwell, in his bestseller The Tipping Point, wrote about Paul Revere. It was 1775. The colonists in North America had had enough of English laws and English taxes. The time had come to fight for their independence. Two men were dispatched with the task of raising a militia.
Paul Revere rode north and one, William Dawes, rode south. American folk history describes how Paul Revere galloped on his trusty steed from town-to-town and farmstead-to-farmstead, through the darkest of nights in 1775, calling on the men and boys to answer the call to arms. Both men rode to similar towns, populated by the same sort of people. Paul Revere raised a large militia and rode into history. William Dawes did not. Malcolm Gladwell asked why. The answer? Paul Revere was a super-connector – someone who knew a lot of people, and the right people.
Both Revere and Dawes were spreading the same information, but Paul Revere already knew a lot of people, and he knew them well. So he knew who would spread the call to arms after he had given them the initial news. In other words, he already understood how the networks worked. He knew which colonists, in turn, had their own networks, and could spread the news quickly and widely.
Then, as now, networks are important.
The transfer of information has always been crucial, and never more so than in the modern, information-driven world. In modern organisations which are less hierarchical and more fluid, power brokers – those individuals who, often, just know the people – are more important than ever. Information brokers in an organisation connect specialised pools of knowledge by linking independent clusters.
That old adage,?it's not what you know, but who you know that counts, has never been more true.
What should your network look like and how do you go about buidling one?
Create networks:
Professional networks are not the same as social ones. They require us to move out of our comfort zones. Some people find this easy. Many do not. Kevin Ferrazzi, in his bestseller Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time, provides an excellent blueprint for network building.
Building your own network calls for
Don't keep score:
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Crystallise your mission and strategy:
In essence, be prepared!
Before making approaches to anyone, develop your own personal brand and message.
Consider carefully the strategy you will employ.
BUILD IT BEFORE YOU NEED IT:
Develop strong networking relationships before you might need them.
ALWAYS BE NETWORKING.
HAVE THE COURAGE TO ASK:
Future of Work Advisor | Automation Enthusiast | Industry 4.0 Evangelist | Business Developer
3 年Thanks Josef for the words of wisdom. May I ask how much of Kevin’s ideas, that he speaks about in his book, you are practising,especially, the get togethers and dinners that he promotes? Have you tried this personally?
Business Development Manager : CTG DATABIT
3 年Thank you for sharing