Networking is the Nectar to My Professional Soul

I recently participated in a networking session on Linkedin. It has been some time since I participated in any type of online or in-person professional development meeting that was not hosted by my employer. Let me tell you how it made me feel:?

It invigorated me.?

I forgot how much shooting the proverbial poo with like-minded people fired me up for my job performance. It was refreshing.?

Talking to others about why I do what I do, reminded me about why I do what I do.?

In this session, I didn’t just participate, I was a panelist and had the opportunity to share my thoughts and work philosophy as an expert in my field. Woah. I came away with more notes and truth bombs than I brought to the table. That is good networking!

Here is what networking can do for you.?

Organize and Prepare Your Thoughts

You have great ideas and thoughts. You have valuable knowledge gained from your professional experience. I don’t care if you are 3 days into a new job or you have been slinging products for 20 years. You have some truth nuggets to share with your peers. When you actively engage in networking, it forces you to prepare thoughts and organize a dialog with others. What a great exercise. The steps to organizing and communicating with others is a skill and must be used to master. The best way to master a skill is to practice, practice, practice.?

Validate Your Thinking?

I love feedback. If you aren’t actively asking for feedback from others, you will always question your thinking. If you aren’t questioning your thoughts, you are probably narcissistic and believe that you always have the correct information. If this is the case, I don’t want to work with you. The best leaders and greatest experts in their field will ask more questions than statements. They are in a constant state of learning. Networking opportunities allow you to share your thoughts, receive direct feedback on your thoughts, and ask questions. They can become a brainstorming session for your professional goals.

Refresh Your Motivation?

When I listen to someone speak passionately about anything, I get fired up. I love listening to or reading content that spreads a positive message and encourages me to do the same. I spoke in my panel discussion about “infectious personalities”. This is not a reference to Covid. I believe the people that practice positive actions and maintain a state of happiness can transfer these feelings to the people that surround them. If you surround yourself with successful people, the likelihood that you become successful goes up. As much as an overly positive person can cause us to cringe… “How can that person be so happy all the time?”, it forces our subconscious to take action. We match tone and frequency. For runners, what happens when you listen to a fast beat song while running? Your heart rate and pace will adjust to match the pace of the song. We naturally imitate the environment we are immersed in. If you spend a little bit of time in professional development opportunities, you will develop professionally. You catch my drift. Networking promotes learning and growth.?

Here’s the best way to follow up on any networking opportunity:?

Introduce and Connect?

Immediately following any networking opportunity, you should be drafting messages, emails, or handshake greetings to the people that you connected with during the event. I was eager to visit my Linkedin inbox following the panel discussion to see all of the new invites and messages. Take the time to read and respond to these bids for your time. They are very valuable to growth. I believe in connection requests with a short introduction. You should never assume that a connection can be made without some sort of introduction. This is an opportunity to send a note with call-out items from the conference. It might be a shared experience or a truth nugget received from another attendee. Once a connection has been made, use it! Continue to actively network and look for opportunities to help someone else grow and succeed in their professional goals.

Debrief and Share?

Review your notes and the content received from the networking opportunity. Set action items and follow-ups on anything that needs continued attention and growth. Many people forget to debrief themselves and move on to the ‘next thing”. The real work begins with the networking has wrapped up. If you really want to pull value from what you have learned, learn the content and teach it to others. Set up a follow-up session with your internal team, and teach everyone the new skills that you have learned.?

Take advantage of networking opportunities as they become available, they are a wonderful way to maintain excitement and encourage growth.?

Keep Learning!