#PositiveVibes - Networking

By John R. Nocero & Shelley Stewart

John: Networking is a lot like insurance. You don't think you need it, until you really do. Many of us put our heads down and work like a truck barreling down the interstate, crushing everything in our path and that is good when you need to get a lot of things done or are on a hard deadline. But without a strong network, you miss the opportunity to learn from your peers at other organizations about what they are doing for best practices and you also miss the chance to build up a strong pipeline of potential job leads or candidates.

 During this pandemic, a question I have repeatedly asked myself is, "at some point, I know we will get back to normal, but what parts of normal are worth getting back to." Work and my wife are priority # 1, but at the same time, professional networking with my connections here is #1A. I have used this time to reconnect with others who I have lost touch with to just see how they are doing. I have enjoyed reconnecting with everyone.

 Shelley, what role does networking play in your professional career and what would you say to someone who is a bit nervous about reaching out to someone and making the connection?

Shelley: I tend to think about both external and internal networking. To your point, an external network is one of those things you don’t always think you need until you absolutely do. The way it’s manifested itself for me: I’ve taken a couple roles in my career that looked really good on paper but were just an awful fit. I didn’t make sense for the organization or the team culture – and for me, that’s almost impossible to overcome.  The first time, I was scrambling to find a new role. The second time, through almost no effort of my own, I had lucked into a really great network that made a referral and helped me land the role I’m in now, which has been amazing for me both personally and professionally.

 And speaking of the role I’m in now, internal networking has also proven really valuable. At first, I think it kind of came about naturally: as I work with other teams, I’m naturally curious and ask questions about how they work or what their experience has been or is. In talking to other folks, if you’re open to it, you can learn a lot about cross-functional teams and broaden your own knowledge and skill set – I find that earns a lot of good will and respect with the teams you probably have to work with every day. You can also see how or where you might adjust your own process or practice. The easiest example that comes to mind: I tend to be very geared toward a “waterfall” style of project or program management. My brain can be very linear. But a lot of the teams I work with in a technology space use an “agile” methodology, and while that iterative style of working isn’t necessarily intuitive to me, it’s an incredibly valuable tool that I will absolutely continue to use.

 In either case, with external or internal networking, as people get to know me, how I work, what my strengths are, and what my career goals are, it’s very possible that someone might think of me if an opportunity or role pops up. As an example, I’ve been working with a couple folks that I’ve asked to mentor me. It’s partly because I think they’re phenomenal people, but it’s also a group of people who have been wonderful people-leaders, and I’ve wanted to get as much coaching as I can from them as I think about a leadership role as my next career step. If such a position comes along, I think it’s very possible they might ping me because they know I want to throw my hat in the ring. And this goes the other way, too: I’ve definitely referred some connections because a role came along that I thought they would be great for!

 I tend to be very introverted with practiced extroversion, so I completely understand that networking may seem overwhelming. I’ve been very lucky to learn how to network over time, but I challenge myself to keep practicing! It can be hard to reach out to someone new, but I try to remember that there’s really no risk or harm in reaching out. Worst case scenario, you put yourself out there and someone won’t make time for you or won’t respond (it’s never as bad as you’re afraid it’s going to be). Best case scenario, you’ve made a connection, and if you put the effort in, you will absolutely gain something from it (and I usually get way more from it than I anticipated)!