The Power of a network

My first 90 days at Honeywell make me reflect on the power of a network. One of the biggest assets in anyone's life is a strong network, it is a gift that grows simply by connecting with people and take care of them constantly. Networks have played a critical role in my live; my contacts have grown since childhood, I keep my friends from school, my groups from university, my bosses, my mentors, my colleagues in diverse companies and in different countries I resided, the consultants I have worked with, the senior leaders I have supported and my new colleagues from all around the globe. I value and appreciate all of them. The possibility of sharing with these diverse group of people has helped me shape the person I am today.

Active networking is vital to career growth and personal development. Building long-term relationships involves meeting and getting to know people who you can support, and who can potentially help you later. A network includes everyone from friends and family, to work colleagues, business leaders, social network, and members of groups to which you belong like university or groups of interest. Nurturing relationships with your contacts are mutually beneficial: you can raise your professional and personal profile, expand your access to opportunities, and work through business or social challenges.

I summarized in five, my main ideas of the Power of Networking

• Networking is all about building trust and helping one another toward a goal. Engaging with a network and finding opportunities to assist, helps to create better relationships. A strong network is a great source of new ideas. Exchanging information on challenges, experiences and goals allows us to gain new insights and help us to get new ways of doing things.
• We build confidence by meeting new people, it supports us in getting out of our comfort zone and building social skills and self-confidence. The more we network, the more we’ll grow and learn.
• Being visible is key in career development. Attending professional or social events is also a unique opportunity to exchange best practices, learn about other businesses and stay up to date of the latest industry developments.
• Discussing challenges with more experienced peers on topics we have in common, opens the door to valuable guidance and complicity.
• It is true that some of the strongest and long-standing friendships are borne from network connections.

According to HubSpot, 85% of the jobs are filled through networking and companies with referrals have a 70% higher conversion rate.

For networking successfully, I recommend you to Be proactive – set aside time each week for cultivating your network or know a new person. I take part of some working groups beyond work and actively do career counseling for my friends once a week. ?Be genuine – stablish rapport, build a true relationship, try to remember people′s names. Be supportive – define what is your value proposition and spend time wisely and Be inclusive– ask open ended questions, listen carefully, inviting to the table other people than the ones you know and hearing the small voices in the room.

In summary, networking helps us to create our social capital by building our credibility, getting referrals, having access to different people, developing advocates, mentoring others, and shaping our personal brand. It also supports us on staying relevant and is an avenue of opportunities for our career but most importantly for our lives.

What other ideas can you add to the list to build a powerful network? I read you