Want to Jump Start Your Career? Master The Art Of Relational Networking

Welcome back to my LinkedIn newsletter where I share tips, ideas, and strategies to help you become more effective in business and life.

If we haven't been acquainted yet, I’m a professor of organizational and cross-cultural psychology, the author of?Global Dexterity?and?Reach, and an HBR contributor and consultant.?I also work closely with coaches, trainers, consultants and teachers to certify them in my?Global Dexterity Method.

To make sure you don't miss an issue, if you haven't subscribed yet, just click the "Subscribe" button in the upper right corner above. I hope you enjoy today's newsletter!

The careers we ultimately pursue are often very different from what we originally imagined.?

That was certainly is the case for entrepreneur Ronit Avni, the CEO and founder of Localized, a social enterprise and career technology platform designed to help companies, students, and mentors from emerging markets find and support each other.

I was fascinated by Ronit’s career journey and enjoyed chatting with her about relational networking and advice for young professionals.

Andy Molinsky:?It sounds like networking is a big part of how Localized works and also about you’ve charted your own career journey. Can you just say a word about your philosophy of networking?

Ronit Avni:?To me, the most important principle around networking is that it’s relational, not transactional. You’re establishing relationships with people. You're trying to learn. You're trying to be generous where you can. You're trying to be polite and respectful of people's time.

Andy Molinsky:?So, if I’m a student or young professional interesting in learning to network, can you give me some tips?

Ronit Avni:?Number one, have a clear ask. Number two, do your homework. Look them up on LinkedIn. Dig in a little bit. Take some notes. And you want to go in with a clear ask. It can be something as simple as: "I don't know what algorithmic trading is, but I'd love to learn." Or: "If I were to apply for a job at a company like yours, what three skills do you think I would need?” And then, there's the follow up, which is also critical.

Andy Molinsky:?What makes for a high performing young professional in your view??

Ronit Avni:?High performers ask a lot of questions and do a lot of listening. They take notes. They follow through. And after getting the hang of things and operating with humility, they start to notice areas that could use improvement and proactively dive in.

Andy Molinsky:?Do you mean actually start to suggest things to change?

Ronit Avni:?Yes, the best performers are ones that don't just wait to be told. They jump in, offer to add value, and actually demonstrate how they can add value. And the more they do that and do it well, the more peers trust them, rely on them, and turn to them. In fact, I've seen people craft an entirely new role on the basis of doing just that.

Andy Molinsky:?I'm curious if you've noticed cultural differences in this ability to take the initiative?

Ronit Avni:?It’s absolutely the case that there are some places more deferential to authority culturally than others. We hear all the time that in the K12 learning space, you have schooling in some places that is essentially rote learning, reproducing whatever the authority figure tells you to say. Luckily, at the university level, people often start to find themselves, and find their voice. And for those that have that inner drive, they find a way for it to blossom and manifest.