When Networking, Be Genuine.

Humble brag (but not really), I have a phenomenal network. A network that I'm incredibly grateful for, and not just here on Linkedin. Many of you I know on a personal level, some on a professional level and some just in passing or we share a common interest or background. I can humbly brag about this because I'm talking about all of YOU. So, it's really not a brag at all. It's a compliment. You're welcome.

Years ago, networking and jumping into a conversation with people I didn't know was a huge fear of mine. I absolutely loved my comfort zone, which was me basically avoiding any type of human interaction that had anything to do with my job or advancing my career. (Ironic considering that I would eventually become a Public Affairs Officer (PAO) in the Navy - which is all about communication and meeting new people, and of course, a leader in talent acquisition, which is also a people-centric profession.) However, I can state without equivocation that my success thus far in life is due in large part to my ability to meet people and network the crap out of opportunities that industry provides. Doors have been opened for me, or I have at least been shown where the door to opportunity is located, by many of you. I have had a good handful of job offers over the past decade, not because I submitted an application (in the traditional sense), but because my network facilitated the job offers. Plus, meeting new people is fun. There are countless articles out there that argue how important networking is. Like this one. This one. And even this one. (I basically googled, "importance of networking" and these appeared on the first page.)

This article in particular, written by Karen Wickre, the author of Taking the Work Out of Networking: An Introverts Guide To Making Connections That Count, provides tangible advice and tools to help you in your networking journey. Ms. Wickre offers up many great tidbits of wisdom and recommendations on how to properly network. At the end of the day, it really comes down to making a genuine effort.

Everything about making genuine connections with people, especially for business and professional reasons, calls on all that stuff we mostly didn’t learn in school, but are supposed to know from life: empathy, intuition, generosity, setting limits.?

If you clicked on the link to her article, you probably don't need to keep reading my article. Actually, you're no longer here, soooo, this is awkward. But if you are still with me, thank you for sticking around. Since I started Osprey Talent Solutions just over a month ago, I have been networking like a mad man and putting myself into situations that would have given me a heart attack a decade ago. When I'm meeting new people, I'm doing my level best to be genuine and forthcoming regarding my intentions and I believe I'm doing a good job.

However, for the first time in my life, I'm in a situation where I am selling MY personal brand, MY company's brand and a service that I truly, TRULY believe in. Here are a few key take-aways and lessons learned since I launched Osprey over a month ago regarding networking and effectively utilizing my network, *cough*, all of you:

Perspective & Empathy is paramount. I'm in the people business. My years of operating in people centric roles have given me the ability to empathize with a potential business partner's situation. Having the ability to understand the dynamics of their business structure and asking the right questions at the right time. This naturally happens if you take Karen Wickre's advice to be genuine. Stay with me, read her article later. When you're being genuine, you're not approaching each personal interaction as a means to an ends. See Immanuel Kant's Categorical Imperative:

So act as to treat humanity, whether in your own person or in another, always as an end, and never as only a means.

Apparently, I stayed awake in Philosophy 101. When you're being genuine, your approach will put the individual you're speaking with at ease and will make them want to continue the conversation and learn more about you. And yes, most of us enter a networking opportunity (especially a networking event) as a means to an ends, however, if everyone in the room or in the network is there for the same reason, I believe the rule still applies. As Syndrome from Pixar's Hit The Incredibles put it, (sorry, I have kids): "when everyone is super, no one will be".

Maybe treat it as a competition of who can be more genuine and inquisitive - only partially kidding. As I've spread the word about Osprey and have continued to grow my brand awareness, I'm capitalizing on my many genuine professional relationships. Meaning, I'm relying on people I already know and trust, but first, allowing them to rely on me, which many have over the years. However, there have been times over the past month, and my apologies to those who have been on the receiving end, where I had to cut right to the chase. I've made the rookie mistake of moving right to the sales pitch. Zero perspective. Zero empathy. If those interactions don't turn into partnerships, I have nobody to blame but myself.

Research, know your audience. This lends itself to the points made above concerning gaining perspective and empathy. However, this lesson learned is a bit less about having "people skills" and more about just making an effort to understand your audience. There are really no excuses for not doing this. We have the research tools (Linkedin, google, etc.) You can even google how to google something. This point also lends itself more towards targeted, online communication within your network versus doing research prior to a networking event. If you're going to send an e-mail, inmail, message or pick up the phone, you really have no excuse to not do some research before clicking send or dialing the number. In my own business development adventure with Osprey, I must gain an understanding of where the individual has been in their career, what their career trajectory has looked like over the past few years and if they're in a role that allows them to make strategic talent decisions. At the very least, do they have the ability to connect me to people who do have the ability to make strategic talent decisions.

Case in point: I have a gentlemen who continues to reach out to me. He's a recruiter working for a technical staffing firm. He seems like a great guy, however, he's not doing the basic things right when it comes to business development and utilizing his network. If you look at my Linkedin, you'll clearly see that I launched Osprey over a month ago and I'm no longer with my old company. This recruiter is reaching out to me to discuss a role at my previous employer to see how he can help me staff it. I could easily pick up the phone the next time he calls and let him know where he is screwing up, and I probably will, but a part of me just wants him to eventually figure it out on his own that I'm no longer at that company. He's not making an effort to gain perspective, nor is he doing any research. His approach may be genuine, but authenticity doesn't matter when you don't do your due diligence and research to gain perspective.

Lastly, Let your network help you. What I've learned over the past month is that it's ok to ask for help and it's ok to receive help. Not much makes a new entrepreneur happier than unsolicited help from people who have been there and done that - especially help from people who can grow your network. The number of people reaching out to help me make connections has been incredibly heartwarming and encouraging. I will certainly welcome more help with getting the Osprey brand out there in the world. Have I mentioned how much I love my network? While I certainly don't know everyone in my Linkedin network and I may never meet you in person, I'm certain that our Linkedin connection is mutually beneficial. Those 2nd and 3rd degree connections decrease your separation to Kevin Bacon exponentially.

*Looking for a photo of Kevin Bacon ended up being a 45 minute detour into the world wide web of all things Footloose, The River Wild and Flatliners. Apparently, I missed the clip below from five years ago. The dancing maniac, Ren McCormack, lives on. You're welcome.

Did I lose you to YouTube? Hopefully you came back to me.

Perspective, empathy, research, accepting assistance and of course, being genuine are my biggest takeaways thus far in my journey with Osprey Talent Solutions. Networking can be exhausting. It can make for long days and evenings and can be a distraction from your day-to-day. However, if you do it right, remain authentic and genuine in your interactions, it can drastically change your current job performance, how you view yourself in the industry, your career progression and your bottom line. I'm obviously still learning and I welcome more opportunities to learn along the way.

Please reach out if you have any questions, would like to connect, need an introduction to someone in my network or simply want to learn more about Osprey Talent Solutions and what we offer. See, that was genuine, right?

Looking forward to seeing you at the next networking event!