I was talking to a dear friend a few days ago, who is a very talented artist, and we talked about a powerful concept that really struck for both of us right then and there. It was about networking!
Networking is small talk with a purpose. What’s yours? What’s going on in your life that makes you ready to work on the people at your reach?
You may have a vague notion that things will be better. You need to understand that networking is not just a career skill; it is a life skill. It exists for undergraduates and graduates. It is for people at any stage of their careers, or even for the senior citizens. If you have decided to be better at managing people within your reach, it is advisable that you up your game.
You may already have a personal goal – one that has nothing to do with your career. Perhaps you have decided to find a significant volunteer activity, something you can do to make a difference. You may have a career goal. Perhaps you want to take the certification programme offered by your professional association. You may already have a business goal. Perhaps you want to create a partnership with another entrepreneur. You may already have an office goal. Your organisation may have announced initiatives that make building relationships a priority.
It was an avenue to conclude that any goal you have can be the impetus for a networking group. I have ever since being busy working on how to leverage on association memberships and referrals. I think you should too. What’s your take?