Everyone Needs to Network, Especially Leaders
The word networking can bring about a lot of mixed feelings. The extroverts love being able to meet new people and build business relationships. The introverts are overcome with a feeling of dread because they rather keep to themselves. They fear or are reluctant to invest time in speaking with people they don’t know. Whatever you may think, networking is a valuable tool. You need to develop this skill. Especially when it comes to your role as a leader, manager, or change maker in your business or workplace. Networking with other people brings enormous benefits to you. It will allow you to get things done more quickly, have access to information you may normally not have, and helps you maintain awareness of the pulse of your team and organization.
A leadership role is already quite demanding. You have your hands full solving problems and managing people. Networking requires effort, and you probably do not want to expend any more energy than necessary. But it is worth it. Think of it as an investment. The more efforts you put into networking, the easier it will be to get things done. Some people think that networking in a business context lacks sincerity. They feel that they are using people to further their own agenda. This is only true if you choose to approach it this way. Like any relationship, you get what you put into it. Will you treat people as tools, or as human beings? In my case, I value and respect every person I network with.
Think of networking this way. Imagine this scenario. You just bought a new piece of furniture and need help moving it from the store to your home. You can ask 1 of 2 people to help you. You can either ask a stranger, or your friend. Who is more likely to help you? Odds are, it will be your friend. Now think about this story from the context of a business. Who is more likely to help you? Someone you know and have a relationship with, or someone you don’t know at all? Likely, it will be the person who knows you will be the one who will help you. When it comes to networking in your business or workplace, you will be trying to achieve 1 or more of the following purposes — finding people that can help you complete tasks, provide feedback and information, or provide support to help achieve strategic objectives. Networking to get support for strategic objectives is something that most people do not think about. If you are a leader, or someone who wants to influence or make change, you cannot do everything yourself. You need the support of others to effect change or enact important decisions. Would you rather go into battle alone, or have an army backing you up?
We are all busy with completing tasks and fulfilling responsibilities. Networking may seem like another time intensive activity that we neither have the enthusiasm or desire to pursue. However, if getting results, increasing your influence, and being more productive are important to you, you need to commit to investing time and energy to networking. And like most investments, you need to be patient for results to appear. You may think networking is a type of office politics or a means of manipulating people. It isn’t. Again, it depends on how you approach it.
My advice on how to network is to look at what value you can provide to other people. These include both obvious and not so obvious needs and wants. If you can give value to them, it sets the foundation for establishing a relationship between you and the other person. Being helpful and kind to others is always a good thing. In this case, it helps you build a strong and powerful network. If you liked this video, please help me out by subscribing to my channel. Take care.
Connect with me at https://coachhectorwong.com
