Networking – The Core Processes

This final post of the week highlights the process involved in successful networking.

Developing a conscious understanding of this giving and sharing strategy can take some time and some practice.

In her book ‘How to master networking’, Robyn Henderson calls this process earning the right to ask a favour of another person, or giving without hooks. Both of these statements imply two processes that operate pretty much at the same time (and neither of them necessarily our first reaction).

The two processes in earning the right to ask a favour are:

• Giving away information (to be helpful).

• Being open for any help you may need.

Let’s look at these two processes in turn.

Giving Away Information:

Whether it is accidental or planned, formal or informal, random or structured, in discussion with other people the effective networker offers his or her knowledge, skills, ideas, resources, guidance or data freely – without any ‘hooks’ or expectations that repayment is due in any form. In fact, the only immediate benefit may be the pleasure to be derived from assisting someone with information that was of value to them.

Whilst the giver expects nothing in return, the receiver has a very positive experience and memory of you upon which they can act (if they so choose) in the future. If they do, either directly or indirectly, at some indeterminate time, you may receive some reciprocal benefit.

Along with openly offering any possible help and support, the effect networker does not operate as a one-way helper or super person/white knight/angel coming to the rescue of everyone else, but never personally in need of assistance. He or she also talks realistically about personal goals, tasks, challenges, problems and general issues, and acknowledges feeling vulnerable in not being able to do everything single-handedly. Being open means being receptive to help when it is offered and, on occasions, asking networking contacts if they can suggest ideas, strategies or approaches that could assist you.

Two-Way Process:

These two processes operate at the same time and together to create a cycle through which ‘favours’ are continually offered to all who participate. These favours are both offered and taken in order to keep the network strong and capable of growing to include more and more people.

This process is called ‘reciprocity’. It simply means that effective networking is a coin with two sides rather than just one. You can’t have one without the other.

Successful networking is therefore about:

• Giving and receiving.

• Contributing and accepting support.

• Offering and requesting.

• Promoting other’s needs and promoting your own needs.

• Trust and persistence.

I recently ”found” Sarah Michel of Perfecting Connecting and I think we can safely describe her as a networking expert – I urge you to find her too.

That provides us with a useful point of departure this week, where we have discovered and re-discovered the incredible value of networking – I have so much more to say on the subject but next week we switch our attention to the cut and thrust of……..

Have a great weekend.

JF