Did you build your network by design or default?
* Image courtesy of socialmediaseo.net
When you built your network, how did you decide to whom you should connect and why?
That may seem like a strange question to many. After all, how many of us set out deliberately to develop a specific network? For most people they evolve naturally, don't they?
I attended an excellent inaugural meeting of the Like Minds Business Book Club at The Hospital Club in London this morning. The speaker was Scott Belsky, author of Making Ideas Happen. During his talk Scott referred to the community as a key ingredient in an effective creative process that sees ideas turned into reality. One of the challenges facing many creative people, he said, is disorganised networks.
"Creatives are lazy", said Scott. "They go with the networks around them."
Is that just a flaw in creative people, or is it something we all do? Indeed, is it really a flaw?
The timing of Scott's comment could not have been more pertinent. On the way to the event I had been reading an article in the latest edition of Harvard Business Review. In the article, A Smarter Way to Network, by Rob Cross and Robert Thomas, the authors argue that the most successful executives have a diverse but select network, rather than having broad or high level networks.
Cross and Thomas point to the value of networks that are made up of a cross-section of contacts who each challenge and/or support the executives in different ways. Some will come from within their own company or industry, others from other fields entirely. They point to six areas in which a network should offer support. These are:
1 - Offer new information or expertise
2 - Mentors and influencers
3 - Feedback and challenging - pushing you to be better
4 - Friendship and personal support
5 - Provide a sense of value or worth
6 - Promote work/life balance.
If we are building our networks by chance (or default) rather than by design, how can we be sure that we are achieving the right balance of each area of support?
Cross and Thomas believe that an effective network contains a small set of core contacts. They state that effective core networks typically range in size from 12 to 18 people. Many of us would call this our 'inner circle' but would have built that inner circle based on the depth of relationships rather than by design based on our needs.
How well does your inner circle reflect the 6 needs outlined by Cross and Thomas above?
In this morning's presentation, one attendee asked Scott Belsky whether, during a career transition, she should seek support from her existing network or look to make new contacts. Cross and Thomas's article would suggest to me that she should look first to her existing network for where she can draw on the support outlined above, before then expanding her connections to fill in the gaps.
In fact, the Harvard Business Review article goes on to suggest the four steps to building a better network.
1 - Analyse - look at your existing network and ask yourself what you get out of interacting with them
2 - De-layer - make some hard decisions to back away from redundant and energy-sapping relationships
3 - Diversify - build your network out with the right kind of people
4 - Capitalise - Make sure you're using your contacts as effectively as you can.
This approach may seem cold and impersonal to many. In fact, when I tweeted the question this morning "If you wanted to build your network, how would you decide to whom you should connect?", some of the responses focused on finding people you could help, rather than vice versa.
It is healthy to take an outward-facing networking approach and seeking to help others first. But when looking to your own business or career goals, surely it is imperative that you take a step back and ask whether the network you have built is designed to help you reach them as quickly and effortlessly as possible? Not one of the responses to my tweet mentioned building a network based on achieving goals.
Maybe it's not just creatives. Maybe we all "go with the networks around us".
What do you think? Should we just let networks evolve or should we be more focused on designing the network that best fits our needs?
If you do feel that we should design a powerful network, do you agree with the six areas of support recommended by Cross and Thomas, or how would you decide to whom you should connect and why?
RSS Feed
Comments
Thank you for putting a
Thank you for putting a purpose and context to "networks". Like many things in a "number crunching" society, people chase quantity rather than relish quality. This include networking - in person and online.
Hence the "inner circle" Cross and Thomas referred to sounds more like a support group. However, given the criteria, is it similar to a master-mind group? Name is not important. What matters is to be challenged and supported by a small number of trusted people. How easy can this be achieved?
In my humble opinion: The
In my humble opinion: The true essence of networking lies in the name
itself NET - WORKING and you should build networks of people who are
bigger and more stronger than you, in a host of areas.
For me, connecting with others is about constructing a net or a collective
expansion of people, who work for each other because they WANT to and gain
pleasure in DOING so.
Working, in this context, is often defined as just gaining new referrals -
for me, that does not work because the mentaility becomes one of selling
or seeking sales not genuinely adding value in a number of ways..
I agree with the Cross & Thomas support themes and would add more, in that
the 'core contacts' all share common values, principles and a collective
spirit based on adding value to others, first! The depth of your
relationships with core contacts cements the foundation for your network,
helping to make the growth of your network more focused and progressive,
not a scattergun approach that builds quantity but not quality.
You are only one individual, so your ability to create instant value and
connected relationships will be automatically limited, so the ability to
have core networks of people within your wider 'themed' networks is
crucial..more importantly, you have to be a genuine person for that to
happen.
I've learnt to design a network of core people people who can literally
and more importantly, are willing to transfer the spirit of value and
connectedness for me and on my behalf, as if i were doing it yourself!
Whichever theme that happens under, depends on the relationship you have
with each individual in your network...
Regards Joel
Post new comment
By posting a message, you accept that your message and other personal details about you will be analyzed and stored for anti-spam and quality monitoring purposes, in accordance with Mollom's privacy policy. For more details see our privacy policy.