The Roman statesman, Cicero, was born into the poverty class and actually had little chance of power unless he managed to make a place for himself among the aristocrats who controlled the city.He succeeded brilliantly, identifying and mingling everywhere, knowing everyone and with such a vast network of connections and personal contacts.
Networking isn’t just an exchange of information; it is one of the greatest joys of a mature career. Neuro scientist, Robert Sapolskey, lived among wild baboons and found that alliance between old and young apes was an effective strategy for survival. Older males that affiliated with younger males tend to live healthier, longer lives than their peers.
Whether as apes or humans, people in a networking relationship exchange invaluable information. The older partner stays plugged into an ever-changing world, while the younger person can observe what does and does not work.
Networking is a business and career tool, widely employed by ambitious people to fast-track and get ahead in their business and career. It is about building relationships. It is primarily about working with and through people to ensure optimal affiliations that can help maximise potential opportunities.
Friends and acquaintances play instrumental role in providing support and advice in the process of recovery. Those who really care for you can help you gain perspective on the good and bad choices you have made.
You are also more likely to make yourself vulnerable with those you trust. Without such vulnerability, you cannot hope to achieve the candid, self- critical perspective you will need to learn from your experience.
How you build relationships has a huge impact on your prospects for career recovery. Harvey Mackay, popular author of “Dig your well before you are thirsty,” seems to agree one hundred per cent. He says, “If I had to mention the one single most important characteristic shared by all the truly successful people, including business executives and entrepreneurs in their respective industries, I would say it is the primary ability to create and nurture a network of personal contacts.”
Networking is an interconnected system of things or people. It is an extended group of people with similar interest or concerns, who interact and remain in informal contact or mutual assistance or support.
Networking involves casting your net to connect with like-minded individuals and working towards establishing mutually beneficial relationship with them. Networking relationships are built upon an attitude of service, selflessness and sharing.
If you approach your relationships with an attitude of ‘what’s in it for me’, or with an attitude of ‘I don’t have time for anybody else’, one day, you will probably find yourself alone and wondering where all your friends and contacts have gone.
It is virtually impossible to achieve greatness as a salesperson, supervisor or business manager without getting along with people. In business, the ability to get along with others is a commodity that corporate executives pay a great deal of money for.
Today, corporations spend millions annually to enhance the communication skill of their staff. No one can get along with everyone, but those who can build rapport and network with the majority will always be more successful.
Highly effective people, both within and outside work, are adept at cultivating relationships. One of the benefits of building relationships is the reservoir of goodwill and trust that arises. This is particularly crucial for advancement from the lower rungs of an organisation to the higher levels; these links become routes through which people come to be known for their competencies.
Case in point: A recent study compared successful rapidly-promoted managers with managers whose career seemed to be moving rather slowly. The researchers found that the habit of networking and staying in touch was the key distinguishing factor. The study concluded that effective managers were defined as those who got the job done. But successful managers are those who got promoted more often.
In analysing the time usage of both groups, they found that effective managers spend only about 14 per cent of their time networking and interacting with people inside and outside the organisation. However, successful managers, those who get promoted faster, spend an average of 54 per cent of their time networking. They go to business meetings, join professional associations and attend the meetings and seminars put up by them. They socialise and fraternise with key people within and outside their industry.
How are you spending your time today? Once you know your key priorities, you need to determine whether you are spending your time in a way that allows you to achieve them.
The field of evolutionary psychology and behavioural genetics are just beginning to be understood. There is much to learn about who makes it to the top and what communication skill will be necessary.
Evolutionary psychology is the study of how we relate to each other as humans. It has become common to extol the value of human relationships in the workplace. We all agree that managers and supervisors need to connect deeply with their followers to ensure outstanding performance, and we celebrate leaders who have the emotional intelligence to engage and inspire their people by creating bonds that are authentic and reliable.
Writen By JUDE NDU.
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Jude Ndu is a seasoned and well nurtured motivational speaker. A profound columnist in major Nigeria print medias. I love you Man!
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