The Secret of Networking is to Give Way More

categories: advice, Collaboration, Networking, Opportunity Collaboration

Published October 20, 2009 @ 01:14PM PT

The old model of networking is all about assertiveness and hustle. Push to get the meeting; push to deliver your pitch. Push, push, push. The new model of networking is all about listening and giving. Less about the business card, less about what you need, and a whole lot more about what you can provide.

Why do we network? We network to find support, whatever our enterprise may be. Sometimes that support is financial, sometimes it's an implementation partner, sometimes it's something entirely different. The perception is, for many, that it's about finding ways to get what you need.

But that's actually dead wrong. Networking is not - at least usually - about finding the specific things you need. Far more, it is about building layers of support that can be leveraged later on. It's much less like a transaction - where you contribute to get something back immediately - and far more like interacting with a community, in which you expect a return for your inputs, but when and how that return comes is not determined at the time.

When people network from the "I need this now" position, it makes them far less likely to actually get what they need. And even if it works for a while, it quickly builds a "taker" reputation that can be extremely hard to shed.

On the other hand, when people network by learning what others do, what they care about, and what they need, and then do their best to provide the connections and other assets that can help their new contacts achieve their goals, it builds layers and layers of good will and personal brand value. These perceptions are extremely convertible to real resources, introductions, and connections later on.

So give more. A whole lot more. That's what tools like LinkedIn are really about - giving you the tools to put more in. Sure, you'll get more out eventually, too, but you may just find in the process giving feels pretty good.

Photo: Mr. Kris

Share this Post

Comments (1)

Here's a story about networking with a homeless man and the impact it created:

http://www.ecademy.com/node.php?id=137387

Posted by Jeff Mowatt on 10/25/2009 @ 12:05PM PT
- Report close
  You must be signed in to report content.
- Reply
- Like
For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment. In the process we will also create a Change.org account for you so you can track this and future conversations. Don't worry - we won't spam you. We just want to promote constructive dialogue and find that people are more respectful when they are not anonymous.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

reply to thread started by by Jeff
Check Spelling
- Email me when there are new posts to this thread
- Comment Policy
Cancel Reply

Add a Comment

For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

Comment

Check Spelling

Email me when there are new posts to this thread
Comment Policy

Comments on Change.org are meant for further exploration and evaluation of the ideas covered in the posts. To that end, we welcome constructive comments. However, we reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive, abusive, or off-topic; that contain ad hominem attacks; or that are designed to subvert or hijack comment threads rather than contribute to them. Repeat offenders may be permanently removed from the site at our discretion.

Author

Nathaniel is the founding Director of the Center for Global Engagement at Northwestern University, which works annually with hundreds of students in dozens of countries around the world through curricular programs and student project incubation.