Learning what networking is and, equally important, what it is not, is a crucial undertaking for all portable executives-whether they are still employed within large organizations or are building their own businesses as solo practitioners, members of consulting groups, or business owners. Simply stated, networking is the process underlying and supporting efforts to create assignments, assess and upgrade skills, develop client relationships, and gain feedback.
Within hierarchical organizations, networking is also known as "the rumor mill," "the grapevine," and yes, "politics" within "corporate culture."
Whatever you call it, networking is a system by which people pass information among themselves informally in order to exchange knowledge and develop a sense of community. In our cur rent marketplace, where knowledge has replaced labor as the prime driver of the economy and is thus the primary asset, net working is the skill that makes or breaks a portable executive's career.
While networking is truly a means of gathering wealth in a culture where wealth is knowledge, it can never be viewed as a one way street. It draws on 's spirit of cooperation rather than competition, in which the sharing of information and understanding becomes a way of life that enables people to both perceive each other's value and to use that value for the benefit of the entire network. Defined as such, being part of a network carries with it responsibilities that are much different from those a corporate executive is used to, and places its emphasis on non-hierarchical modes of relating in which all parties in the network are viewed on an equal basis.
The Essence of Networking
Networking is based on the development of mutual understanding and respect. A good net worker is someone who listens and calmly waits his turn to share his ideas and what he has to offer. Former vice president of human resources and operations for Richardson Vicks, Joseph Bevan, put it this way.
I've been listening better. Sure, there is a tendency to want to say "This is what I want to offer, now would you please buy it?" but I find myself saying "What do they want?" more and more these days.
Bevan's words allude to the danger of attempting to network without listening. An executive who comes into a network and immediately starts telling the other members all about himself and his own capabilities will soon find that the network is not very supportive of him and will soon be nonexistent. Listening skills and the ability to understand what another person is saying both directly and indirectly about his own needs is essential to successful networking. The essence of successful networking is, in effect, the essence of good salesmanship and offers any portable executive new to "selling himself" a good non threatening way to begin doing it.
Striking the right balance between networking and developing "hard leads" can be very tough. Each portable executive must decide how seriously he wants to commit to a network, and an assessment must be made periodically about whether one's time would be better spent somewhere else or in another network. The best way to stay on top of this problem is to be open and honest both with yourself and with those in your network about the commitment you are willing to make and what you expect to get back. If, for instance, your interests lie in the technical aspects of business, such as computer programming or computer analysis, your involvement with a general management network may be minimal perhaps just enough to keep yourself up to date. In this situation, you may want to become a member of some broad based organizations but not always contribute. Being honest with the network about the level of support you are willing to give is appropriate, but it is important never to commit to something you know you are not going to do. Along these same lines, it is essential that you not be openly judgmental about a network's value if you are not deeply involved in it.
As opposed to the "What's in it for me?" approach to developing contacts strictly as a means of generating new business, being part of a network involves a commitment to a mutual exchange of ideas and information on an open basis, even though that may put a particular individual at a disadvantage for a time. Participation in a network, as in any other group, encompasses different levels of involvement and ranges from surface exchanges to deeper levels of communication. As the level of networking deepens, so does the commitment to share information, and the portable executive must be sensitive at all times to the depth of the information being offered and the responsibility to reciprocate equally.
Because networking is based on an exchange of knowledge, needs to be aware that everything he or she says will likely be shared with others. Therefore, must establish basic confidentiality guidelines whenever he or she is faced with the need to share information of a sensitive nature. The guidelines one establishes should address how much one is willing to share in a given network, to what degree one will respect other network members' requests for confidentiality, and how one plans to negotiate assurances of confidentiality prior to sharing information.
