I began my reading for this week’s class with the article “Six Degrees of Lois Weisberg.” To be perfectly honest it caught my eye because it reminded me of the game, Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon! As a matter of fact, the article actually did discuss the origins of the game and the theory behind it. However, that is not why I am still thinking about the piece. Truthfully, there was one singular statement in the reading that resonates with me. One of the people in the story said about Lois that “she doesn’t network for the sake of networking.”
This jumped out at me because I feel that in today’s workplace and academic environments there is tremendous emphasis put on the importance of networking. To promote and facilitate the building of said networks there are a variety of measures including speed-networking events, organized networking dinners, even classes devoted to learning about social and business networking! :-)
It seems that people participate in these types things because they “have to”. Particularly in today’s struggling economy it is becoming increasingly more important to have an extensive network in order to generate business, get a job, etc. We are constantly reminded of the saying, “it’s not what you know; it’s who you know.”
Instead, this story tells of a lady who doesn’t even quite realize the extent of what she is achieving. She is not trying to build a network. She genuinely just enjoys connecting with people. She wants to help others. She wants to connect people to each other. She is the type of person that “knows everyone.” And she did it without trying. She is not necessarily the most charismatic person. But she has no fear. She reaches out to anyone and everyone. She has confidence in others and in herself.
I think there is a lot that can be learned from the attitude and approach of this woman. It is quite a different perspective concerning networking and relationship building than you usually hear in the business arena. Perhaps we all need to have a little Lois in us. Take a genuine and active interest in others. Rather than focusing on “I have to do this to build my network,” try to be open to others and form a mutually beneficial relationship. Don’t be afraid to get out there and reach out to others beyond your comfort zone. Keep a positive and open mind. You never know where, when or who you are going to meet. Networking does not only happen in formal situations. It doesn’t have to be something that is orchestrated. The story of Lois shows it is possible to build your network without evening meaning to or even realizing it.
In closing I'd like to pose a question for discussion amongst our blog circle - how do you think Facebook, MySpace, and other social networking tools fit into this idea? Since they are more informal, allow you to reach out to people you may not otherwise encounter... etc. What are your thoughts?
Post MBA - what's changed
14 years ago
This topic interests me quite a bit as well. I, like Lois, thoroughly enjoy meeting new people and connecting others to each other, so I often find myself reaching out to people with no set goal in mind, but just to hear their ideas and perspective. People love to talk about themselves. I have found over the years that generally those on the receiving side of my invitation are pleasantly surprised. Often we had connected virtually at first, but it was the meeting in reality that really stuck in their mind when opportunities came up down the road.
ReplyDeleteWhile I enjoy the accessibility and informality of new networking tools like Facebook and LinkedIn, I still make time to meet for coffee or have a drink face to face. The advent of technology is indeed allowing me to meet more new people at an increasing rate, but I do miss out on interesting things like a person’s tone of voice, accent or body language.
Overall, I would say I have done a very small percentage of “formal networking” so as to avoid wasting time and effort on presenting the right fake face. Instead, I chose to attend events for topics I am passionate about and go to place where I know the people will be interesting.
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ReplyDeleteNetworking definitely helps in building up business relationships and forming social clique. The purpose of such networking however determines what medium (virtual or face-to-face) might be more effective. The existing relationship between such parties also plays a major role in the responsiveness of such networks to your relationship goals.
ReplyDeleteI’ve found present day virtual networks very helpful. For example Facebook and LinkedIn has helped me to link up with old friends and further build up better business or social relationships. However, I’ll not necessarily take the approach of Lois in the story. ‘Reaching out of the comfort one’ might be asking for too much since information is often divulged in these networks. It’s important to offer helping hands by connecting people to each other where possible; however the anonymity existent in virtual networks demands a need for careful actions. Also noteworthy is the fact that these days of internet scams pose a major threat to ‘reaching out beyond one’s comfort zone’.
For these reasons, I’lld rather network virtually to build up relationships. However, in situations where there have been face-to-face interactions, I’ll feel less fear in reaching out to people rather than watching out for myself only.
I've found the virtual networks such as Facebook to be helpful in connecting with old friends and keeping in touch with past co-workers, however I do not rely on virtual networks to be my only interaction with people. With the growing number of virtual networking tools out there, it makes me wonder if people will forget how to interact with people face to face.
ReplyDeleteNow, I just read this post from FORD's Scott Monty that to me answers the bottom-line question of what three various social networks offer:
ReplyDelete"LinkedIn is the business meeting; Facebook is the hallway conversation; Twitter is the cocktail party." http://www.scottmonty.com/2009/03/social-network-shorthand.html#links
Now, I think all three can be consolidated and leveraged reasonably well, but the biggest thing you gain through social networking is access to others, but that access is only as good as your ability to relate virtually since you may need others to vouch for you in order to reach that next contact.
You simply cannot virtualize this process in full. You need richer mediums then "Add a friend;" You can still use online social networks as a tool to gain entry; particularly to reach various industries or groups.
I think of Social Network profiles as personal power point briefs that cannot and never will be able to provide the full story. Interaction is required and informal route such as an Internet introduction can be just the ticket sometimes.