Editor's Note: You asked and Michael Simmons answered. Today is the second response in Forbes' weekly Ask An Expert series, running from now through the third week of November.
How does one actively maintain professional networks over time? (via @notzoechin)
If you're just starting, a question that you may want to ask instead is, "What is the easiest way to start the habit of keeping in touch with your network?" Once you have a baseline habit that you're consistently following, it's easier add harder habits that have even more impact.
I've tried many approaches, and I think the best approach to get started is:
- Customizing your social media newsfeeds.
- Leaving a trail when you browse other people's updates on social media.
Let me explain. Chances are that if you mapped the 30 most important people in your network, it probably wouldn't overlap with the status updates you see when you visit Facebook. As amazing as their algorithm is, they're optimizing for keeping you on the site for as long as possible, and you're optimizing for deepening relationships with specific people. The good news is that you can create a Close Friends List on Facebook and a List on Twitter and put the most important people in your network in them.
Once you do this one change, your experience of these sites will be completely transformed. Now, every time you go on them, you will be seeing the most important people in your life that you want to keep in touch with. This strategy for forming habits is called habit stacking. Habit stacking is using one habit to more easily create another. In this case, you're using your habit of consistently using social media to create a new habit of staying in touch with the most important people in your network.
The next step is leaving a trail, which is a term I learned from Laura Roeder, founder of LKR Social Media. Don't just be a passive consumer of people's updates. Take the extra few seconds to 'like' their posts, give thoughtful comments, and even share them when you're moved to. This will deepen your relationship and keep you in the loop on what's happening in each other's lives.
For more help on how to integrate this approach, read my article, Why Social Media Is Not A Distraction For Entrepreneurs.
How Do I Know Which People Are The Right People For Networking With? (via @jamie_swarts)
This is a really good question, and one that I've gained insight into through trial and error. Here are the two main criteria I use to evaluate who I network with:
Values. I find that when I network with people with the same core values, we're more likely to hit it off and also maintain the relationship for a really long-time. Because core values don't change, I found that we've stayed in touch even when our careers took different paths. It's easy to over-focus on networking with people based on their success but who do not share the same values. I've found that these relationships often don't work. I get less value from them, and I feel like I need to be someone that I'm not in order to fit in.
Relevance Now. As professionals, we need to spend the majority of our relationship building time with people who will help us accomplish our goals now. Therefore, I look for people who have accomplished goals I'm trying to accomplish, solved problems I can't overcome, or are relevant to our business in another way.
I explain this more in The Most Important Decision You Need To Make When Building A Network.
I know networking is about establishing mutually beneficial relationships. However, as a recent graduate, I'm not always sure how to accomplish that with already established professionals. Any advice on bridging the experience gap?
Every stage of life has its benefits and disadvantages.
While someone older may have more experience, wealth, and a larger network, you have other assets you can use to help create mutually beneficial relationships. Here are a few of those assets:
- Time. If you're a recent grad, chances are that you probably don't have children. So, in addition to your day job, you have time you could use to strategically volunteer with people you want to build a relationship with. I remember when I wanted to build a relationship with a professional speaker. I offered to help her in anyway she needed. She subsequently mailed me 20+ pages of testimonials she had received that she wanted typed up. I gladly did this, and to this day, we are still connected.
- Network Of Young Smart People. Many people in growing organizations are looking to hire really smart people who are young. You could serve as an informal recruiting agency and connect your smartest friends to job opportunities while building relationships with the people you connect them to at the same time.
- Innate Understanding Of Youth Culture. If you're building a relationship with someone older who markets to young people or manages them, you could serve as a sounding board as you're immersed in youth culture.
- Social Media Interaction. If a person creates content, and you like their content, you can be helpful by consistently sharing that content, giving feedback on what resonates with you or if there are typos, or thoughtfully commenting. You could volunteer by offering to be an extra pair of eyes before content is published. If you've worked with the person in anyway, you can endorse them on LinkedIn.
Even with all of these approaches, you still may not be able to be helpful upfront. However, if you express a sincere desire to be helpful by asking, "How can I help you?" then you're off to a great start and your intentions will be appreciated. If someone does help you, you can make them feel good about the experience by expressing your sincere appreciation, actually applying their advice, and then reporting back on the results.
Over time, as you build more relationships this way, you'll find more and more ways that you can build mutually beneficial relationships with people who are much more experienced.
Have question on building your personal brand? See last week's answers here.
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