Unlocking Career Growth: The Power of Effective Networking

So let's move forward and take a look at some of the benefits of networking. That's going to be our first topic in this module. And so career development, as we consider it, is really the lifelong evolution of your career, is it not? And it's going to be influenced by the jobs that you hold, the experiences you gain, both in the workplace and outside of the workplace, any growth or success that you're experiencing in your career, and any formal or informal training that you might receive.

And also, it will include the feedback that you're receiving. So we know if those things are important, that there is a lot of power in a strong professional network, and how much that can positively influence your career success. When you do networking well, it helps you get the jobs that you want, it gives you a competitive edge, and it gives you the confidence that you may need or want as you are exploring new and different opportunities.

It will also increase your effectiveness within your organization, because it's going to create the right kind of connections with the right kind of people, and foster those relationships on a regular basis. So we know that there is a whole list of benefits to you personally, that also extend to benefits to the organization as you build a quality network around you. So let's take a look at all of these opportunities that we have.

The first one that you see here is that it increases your business connections. And what that really refers to is meeting like-minded people in the same field who actually want to introduce you to others with similar goals. And in doing so, it becomes a pool of resources, does it not? And that pool of resources that you build can help you in problem-solving and decision-making.

And on top of that, you might even get some lifetime friendships out of it. As a very social person myself, what I can tell you is that the quality relationships that I have built, some go back as many as 40 years. And certainly, I've been building relationships throughout those years that I hold near and dear to me.

And I still rely on these people when I am confronted with maybe an issue or a concern, or I just need a new perspective or a new idea that I want to tap into as I'm dealing with maybe some workplace challenges. A network can be very inspiring, nothing like high-quality people encouraging you to be your best. And that inspiration can come from sharing challenges, experiences, or goals.

It's an exchange of ideas. You may be asked to offer input, and you can certainly acquire an influx of new perspectives as you seek input from others. And in all of that, you're building a certain reliability, are you not? And knowledgeability, are you not? That people come to respect and value within the workplace.

Visibility. You know what? Being visible is really about demonstrating that you are reliable, that you are supportive, that you're a familiar face, that people have an opportunity to get to know you. And that gives you an opportunity to show your skill sets.

And it gives you a voice. You can discuss what you have to offer, and you're credible, you're believable. And so what we know about being visible is that it really increases your opportunity to stand out, if you will.
And especially so if you're seeking new responsibilities or opportunities. We also know that it's going to enhance career interests and create job opportunities for ourselves because you might even hear of things through your network that you would not normally hear about until a much later time. And so being able to access valuable information through those career interests, those job opportunities, and also any important information that might help you make decisions better or problem-solve better.

We know that a network is a great way to also get information about career advice and support. And we'll talk later in our course about coaching and mentoring. And not only from what being coached and being mentored can do for you, but what you can do for others as well.
And a lot of career advice and support can come out of that. Ultimately, though, we are also looking at what it does for you personally besides those things out there? Well, you know, it's a confidence builder. When you feel valued in these relationships, when you know that quality attracts quality and you're attracting highly respected and valued people around you, I do think that really helps your own self-confidence.

Like, my goodness, if they're willing to network with me, what does that say about me? It says something very positive about me. In all of this, you're looking for just different perspectives, are you not? You're looking to hear different points of view, different ideas. It encourages you to be the person who has a different idea or a different approach.

And all of those can help in our problem-solving and decision-making, and our efforts to come up with innovative solutions. And if nothing else, just deepening our understanding of how people see things around us. You know what? Sometimes we just need an answer.

Nothing like a good network to go in and say, you know what? I've got a tough situation or a tough question that I'm struggling with, and I need to tap into a subject matter expert, maybe outside of my field of expertise, in order to give me some kind of guidance on an answer that I'm looking for. I find the last two probably the most significant. There is enough out there in terms of data that says when we have quality networks, when we have worked to build those, expand them, they actually improve our health.

Why? Well, because forming bonds as human beings increases your mental and physical health. You establish a sense of self-worth and value. You're providing advice to others and helping them succeed.

That gives you an emotional boost. We know that relationship building definitely requires soft skills, and that's going to be about the communication and the teamwork, and those strengthen each time. And so we feel better in these relationships, do we not? Lest we think about networking as just this mechanical thing that we're supposed to be doing as we grow in our leadership and professional growth.

It's not that. It is really about building long-lasting relationships. You may even want to say building friendships.

Why? Because a relationship gives both ways, does it not? So as you are giving into the networking, you are also receiving in the networking. It is a mutual respect for one another, a mutual sharing, a mutual trust, and a mutual relationship that is not designed to be just for the moment, that's going to serve you well. That's not what we're looking for.

It's for a longer-lasting relationship that benefits both parties. And when we're doing this in the workplace, it benefits the organization as well. It's a win for sure.

Now that we have taken a look at the benefits of networking, and I'm going to assume that you're not going to disagree with me on that, I think it's important for us to start taking a look at what network do we have in existence right now, and what do we have to do to maybe expand it or improve the quality of it. The way that we're going to do this is to work on Exercise 1-1, and you'll see it's simply titled Your Network. And you're going to see a series of circles on the screen, and what this asks you to do is to consider the individuals and organizations, possibly, and this could be internal or external.

Maybe the word I should use is internal and external, with whom you interact. And so what you're going to do is start naming those people in your diagram. There are a couple of suggestions here.

So who's already in your network? Well, it might include your manager. You might already have a relationship with, maybe, a senior executive service person in your organization. What are the subject matter experts with whom you have strong connections? Are there different directors that you have built relationships with? Maybe it's an HR person that you have developed a relationship with.

There is no limit here to who you can include in a network that you've already established, and certainly, you can add more circles if you need to, for sure. But really, really think about who you interact with as you work through your days, your weeks, your months. Some of these may be regular interactions, and some of these may be interactions that occur less frequently, but are still important to you.

So I'm going to give you some time to do that. And again, when you think you're done, push yourself to think some more, because chances are you're missing a few that you're not immediately seeing as individuals within your network. Good luck with that.