It's probably a sign of the times, but increasingly people I coach are concerned about making sure they are match fit to compete in the jobs market. High on the list of the skills they want to sharpen is networking. Here's an exercise I devised to build and maintain a powerful personal network.What networks do you already use?
Make lists of people already in networks you have. Divide them in to the following categories - some people may be in more than one:
- Social/family
This shouldn't be too hard, these are the few people who matter for more than just work or business.
- Professional/Peers
These are the people you do business with regularly - some might be competitors who you need to keep an eye on, others may be peers whose opinions you value or who you just have to work with.
- Experts/artisans
These are people you need for their particular knowledge or skills. They may not be at the same organisational level as you but they are valuable.
Next list the people you know in the following categories (they are based on Malcolm Gladwell's superb book The Tipping Point), again some of these people will be in the groups you listed above:
Connectors:
People who know everyone. They are the ones who constantly introduce people to each other and know exactly who is the right person to see about everything.
Maverns:
Some of the people in your experts and Artisans list may be Maverns.They are specialists, and are madly passionate about their subject. They're evangelical and eager to share their love of their topic with you. You probably know Maverns on a range of subjects.
Salespeople:
exactly what it says on the tin. Salespeople are great convincers and influencers, the ones with the power to get an idea across.
By now you'll have quite a few names, probably too many to keep in regular contact with all the time. So, how do you work out which of these people are your most useful contacts?
Review your lists and see whose names appear most across the categories. You will probably end up with a list of about twenty or so.These are your power networkers and are the people you want to have around you for whatever project you embark on.
In my next post we'll look at how you nurture and maintain your power network. In the meantime get hold of a copy of Gladwell's Tipping Point, for a great account of how only a few people can make a whole host of difference.
By now you'll have quite a few names, probably too many to keep in regular contact with all the time. So, how do you work out which of these people are your most useful contacts?
Review your lists and see whose names appear most across the categories. You will probably end up with a list of about twenty or so.These are your power networkers and are the people you want to have around you for whatever project you embark on.
In my next post we'll look at how you nurture and maintain your power network. In the meantime get hold of a copy of Gladwell's Tipping Point, for a great account of how only a few people can make a whole host of difference.
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