Professional networks are not a new concept, but no one really tells you how easy it is to build one, who should be in it, or most importantly how to benefit from it.  It is not paying fees to go to after-hours events with a mixed bag of strangers from multiple industries, collecting business cards and swapping stories.  Nothing against “networking events” but that is not where you should start. 

If you take out the card swapping and business jargon, your professional network is simply the group of people you have a relationship with based on something work-related.  There are vast benefits to having a network and it’s much easier than you think. 

The Benefits

Having a great network is like having a team of experts working with you.  They add an endless variety of support and opportunities to your career path.  Your network is all about having the right person to step in and help you achieve what you can’t do on your own (or help you do it better).

For example, let’s say you’re trying to get your proposal approved but there’s a leader who keeps shooting it down.  How valuable would it be to have a relationship with someone who reports to that leader and knows them well, or even better… has their trust?  They could provide valuable tips and insight on how to get that leader to say yes. They might even talk to the leader on your behalf and help them see how awesome your idea is. 

It’s Simpler Than You Think

Building a network is easy once you know how it works.  There are a few elements involved:

1. Shared point of view – It’s not like dating or making friends.  You don’t need to find dozens of ways to be interesting or search for things in common to connect over.  You already have it!  The basis of your connection is your job and experiences tied to it, plain and simple (same industry, same role, same employer, same problems, etc.) 
2. Opportunity to connect – You need an opportunity to kick off the relationship, and there are so many easy ways to create one.  No networking groups. Every day there are opportunities to connect. Celebrate successes and ask how they pulled it off. Offer support in tough times and ask what they need. Be interested in people when they start their job, when they leave their job, and every transition in between.
3. Demonstrate value – Networks are about mutual benefit.  One-sided relationships never work.  If you want someone in your network, you need to show them that you are as valuable to them as they can someday be to you. Be helpful whenever you can!

Helpful Scenarios

The possibilities for building your network are endless, but here are some examples to demonstrate how it’s done.

The Favor – Ever have someone at work ask you for something that wasn’t really your job, or you’d have to go out of your way to do it?  Huge opportunity!  Doing favors is a great way to demonstrate your value to someone and they will likely reciprocate in the future.  At a minimum, they owe you one. 

If you know someone would be a great addition to your network and they aren’t asking for favors, hang out and pay attention.  Eventually, they’ll mention a challenge you can volunteer for.  Or better yet, maybe someone else in your network can help you identify an opportunity to partner with them.

The New Hire –When you’re introduced to someone brand new to the company, it’s a perfect opportunity to introduce yourself and offer your knowledge and connections.  When someone is new, they don’t know who to trust or what pitfalls may be lurking in the shadows.  Helping someone avoid pain, embarrassment, and mistakes, as they get to know their new employer, is a great way to kick off a mutually beneficial relationship. 

Who in your network could you connect the new person with that could really help them?  Maybe you know someone that’s been doing the same job for years in a different office?  Maybe you know someone who is a critical partner they should begin working with immediately?

Kindness / Words of Wisdom – Remember the last time you saw someone get shredded at work by a boss or maybe during a proposal?  It probably felt icky to watch, but it was definitely worse for them.  Offering support when you see someone having a hard time is an easy way to start building a relationship.  If you’re uniquely positioned to give useful advice, even better!  Perhaps it was your boss who shot down the proposal and you know exactly how that boss thinks and more importantly how to get them to say yes.  Very helpful!

Work Events – Company happy hours, training and team builders are great places to make connections.  Interactions are initially focused on work topics until people get to know each other.  Pain points about work (bosses, barriers, blow-ups, bullies, etc.) tend to come up if the conversation is going well and it’s an easy place to find opportunities to help each other.  One of you may be perfectly suited to help the other with the issue at hand.  Be careful to stay productive rather than let it turn into a bitch-fest.  Commiserating can be mildly therapeutic, but not nearly as valuable as problem-solving.

Promotions – Any time your teammate, peer, employee, etc. gets promoted or moves to a new department, they have access to new people, information and resources which equates to: their value in your network goes up.  The wise leader looks forward to his staff moving on to leadership roles in other departments. 

Yes, it will take time and effort to replace them, but imagine if you had grateful former employees you helped obtain leadership roles in every division of the company.  You’d work at a near-omnipotent level, often knowing what’s going to happen before it happens, being involved in every decision from behind the scenes, and have a resource for every favor you could possibly need.  It’s a total game-changer! 

Being Genuine – The Glue Of Your Network

The scenarios outlined above are examples of how your professional network could easily expand, however they are not tactics to be executed as part of a plan.  Networks grow organically by talking to people, sharing experiences, building trust, and helping each other as opportunities arise. 

If your staff think you’re a selfish micromanaging son-of-a-bitch, they will be focused on escaping you rather than helping you when they move on.  If someone thinks you’re only being helpful because you’re actually a scum-bag who wants them to “owe you one” in the future, they will quickly break contact with you.  Your network will grow easily if:

• You genuinely want to help people
• You actually are helpful when help is needed 

Professional networks are not hard, so don’t overcomplicate it.  They make your work-life massively easier in so many ways.  Even if the people in your network move on to other companies… AWESOME!  They can tell you all about the opportunities with those other employers and probably get your name moved to the top of the list for an interview.  Yes, the possibilities of a network of people who genuinely want to help each other are truly endless.

Networks won’t solve every challenge, but there will be times where you can achieve more for someone in 2 minutes than they could have in 2 months. You were the right person, in the right place, at the right time. Fill your network with a diverse range of great people and you’ll always have the right person perfectly positioned to help you too!

Do you have a great experience building your network or how your network has helped you?  We’d love to hear about it in the comments below.