Network = Networth
I was scrolling on LinkedIn and I saw a post that mentioned the importance of networking.
Here’s the short of it:
The person mentioned that he gave this woman an opportunity for an informational interview to learn more about a position at his job because she had a mutual contact. She received his contact information through a former colleague of his. He added that he would not have given her the time of day if it wasn’t for the contact. He ended the post by adding that life wasn’t fair and that your network reflects your networth.
He’s right.
I hate that it’s true but he is spot on. Life is not fair. It’s not about skills all the time or how hard you work. You first have to get your foot in the door, this requires connections. Your skills help you walk through the door to the room.
This world operates in a manner that allows the affluent to have the power to live their best lives. They have the connections and the resources and many times they are able to get lead the path they want due to that power. For the rest of us who are not privileged with wealth, contacts and affluence we will have a more challenging way of finding our calling and the resources to get them for our journey. That’s the way life is, so let’s find a way to even the playing field and live our best lives.
As a student in conservatory, I was obsessed with working on my craft and I needed to be. I started late in the music scene and I needed to be able to be an asset to my collaborators. I also loved delving into learning about the clarinet and chamber music, so I fully embraced that. I don’t regret that time spent but my misstep was not allocating the time to creating more meaningful relationships inside school and outside school. The reality is that music is a part of life but is it’s not life itself.
I have way too many stories of not having the proper support or guidance because of my lack of network. I reflect on my own life and certain projects or situations in my past could have worked out a lot better if I had the right people to collaborate with. I could have made better choices if I had the right people to guide me. Don’t allow this to happen to you, it’s time to get unstuck. We all need people and we all have something to offer. Having a network is about having a professional community where you can provide for them and receive from them.
So now what, what do you do if you find that the people you are currently surrounded with are not lifting you up. It’s time to refresh your network but first, you need to start with yourself. The first step is discovering yourself.
Who are you anyway?
What do you stand for?
What do you want in your career?
What do you value?
What interests you?
All of these questions are a start to finding your identity and your identity will change in time but don’t be overly concerned about that right now. What you want to do is find your professional community and build your network.
Building a network requires you to be proactive and it will not cultivate itself.
No one will find you because of how great your clarinet playing is (I know this first hand) or how great you are as a performing artist. You have to get out there and allow yourself to be of service and make yourself a bit vulnerable. Remember this is not marriage, it’s just building your professional community so don’t get so wound up about it. People will come and go based on what you are doing and where you are in your life. Don’t sweat it. Change your mindset if you are apprehensive about meeting people.
After you have figured out more about yourself start doing a little research on where you can find your community. There are plenty of virtual spaces in social media. You can focus on finding networks in your specific discipline. However, I would say go beyond that and also find people based on hobbies and other industries. Variety is the spice of life, right? You never know who you’ll meet- so don’t put limits on yourself. Also, consider faith groups or activist groups that follow your values. People normally gravitate towards others that have similar values and beliefs.
Set aside time in your schedule to meet and interact with others.
This can be really challenging if you have a very compacted schedule but it is necessary to get over the “I’m too busy blues” and fit networking in once a month, twice a month is even better. Consistency matters. In order to stay relevant, you have to be present regularly. Having chill time with your network can really be a good idea too.
When your professional network goes beyond transactions and business you can create friendships. That’s a win in my book. See if you can bridge the relationship to friendship.
Find your network, find your community, find yourself.
