HUMANE NETWORKERS

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Who you know is more important than what you know

“Hello Sam - topper of toppers! Your record is not broken at the Institute! You have dropped in at an opportune time. We are preparing a gallery of toppers to be displayed at the entrance to inspire the newcomers and even other visitors.”

“Come, tell us what are the inspiring events in your career. I remember you got placed at an attractive package with a well-known auto company.”

“Oh Sir, I have no inspiring stories to tell. I have been on a bumpy career route full of potholes. I’ve been in three different jobs and am now trying my luck with a startup which may go belly up. The financiers themselves are in deep trouble as they have tactlessly lost political patronage.”

“So sorry to hear that. Have you done some introspection? What do you think went wrong?”

“I am totally confused, Sir, and to be honest, depressed. I had acquired thorough knowledge in all subjects and skills in summer placements, also acquired a few certificates in AI/ChatGPT and other new disciplines. I even learned German as the company had a collaboration with a German firm. I have come to seek your advice and guidance to salvage my career.”

“It is a serious and complex matter, and we may need to meet and talk a few more times. To find the appropriate and effective remedial steps, you will have to be frank and open to hearing hard feedback.

“First of all, you, like thousands of others, are guilty of a ‘victimhood complex’ which leads one to sincerely believe that the calamitous conditions are created by others jealous of your brilliance, whereas the calamity is of your own making by inadvertently ignoring reality. You may know the prophetic Sanskrit verse: ‘sukhasya dukhasya na kopi data paro dadati iti kubudhi resha swakarma sutro grathitohi lokah.’ In a nutshell, that means that neither happiness nor misery are created by others. These are the results of one’s own actions or inactions.

“Your enormous efforts are almost fully focused on the acquisition of knowledge. But as Peter Drucker said, ‘knowledge is useless unless in action.’ And successful actions need collaboration with supportive and dedicated individuals and groups. Even art maestros like singers and dancers need the help of musicians who are familiar soulmates for a harmonious winning performance.

I remember an eminent singer who, while performing at a private concert, was constantly signaling and after some time openly instructing the accompanying artists who had no rapport with her. Finally, to the embarrassment of the host, she walked out! What I remember thinking is that while she was accomplished and had full knowledge of her art, she could not get an effective result. There was simply no rapport between the people on the stage. Perhaps there could have been more rehearsals beforehand, or she could have insisted on her own set of artists to accompany her. For us, the lesson is that knowledge and expertise are useless without (accomplished) action.”

“Sir, I realize now that in pursuit of knowledge, I spent time collecting certificates and diplomas and ignored some success ‘potions.’ And it is the reason why my hard work did not result in career advancement. But I’m still not clear what it was that I missed focusing on that I now need to pursue relentlessly.”

“There are no ready-mix ‘potions’ for success. But there is a magic wand called ‘NETWORKING.’ It is the art of ‘gelling’ well with larger and larger groups of people from diverse fields and staying in close touch by sharing experiences and ideas. It is said that ‘experience is a great teacher but a very expensive one.’ The magic wand of networking makes it more effective and affordable by learning from others’ experiences.

No wonder experts aver that networking is so fruitful for business in general and career development in particular because it helps build professional relationships, opens doors to new opportunities, facilitates the exchange of ideas and best practices for personal growth and business success.

Here are findings reported in Google snippets:

• Many people have testified that they got their jobs or ‘breakthrough’ opportunities through networking. About 85% of job vacancies are filled via networking.
• According to research by Rob Cross and Robert Thomas, the executives who consistently rank in the top 20% of their companies in both performance and well-being have diverse but select networks.”

“Sir, all these are great revelations to me. I now realize I was so far a loner but am keen to acquire and use this magic wand.”

“I’m glad that you realize the importance of networking. It is not simply about exchanging business cards and putting on polite smiles. Whenever you meet another person, you must open-heartedly try to ‘gel’ with him/her. You must take a genuine interest in their thoughts and feelings and needs - yes, it is a give-and-take. Your genuine empathy and listening faculties must be fully tuned and alert, especially to body language and non-verbal cues. It is a behavioral approach and needs full involvement.”

Helping others helps oneself. Generosity is self-help as it makes networking a way of life and not an arduous campaign. There is scientific evidence, as per a report in 2010 in Greater Good Magazine, that the US National Institute of Health found that when people give to others, “it activates regions of the brain associated with pleasure, social connection, and trust, creating a ‘warm glow’ effect.”

“I do admit that whenever I meet somebody, I sort of assume a posture, and that perhaps makes me appear cold to others. I am going to make a change, but the subconscious automatic response that has developed over these years is difficult to transform suddenly into an open-hearted gregarious one. Could you share an example of how great networkers do it?”

“The most successful networker to follow is David Rockefeller. His custom-designed Rolodex stood 5-feet high. It contained contact information for 100,000 people. If you look carefully at the contact cards, you will notice that Rockefeller recorded more than names, titles, and phone numbers. He wrote notes along with every date of the meeting or interaction.

“For example, on the card with the contact - John F. Kennedy - Rockefeller wrote: First met in England with his father who was then the Ambassador to England…….Harvard class of ’38. Wrote a book on Europe after he got out of college. It was a best seller.”

Rockefeller would meet people and remember small details about their personal life or professional accomplishments. For example, he once said to a contact, “The last time we spoke, your daughter had just started her sophomore year. How’s she doing?”

“That’s flabbergasting. He made the world his family! There cannot be a manual on networking better than this.”

“Your network is your net worth financially and in entirety.” --- Porter Gale

“Your network is your net worth , financially and in entirety.”--- Porter Gale

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