Building a Strong Network is Key To Success Being a Successful Leader
Updated: 4 hours ago
As concerns around a potential recession rise, you can benefit from having connections that will help you to stay positive, think through complex problems, and develop strategies to help your company navigate challenging times. An old African proverb says if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go in a group. The complexities of modern business require you to build and maintain strong networks to succeed. Allocating time to nurture your business relationships ensure that you have the community of support you need to achieve your goals.
Why leaders don't network
You might not be networking because you feel it is political or too self-serving. We all know people that are self-promoting, insincere, and manipulative. Just because some people have bad behaviors or motives when it comes to networking does mean you should disregard the benefits. People love connecting with people who can help them; there is nothing wrong with meeting new people and discovering ways to collaborate with them. By defining your purpose in networking, you can gain more comfort with the process. Building a solid network allows you to create more value through win-win collaboration.
You may also feel like you do not have time for networking activities because you feel overwhelmed by your current workload. When you look at your calendars and may see little white space, it isn't easy to imagine adding networking activities to your already busy agenda. You likely deprioritize networking because you see it as a low value of the activities, especially in comparison to the other things on your schedule.
If you are an introvert, the idea of going to a loud and crowded event at the end of your workday might be the last thing you want to do. You may tell yourself that you are not good at networking. That there is little benefit to meeting new people. Or that the fear and anxiety that you experience thinking about or going to events is not worth the return.
If any of these reasons for not networking resonate with you, pause and ask yourself four questions.
What benefit will come to me by networking more?
How much time do I need to allocate to see the benefit of networking?
Is there a way for me to reduce my fear and stress around networking?
Is there something I am currently doing that I could stop doing to make time for networking?
In answering these questions, you can identify the value you will gain from allocating more time towards networking and what changes you will need to make to your current routines to support building your network. With this insight, you will find the motivation to think creatively about how to make time in your busy schedule to reconnect with old acquaintances and seek new relationships.
What gets in your way when it comes to networking?
- Being an introvert
- Being to busy
- Inability to find the right events
- Lack of confidence