Belonging: Networking
Exploring why so many have the wrong end of the stick and reflecting on my years of networking
"You can talk to everyone in a room and be forgotten or you can talk to a handful of people where you have had meaningful and purposeful conversation."
Prelude
It wasn’t our fault.
Coming from a background where opportunities were sparce, we were raised with the perception of success being finite.
We were raised with a scarcity mindset setting us up for failure.
Someone has to lose for someone else to win.
I take, you give.
The initial allure to networking for many of those around me was the cliché that “your network is your net worth”.
Beneath that was a lesson we would have to learn.
No matter the context, a network doesn’t exist without connection. In this case, human connection.
But we knew nepotism before networking; being behind the scenes and having the important conversations. An unfair advantage we didn’t have.
Networking was sold as a selfish game. But we needed the incentive right?
At its core was that human connection. Those who acknowledged this left lasting impressions after genuine and purposeful interactions.
Some lacked belief and focused on their self-imposed inferiorities - feeling they didn’t bring anything material to the table.
Others used every conversation to leverage their curiosity into possibilities.
I tended towards the later and haven’t looked back since.
I was introduced to networking at age 16 and have been to countless networking events since.
To me networking meant genuine conversation. Whether it be through knowledge-sharing, spreading awareness, sympathising with vulnerabilities and concerns - it was all about listening.
My first perception of networking was that it was for extraverts; those who had the gift of the gab and I learnt that could not be further from the truth.
As more of an introverted person, I tended towards one-on-one conversations, talking from person to person.
It felt natural.
As my interests have naturally developed, the only thing that has changed over the last 3 years are the types of networking events I go to, and as you will see, there is a first time for everything.
