Bulletproof Blueprint for Career Success: Strategic Networking
Some people look at the road they have or will travel to career success as daunting, unattainable, inaccessible, and every other negative word in the dictionary. However, they look to the person on their left and right and think “Wow! They are so lucky! I wish opportunities fell in my lap the way they fall into theirs.” Well, I’m here to let you in on a little secret. You may be absolutely right about the blessings that rain on others, but it is absolutely attainable for you!
There are 5 best kept secrets on how to get your career, product, goals, etc. to the next level and I call them the bulletproof blueprint for career success. The same way that law enforcement officers ensure that their bulletproof vests are secure and construction workers don’t break ground without their handy blueprint, is the same way that we all should be prepared to achieve the career success that we rightfully deserve.
Each step will be published on Sundays and Wednesdays at 3PM EST beginning November 28th, 2021 through December 12th, 2021. By the time you’re finished with these informative reads and apply this knowledge to your day-to-day life, you’re going to be an unstoppable powerhouse to be reckoned with in your profession.
If you haven’t check out Step 3: Enlisting Sponsorship yet, please do before reading this blog. I promise you won’t regret it!
Step 4: Strategic Networking
Now that we’ve discussed the difference between sponsorship and mentorship, you may be thinking that the buck stops there. Absolutely not! To truly take your career to the next level and expand your career opportunities, you will need to build a bulletproof army of “stakeholders”. This will require you to think much more broadly than just mentors and sponsors. Developing a strategic network of stakeholders may first appear as an exhausting task because it does require time to build and maintain these relationships. Thankfully other talented leaders have shared their knowledge with us on how to execute this essential step in our career advancement journey with as little stress as possible. For example, Dr. Herminia Ibarra, author of Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader, discusses tips on how to build an effective network on her YouTube channel. She touches on the following topics:
I. Common Misconceptions About Networking– The first misconception is that relationships should be formulated naturally, and no extra effort should be made to cultivate those strategic networks. The problem with this is that you end up with people that are just like you in your network. They are unable to bring you diversity in your ideas because they think, and potentially act, just like you. Another misconception is that our strongest relationships will be with people that are closest to us. However, there is value in relationships with people that we don’t speak to everyday because they are often connectors to other organizations and people that we don’t have direct access to.
II. Types and Qualities of Effective Networks – There are three types of networks: Operational, Personal, and Strategic. Operational networks are the people that we work with on a day-to-day basis to get our work done. Personal networks are your friends, family, colleagues you used to work with, or any other person that you like to hang out with informally. Strategic networks are a blend of informal and external connections with people that allow you to understand what’s going on in your professional world, bring your ideas into the organization, sell those ideas to people that are not in your immediate network, and provide you with opportunities to further your career.
Strategic networks are often broad, connective, or dynamic. Broad strategic networking means that you connect with individuals that are not all like you (i.e., different levels, different departments, different companies, etc.). Connective strategic networks are people that are beyond your immediate circle that you are comfortable reaching out to. Dynamic strategic networks simply means that your networking is growing as you grow in your professional career.
III. Gender and Networks– Recognize that gender can play a role in the way that we network. If you are a woman working in a male dominated industry, you may find that your male counterparts are building relationships with one another more seamlessly than you may be able to build relationships with them. This is because it is harder to find that common ground when you are working across an additional dimension of difference. It may also be because men tend to socialize with their work colleagues after business hours, whereas women tend to socialize with non-work colleagues after business hours. The way to combat this is to start building your networks early and take a long-term approach when building your networks. You can also focus on, and invest, in a few social activities you would like to attend with your colleagues. This is very important because, as we mentioned earlier, building trust amongst key decision makers is key to advancing your career to new heights.
IV. Strategies to Expand Your Network – Think about what activities you can invest in both inside and outside of your organization and think about who you know already and in what ways do they connect you to people you don’t know yet. Perhaps there is a professional conference or seminar you can attend to invest your time and energy in. Perhaps instead of just attending the conference you can organize a panel, offer to introduce a speaker, or be the speaker yourself. This will give people more exposure to you and give you the confidence you need to speak up more naturally. You can also ask your network to introduce you to other members of their network that you would like to get to know.
Now that you better understand how to build an effective network, you can use the chart above to help you rank each stakeholder in your network. Think about what stake this person has in your career, what power do they have to make decisions within their industry, what relationship do you currently have with them, how interested are you in building on that relationship, and what are some actionable steps you’d like to take to build upon your existing relationship with them.
Checkout these additional resources on strategic networking:
Avery Blank, from ForbesWomen, discusses 5 Ways to be Intentional About Your Career Advancement.
Meghan Casserly, from ForbesWomen, discusses Understanding How Women Network.
Upon completion of this blog check out Step 5: Authentic Leadership (after 3PM EST on December 12th, 2021) for further guidance on how to take your career to the next level of success.
