When my marketing department reminded me that the time for
me to contribute to the RTS blog had arrived, I was dwelling on what topic to
focus on this time around. Given that I tend to attend industry conferences at
every opportunity I get and having been given two such opportunities within the
span of a month to meet some pretty interesting individuals, the decision to
choose networking as the topic of this blog was pretty straightforward.
When I first began my career more than 20 years ago as a
business analyst in American Airlines, in my mind, the term ‘network’ implied
either a collection of linked computers or all the destinations that an airline
flew to with not even the slightest allusion to a human connection. In those days, I had a pretty narrow definition
of success – design an algorithm to solve a business problem or troubleshoot a
buggy piece of code. Any other activity
that my marketing and sales colleagues used to undertake religiously, like
making trips to exotic locales to attend industry conferences were considered
boondoggles that were merely a waste of time. As I progressed in my career, I started
gaining a holistic appreciation of the business model and a striking
realization of the power of human interaction in either making or breaking a
deal. As the saying goes, businesses
don’t do business with other businesses, people do business with people. The
human element is perhaps the most important aspect of any business relationship
and this can simply not happen if there are no face to face interactions with
peers in the industry and beyond.
‘Grow your network‘ is a popular refrain preached by mentors
and career coaches and with very good reason. It goes without saying that for a
job seeker, the bigger the network, the greater are the chances of landing a
job commensurate with skills and expectations. For business professionals,
especially in the sales domains, attending conferences to expand their network
and potentially business opportunities is not a luxury but a necessity and the
skyrocketing prices of attending, speaking and exhibiting at conferences bears
ample testimony to the demand organizers face from vendors. Networking is
frequently listed by delegates as the main motivation for attending
conferences. In the analog world, informal introductions and discussions over
lunch have been the tried and tested method of starting many productive
relationships. More extreme and targeted networking at conferences is an
accepted practice and is frequently listed as the main motivation of delegates
to attend industry events. In the digital domain, sites like LinkedIn, Skillpages,
etc. have made it quite convenient to seek out and make professional
connections. However, I would contend
that though digital forums are very useful in fostering and building
relationships, initiation of a relationship is best done through face to face
encounters. Irrespective of how much synergy may exist between two
professionals, a business relationship typically has a solid foundation only
after a personal rapport is initially built between the interested
parties.
For those of us who are given the opportunity to attend
conferences, the networking sessions specifically set up by the organizers are god-sends and makes getting to know some
interesting people both from a professional a personal level that much easier
(copious amounts of alcohols at these events don’t hurt either). The thought of walking up to abject strangers
at a conference with an unsolicited introduction is quite an awkward proposition
for most, but the more you engage in that, you realize that the imagined
rejections that you were dreading never actually materialize and that everybody
is in the same boat as you. In fact, in
my case, even though I don’t consider myself a social animal, not only did this
become pain-free, it actually became enjoyable as you never know what kind of
interesting relationship might develop as a result of your initiative. In fact, I have made quite a few professional
contacts who as an added bonus have also become good friends and this further
incentivizes me to network at every opportunity I get.
Networking, besides the obvious effect of helping you get
access to better career opportunities or growing your business, is quite
rewarding on a personal level. It gives you insight into different perspectives
and motivations of other human beings whose end objective is typically not that
much different from yours. Though obviously
prospects and partners tend be on top of the food chain when it comes to
strategic networking, if time permits, I have found indiscriminate networking
to be quite fulfilling as well. Meeting people from unfamiliar domains has
enhanced my perspective and though there may not be much in common on a
professional level there could be significant similarities on a personal level
leading to lasting friendships. This
relationship may have never had a chance if I had ruled them out as not being
of business value merely by glancing at their title and company on their
lanyards. Just as you should never judge a book by it’s cover, I've realized
that you should never judge the value of a contact by his or her lanyard.
Networking can be a potentially uncomfortable experience
when it comes to competitors that you may run into at conferences. Though some
people can feel awkward and tend to avoid their competitors like the plague, I
have found that even though there obviously will not be much (if any)
professional knowledge being exchanged between them (for good reason), an
informal discussion focusing on personal small talk at least increases
familiarity and this should hold in you in good stead in this dynamic
marketplace where a competitor today can be a client, partner or colleague
tomorrow.
Would be very interested in knowing where you stand on
networking. Please feel free to share
any thoughts you have on this.
Pradeep Bandla
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