Have you ever felt stuck in your position?
I had been working for several years, and I felt my boss knew I did a good job and that I could handle a lot of work, but I felt he didn’t want me to try other things. I had good ideas, which he would say, ‘not good timing…’ or ‘we need someone to do it who can…’
Inside I was screaming I can do it!
Then through my mentor, I asked how she moved up the ladder. The answer had nothing to do with her job and everything to do with her professional network.
She asked me about my professional network and who was in it. Then asked me to likert scale from 1-5 how important I thought a good network was in order for me to accomplish my goals?
Me: 4 or 5.
She went on to ask: What does a good professional network do for you? Before I could answer she emphasized that networks
✓ Help You to identify new strategic opportunities that give you exposure
✓ Develop a channel to sell your initiatives to get internal buy-in
✓ Protect You from being clueless about the political dynamics
✓ Expand Your own imagination about your own career prospects
And Your network is what puts you on the radar screen for your next job or project.
Now, on a scale of 1 to 5, how would you rate the quality of your current network?
If you asked yourself these questions, I’m guessing the answer is different than in the first question.
Research shows, there are 4 types of network weaknesses, based on the work of Herminia Ibarra, Professor of Leadership and Learning at INSTEAD.
Birds of a feather: Your contacts are too homogeneous- all like you.
Network lag: Your network is about your past- not your future.
Echo chamber: Your contacts are all internal- they all know each other.
Pigeonholing: Your contacts can’t see you doing something different.
My network was in Network lag. I was being judged on who I was, not who I was becoming.
So what did I do in this situation?
I analysed my network. Now I call this a Network Audit and I do this with members in the 150 Years Mentorship in Level 2000 and 5000 (click here for details). I looked at the gaps and I strategically started building my network.
If I stayed in my old network, my dream of moving on to the next step would have been a pipe dream because my boss and the company held an outdated image of my capacity. I would not have been able to see a bird’s eye view of what my organization was doing, or the market threads.
I often felt that attending a networking session was work. I didn’t enjoy it, but I was paid to do it, therefore I attended the networking functions. My mentor changed my mindset on what networking meant to my career and not to my job. Her point was that networking for the advancement of the company was important, but it didn’t hold a candle to the importance it would have on my career.
I began investing in activities that grew my network. I became confident working a room. I chose who I wanted to talk with and developed a relationship.
I went to Board of Trade lunches, and ensured I made it count by meeting at least one person. I joined the Board of Directors for the Association of Technology Industries (NATi), which extended by influence. I joined a women’s hockey league (I strongly dislike hockey but it was great networking), and I met people outside my industry who were doing interesting things.
I favored active versus passive networking. For example, if I am at a networking event, I prefer to speak at them, moderate, introduce, organize. Even now, I am actively looking for events that I can speak at to build my network and portfolio.
Words of advice I would give is to invest in yourself and start now. You might be asking yourself but how do I do this?
Try this: Everyone is uncomfortable at networking events. So smile and pretend you are the host and try to make people feel more at home. You are sending positive energy out and those around you will be grateful.
Do this:
In the next three days, talk to three people outside your company or department. Learn these three things:
What they do.
How it helps their company.
How it may apply to your work.
Trust me, this works. Try it and email me and tell me how it worked out for you.
Carol@150yearsmentorship.com
