We live in a complex and multifaceted world, and therefore its vital for people to have the necessary skills that are needed to create and maintain strategic partnerships and networks. Meeting one’s career goals and business objectives requires the technical knowledge in knowing whom to network with, how to enhance your existing network and how to build and maintain both internal and external networks.
Many at times I have associated myself with people whose positions and expertise are similar to mine. I have also realized that, associating myself with people with the same school of thought creates a network slug as most of the time we are not able to accept opposing views or counsel from other people. To manage and expand my network, it is vital that I associate myself with people whose expertise and positions are different from my own. Talent and hard work alone are never enough in getting people ahead but building visibility, credibility and relationships by letting people know more about my profession and what I am accomplishing will lead to the success of my ventures. To build a solid network, I have to work on creating alliances and collaborations that will help me accomplish what I need to get done as well as showcase my experience and expertise to potential future connections. To achieve this, I have to view my network as a diversified and balanced portfolio of human capital. As I work on forging relationships, my network will be responsible for providing opportunities as well as minimizing the risks.
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After performing a thorough network analysis, I found out that my network consisted of a set of fragmented relationships and most interactions were based on one-way communication from people who held the same views. I also found out that, there was minimal growth as we were all confined to what we knew and there was no flow of knew information from my network. To improve this, I have to start associating myself with brokers who frequently and constantly associate themselves with a broad array of professionals. Brokers are vital to the creation of an influential network that will be closely knit together and the interactions will provide the most efficient way of gathering and disseminating information.
One of the key strengths of my network is that we own our talent and success. Rather than depending on others to help us when we get stuck, we prefer doing things for ourselves so that we can advance our careers. I take advantage of the opportunities that come my way and use them to showcase my talent and this has helped me propel my career forward. In addition, I have a great understanding of how I contribute to the success of my career as well as that of my network.
One disadvantage of my network is that I rely heavily on information that is available to the public. The lack of private information in network has resulted in the achievement of my goals and objectives at a very slow pace which has resulted in a negative impact in the growth of my career. This however will be solved through the use of brokers who will help in bridging the gap by enhancing collaboration as well as exploiting opportunities with like-minded individuals. I need to also break the self-similarity principle which is a weakness in the growth of my network and also acts as a hindrance in forging better connections. To avoid this, I need to branch out and have access to a diverse group of people who do not fall in the same background as me. The proximity principle is also a weakness that my network is experiencing and it is working against the building of a firm and efficient network.
In conclusion, better networks are forged when all the parties respect the perspectives, concerns and the expertise of others. Where partners fail to recognize and respect their varied perspectives, these relationships more than likely to fail. It is therefore important to develop a shared understanding and respect for the expertise and perspectives of the different professionals in your network.
