Networking

"People need People"

"If I have see a little further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants" - Isaac Newtown
"You are not ever a genius by yourself. Your ideas are a function of the people you are connected with.." - Carol Dweck, Author, Mindset

Knowing more people gives you :

1. Greater Access
2. Facilitates sharing of Information
3. Widens your influence
4. Enhances confidence levels

Access to private information which can be made use of :

1. Referrals
2. Appropriate name-dropping
3. Number of people willing to help you
4. Access to resources
5. Emotional Support
6. Gets you strategic influence

Networking for introverts :

1. Like Me - Self-Similarity
2. Near Me - Proximity
3. Width and Depth - Bridging and Bonding

Most time is spent with :

1. People in the department
2. People in the same floor
3. People in the same location

The wrong structures :

1. The formalist - no informal connections
2. The overloaded executive - wants to connect wih everyone, resulting in becoming a bottleneck to progress and burn out.

The wrong relationships :

1. The disconnected expert - works with safe set of expertises and do not get out of their confort zone
2. The biased executive - relies on advisers much like herself, who reinforce their own bias

The wrong behaviour :

1. The chameleons - people who adjust their opinions to connect with others
2. The superficial networker - Say hi to most people, without having any deep connections

Exercise for analyzing oneself :

Ratte yourslef on the following topics, with 1 being dows not describe me well at all" and 5 being "Describes me very well" :

Topic	1	2	3	4	5
I have many friends			*
I make friends easily		*
I like to have many friends			*
I have many acquaintances				*
I readily make connecttions with people I do not know				*
I like to know a lot of people				*
I put people in touch with the right people when they need something				*
I find it easier to bring people together		*
I like being able to connect people				*

Items 1 - 3 are about making friends
Items 4 - 6 are about making acquaintances Items 7 - 9 are about connecting people

Adding the values of each rating.

Friends : 3 + 2 + 3 = 8
Acquaintances : 4 + 4 + 4 = 12
Connecting People : 4 + 2 + 4 = 10

This is out of 15.

Network Widthh - Comes from diversity
Nework Depth - Comes from Strong Newtorks

Bonding network
Bridging Network

Worth of a network is in the following dimensions :

1. Operational
2. Personal
3. Strategic