Life Lessons in How to Go Beyond 'Networking'
If you're constantly the smartest person in the room, then you're in the wrong room. It's time to get into the rooms where people are doing the thinking with you.
So today I'm going to talk to you about how to go beyond networking and actually build bridges that can help you advance your career.
There is real power in networking and making connections but often, high-achieving women are not building those important professional relationships properly. By not leveraging those connections to elevate their careers, they end up staying too long, being overworked, underpaid, and undervalued for their contributions and within their industries.
The reason women struggle, and find networking nebulous and awkward is that we don't know what we want out of the relationship, beyond the handshake and the small talk. We don't know where to take things past those happy hours or networking events. Without an outcome in mind, we don't have a vision for how to use those interactions for our career.
We must move beyond the usual uninspired networking conversations and really talk about how we can drive impact in our industry and in these organizations to actually get things done.
Strategy number one is to get beyond the standard networking and build bridges that lead to getting things done in your career; build relationships that you can really leverage.
Strategy number two is to have something valuable to offer back. You have skills and talents that are valuable, but you need to recognize what unique value you can contribute and be able to offer that to a project or a solution. A big part missing in the traditional networking conversation is reciprocity.
Strategy one — know who has what you want and ask them for what you want, and strategy two — have something of value to offer.
If you are a high-achieving, professional woman who works in corporate, nonprofit, or educational leadership and you are looking to make more money and have more impact in your career, then I strongly invite you to join Mentor Me programs this month.
Check back each week for the newest blog post from Mentor Me!