NETWORKING: barriers and
enablers
WHY ARE SOME PEOPLE ABLE TO BUILD BETTER NETWORKS
THAN OTHERS?
Sam had recently moved to a new city to lead a
50 member IT project. Sam had successfully led a couple of small projects in
the past, but was leading a project of this size and complexity for the first
time in his career. Though on the job right from the time he joined the team,
Sam was spending most of his time in day-to-day administrative issues and
managing occasional conflicts.Consequently, he was not able to spend quality
time with critical resources in the team as well as with important people from the
client side. Moreover, his shy nature was coming in the way of mingling freely
with colleagues.
The monthly review disclosed some discomforting
facts. Sam was not on the top of things. Team cohesiveness was missing and
members were hesitant to share crucial tacit information about the project and
the customer with Sam.
What Sam was possibly missing out on, were the
benefits of networking with various stakeholders.Networking developing a
`net' of contacts that can help the individual and business needs, is a
powerful tool and also a skill that comes naturally to some but not to many
others. Is networking difficult to learn? The benefits of networking are plenty
such as mutually beneficial relationships, getting the right information,
support for career development, etc.
BARRIERS
TO NETWORKING:
1.
Inhibition:
Several individuals resist or feel shy to
introduce themselves to others or ask for help. They either fear what others
might think of them or hesitate till others initiate conversations. Inability or
unwillingness to recognise this fact can be a big limiting factor in getting
connected in the highly networked world.
2.
Lack of time and knowledge:
When one is very busy, shehe starts thinking,
`where is the time for networking?' On top of it, the feeling “don't know whom
to network with“ becomes a justified excuse to be confined to one's own world
view.
3.
Obsession with the task:
Sometimes, when people are too obsessed with the
task, they tend to forget the fact that maintaining relationships with others
is also important. Being focused on completing the task is critical but not
building a rapport can put the collaborative working at risk.
HERE
ARE SOME WAYS TO BUILD A NETWORK EFFECTIVELY:
1. CONFRONT INNER RESISTANCE:
It is normal for some of us to feel worried and
reluctant to take the first few steps in building a network.Identifying such
feelings and understanding that networking is not a daunting task can be a good
start. People respond positively when they see genuine effort from the other
side.
2. SET ASIDE TIME FOR NETWORKING:
Some people are known to spend two-three hours
per day connecting with others. If such an investment of time looks demanding,
starting with a planned two hours every week for making calls, meeting new
people, etc can be an enjoyable beginning.
3. KEEP AN EYE ON THE FUTURE:
Business parameters, market, competition and
success factors are changing fast.What worked yesterday may not be relevant
today and tomorrow. Those who are networked well have an advantage over others.
4. GET ACTIVE ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Face-toface meetings are not the only way to
interact today.There are other very powerful social media tools readily
available to be in touch with the world of information and people as well. They
also help build one's personal brand. The important thing here is to become
skilled in using these social media tools effectively to one's advantage.
5. ACKNOWLEDGE THE LACK OF KNOWLEDGE:
It is humanly impossible to know everything and
there is no harm in acknowledging this fact.When people genuinely show interest
in learning new things and ask for it, help pours in from all the corners. A
simple tweet saying “Want to know about this subject“ is enough to get plenty
of information.
Networking is a valuable way to expand
knowledge, learn from the success/failures of others, get in touch with fresh
set of people, attain new clients and share thoughts and ideas about self and
business.
Dr Mrityunjay Kumar Srivastava and Preeti Paranjpe Wipro Limited
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