5 Easy Ways To Grow Your Network
In my experience, the major difference between talented people who have landed great opportunities and talented people who haven’t is who they know –and, perhaps more importantly, who knows them.
To be included on the right lists, whether career shortlists or guest lists, decision-makers need to know who you are.
That means you need to be visible to them, something many women at our age can find intimidating or too much like hard work.
Since moving on from my media executive career shortly after turning 50, my non-media network has grown exponentially. Some of it was through necessity and therefore planned. But most of it was through embracing activities that didn't require me to be an extrovert or to have a big personality. They also didn’t require a great time commitment and I could manage them at my own pace.
Here are the easy strategies that have worked for me.
Join Twitter
I signed up in 2009 and have met some incredible people – notably, a community of women who support and elevate other women. They have certainly done that for me. Social media platforms enable the following of like-minded people. They are also quick and easy ways to connect with people who you would like in your network. I have found that Twitter in particular is a safe place in which to engage with, and get to know, people that I admire. Often, online discussions have led to offline coffee meetings.
Meet for coffee
An occasional coffee with colleagues or people you meet at business events may sound like a slow way to build a career network, but it’s surprising how many connections are made this way. When I was starting my board career, I contacted a company director who had given me her card at an event. A coffee meeting resulted in her introducing me to other women who had well-established board careers and who were keen to share with me with the kind of invaluable inside knowledge that resulted in my name getting on the right lists.
Go for a walk
I am a mentor in the Mentor Walks program founded by a former colleague, Bobbie Mahlab. The idea is that going for a walk removes any formality or awkwardness that may attach to a traditional mentor-mentee meeting. It is easy to sign up to become a mentee. You will generally find yourself in a small group of mentees with one mentor. During the hour-long walk (which has the added bonus of health benefits!) you can ask the mentor your burning questions or listen to the answers that others in your group ask. It’s low-risk and very relaxed.
Join a club or group
I joined a women’s leadership group a year ago to provide the next level of networking for my career. Although I had already met so many good people, there was a group of influential people who remained elusive, primarily due to the fact that my executive career was in an entirely different sector with virtually no opportunity for crossover. Groups do some of the difficult work for you. They bring together the people that you might otherwise find difficult to reach or too intimidating to make one-on-one contact with.
Attend events
There is a handful of events that I attend each year because they are wonderful ways to remain knowledge relevant and they help me keep in touch with my network. Every year I meet new people at those events and often my network grows as a result.
Words_ Marina Go
Photo_ Viktoria Slowikowska/Pexels