In an ever-changing
world, time, money, resources to knowledge are at a premium. Learning how to build a powerful network
is essential to overcome challenges and obstacles or capitalize on
opportunities for you to succeed.
Networking is first and foremost about building
relationships. Whether we are in a nine-to-five job, an entrepreneur or student
– healthy, strong relationships become essential to achieve our dreams and
accomplish our goals.
In the book Leadership and Self Deception
published by the Arbinger Institute, there was a story about a new lawyer who
was assigned to a huge project with a large team. Life events caused him to him to disrupt his
life and move. When he arrived to work
with the new project, most of the team was located on the 25th
floor. He, however arriving later, was located on the 21st
floor. Feeling a little put out, he moved
into his office and decided to dig in.
If he worked really hard, someone
was sure to notice. The project moved along. He missed lunches with the team
because he didn’t travel to the 25th floor (free lunches were
provided for the team daily and there was a team understanding that everyone was invited). Changes were made
in the project, but because this young lawyer was isolated (mostly self
imposed), he didn’t incorporate changes, causing him to look ill prepared and
his reports to be substandard. Another time, he was “chewed out” for being hard
to find, although he was in his office working. If he would have taken the time to network
internally, he would have avoided a lot of grief and anguish.
A young woman moved
far from home. She wanted to learn a new industry and put her talents to good
use. She had identified where she wanted to live and she moved. Jobs were
limited. Her temporary job was over; however she decided to stay rather than
move back home. She worked six part time
jobs, one of them in a restaurant. One
evening she was speaking with one of the customers who share that they were
looking to fill a new position in their company. The more he talked, the more
he described a person with her exact qualifications. When he asked, “Do you know anyone?” Her response was “that sounds just like me.” Within weeks
she was interviewed at the corporate office and was hired for the job. She “networked” her way into her “dream job.”
Relationships are
imperative to our success. Limiting our relationships and our experiences
prevent us from discovering our potential and restrict our ability for
extraordinary health and wealth! Networking is one of the golden keys to opening
the many doors for success. Go Forth
Laura R. Novakowski, RN, MBA
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