Networking is probably one of the biggest buzz words in the business today. With the birth of more workshops, activities, and social networking websites, more and more people are getting into the bandwagon. Here, Partnerships Director of BazaarVoice, Inc., Adam Salamon shares his thoughts on networking.
For Adam, meeting people does not necessarily mean that you are already networking. He believes that this is the biggest networking mistake that people commit. “Real networking happens through connection and purpose,” he says. This is quite true because networking is more than just meeting the person. Instead, it is more about the added value that we can share to the person we meet. “I often write about the value of getting things done with people, because whether you're working on a project together, playing a sport with someone, or volunteering with a person, you're creating a connection versus meeting someone arbitrarily. The act of working with someone immediately puts you in a different category versus chatting with someone at a cocktail networking happy hour,“ Adam adds.
Adam feels that two of the biggest networking challenges that people have in terms of connecting with people from other cultures is language and how we were brought up. “The ways people are raised across cultures is drastically different from locale to locale. Some kids get spanked; some kids grow up pampered, etc. This has a profound impact on a person's perspective, and therefore, the way you connect with other people.” Another factor that affects how we network with other people is the generation gap. According to Adam, “there’s no difference in the way different generations network except for the tools they use.” This can be exemplified by how Millenials are more comfortable in connecting with their peers
through chat or text messaging and how Traditionalists prefer face-to-face interactions. More than the method of communication, Adam thinks that, “All human connection occurs very naturally, thus the term "human nature". We all have the same basic needs in regards to human connection. There's the need to be wanted, to feel heard, and to feel like what we're doing has meaning. Great relationships and networking happens when you can fill those basic human connection points with people, regardless of what technology or tool you use.” Good point.
Due to our aggressive technological advancements, people from all walks of life are now exposed to endless possibilities especially in networking arena. So does this mean we’re becoming a one culture? Adam thinks that “Technology has made it possible to even consider this a thought. I look at where we were even 10 years ago, and it's amazing how far the world has come since then. I don't think we'll become one culture in the next 10 or even 50 years, but I believe if you are
to look at this world in 500 years, we'll be much more homogeneous than we are today.”If there’s one thing that Adam could change about the way people network or the practices being used to make them better, he’d want to change the people’s intentions to network. “Why do you want to network? If it's for selfish reasons, then you will only be as successful as how hard you work at it. But if you start to network by listening and creating real, meaningful relationships, then networking will happen naturally.” The best practice that Adam recommends to anyone who wants to create and develop a strong network is to get involved. “Join your HOA, play a weekly sport, or a professional organization. Whatever you do, just make sure you're getting out there and creating deeper relationships than what you're doing now. You can probably always improve that aspect of your life.”
Author:
Maria Elena Duron is chief buzz agent & identity coach of buzz2bucks | a personal branding firm. and blogs about connecting your personal brand and SMART Connections. She is also the creator and moderator of brandchat: a live streaming branding discussion on twitter. Follow her on Twitter for daily updates or connect with her on Facebook.
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