RSS
Home
The Duke didn't network and neither do I, pilgrim
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
.jpg)
There are a lot of reasons not to network:
It's work. It takes time away from family, friends, and productivity. It takes (some) skill.
It sucks.
Mind you, this is coming from the perspective of an introvert who would just as soon brush his teeth with nitroglycerine paste followed by a refreshing Marlboro Red chaser than work a room for personal or professional gain. If this sounds familiar, this article is for you. If networking comes easy to you, then read on--but no snickering at the socially challenged (we know where you keep your coffee cup at night. Be kind.)
Networking just doesn't come naturally to many of us. We'd rather be the rugged individualists who do things--not talk about doing things. We want people to come to us if they want something. We're the hired guns who the townsfolk call when there's trouble. We're as tough as roofing nails, and half as friendly.
I spent many years firmly rooted in the belief that I could get ahead professionally without leaving my office. Luncheons? Waste of time. Chatting on the phone? Gratuitous self-promotion. Glad-handing? Borders on unethical. Phooey to the lot.
But, reality is a harsh mistress, and she taught me some hard lessons about having weak professional contacts when it matters. Networks are like car insurance policies: you don't need them until you need them. And when you need them--boy, howdy, do you need them.
And if you live in Las Vegas right now--April of 2009, unemployment over 10%, stagnant construction, record housing depreciation, and tear-jerking levels of layoffs--you really need them.
There are volumes and volumes of books devoted to the topic of why you need to network. I won't belabor their points, except to stress this simple idea: businesses are surrogate clans, and the survival and prosperity of an individual within the clan is increased exponentially by utilizing the give-and-take nature of the relationships within the clan, as well as between neighboring clans.
The end result is that regardless of how you, personally, feel about networking and socializing, it's in your blood. It's why humans cluster into communities: instinctively, we know that joining the collective makes us stronger, and the more we participate, the more we get out of it. Our odds get better.
Can you make it without networking? Sure. But there is also a chance that you can never brush your teeth and live a long, full life cavity-free. But why take the chance when prevention is cheap, easy, and, once you get the hang of it, maybe even enjoyable?
Work smarter. Get down off of your horse every once in a while, and have a sarsaparilla with the gang at the Red Dog Saloon. It's not near as painful as you think, and you'll be doing your professional and personal lives a big favor.
Related Articles:
Comments
