The Power of Networking

Written by: Brenna Miller, AEGON

The more people you know, the more people you can influence, either positively or negatively. People who work at developing strong clusters of networks across a broad cross-section of interests, age groups, demographics and cultures can often wield enormous positive or negative influence. These people are often referred to as master networkers and spheres of influence.

One of the challenges in our time-poor society is that many of us can’t be bothered investing the time required to work at and create new networks. It is so much easier and a great time saver to stick to the networks that we know and feel comfortable with. Our comfort zone becomes very safe and non-threatening. However, it is also very limiting and the potential for influencing large numbers is almost nonexistent

Lessons in Influence from Master Network
Communicating and connecting

One of the greatest opportunities for influence can arise when you build a strong connection with someone who trusts you.

If you build a connection and trust with another person, it is natural for them to speak highly of you within their own networks, thereby potentially allowing you to influence total strangers, based purely on the connection you built with the original person. Picture a house being built brick by brick. Imagine trust being built in the same way – conversation by conversation, contact by contact. The more contact we make, the stronger our connection becomes.

Here are some lessons to be learned from master networkers about communication.

• Constantly work on improving your listening skills. Strong networkers look beyond the words and observe the tone, inference and body language of everyone in the group.
• Remember to use people’s names. ‘Name calling’ (using a person’s first or full name) in conversations is a very powerful tool.
• The better you listen, the better you will remember. An added bonus for having strong listening skills is that you will remember more about previous conversations you may have had with someone.
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions or clarify details. Master networkers are always ready to admit that they may not understand something.
• There is always more to know. No matter how much you know, there is always more to learn and other people have the information that you need.
• Remember that nobody is a nobody. Master networkers know that everyone is connected to other people, and that everyone is a somebody, somewhere.

Empowering others
There is a great sense of satisfaction when you have the ability to influence someone by empowering them. One of the easiest ways to empower someone else is to give them information. Information can equate to power – and the more information you have about a subject, the more powerful or influential you become.

Information is one of the major currencies of networking, and master networkers have much ‘information power’. As a rule, they are extremely well informed. They work at gaining and constantly updating their information through sources such as newspapers, books and the Internet, but also through the information that circulates through their networks.

Master networkers also know that the greatest gift you can give someone is your sole focus. Whether it is for 10 seconds or 10 minutes, if your sole focus is on that person, you will have had a quality conversation with them. Simply giving sole focus to someone is sufficient to influence and empower them, as this action is so rarely experienced in our busy society.

Master networkers watch what other successful networkers do, and then do the same. That is how they become masters at what they do. They look to people they admire and want to be like – role models – and then copy what they do, but without becoming their clones or stealing their ideas and concepts.

As role models come in many forms, I will share the traits of my current role models.

• They are passionate about the work they do.
• They believe in themselves, even when others don’t.
• Their motto is: The buck stops here … let’s fix it rather than find a scapegoat.
• They always stand by their staff, as long as they have the total truth told to them.
• They look for the good in others, even when it’s hard to find.
• They make heart-to-heart connections when they speak to you.
• They are fun to be around.
• They laugh often.
• They don’t overindulge.
• They don’t hold grudges.

In Conclusion

Master networkers influence others, both formally and informally, in matters small and large. So a smart manager or aspiring leader learns from them and works at developing strong, ethical networking skills. And remember, networking skills are a prerequisite for forming strategic alliances, which can enable you to move your organization and your career to the next level.

If you are prepared to constantly hone your networking skills, value your current and expanding networks, consider forming strategic alliances and value the worth of such activities as mastermind groups, it is inevitable that you will have as much influence as you want to have.

As Harvey Mackey says, it is not what you know, but who knows what you know. Happy networking!

Ten habits for becoming a networker of influence

Understand that networking is a life skill, not something you do only when you want something from someone else.

Practice making heart-to-heart connections with people when you communicate with them. Aim to be totally present and ‘in the moment’ at all times.

Arm yourself with business cards and a nametag when you attend a networking event.

Befriend the gatekeepers – the people who assist or sometimes protect the people you are wanting to network with (secretaries, personal assistants and so on).

Walk your talk. Directly and indirectly you will become a role model to others.

If you set out to build a strong network of people whom you admire, respect and value, the by-product will be that you will have great influence within this group. Yet if you set out to have influence without the firm foundation of a strong network of supporters you will fail and have no influence and a poor reputation.

Understanding Influence for Leaders at all Levels The Power of Networking (extract) – By Robyn Henderson

For the full article, please visit http://www.aim.com.au/Publications/bkchapters/influence_ch5.html