Nurture your network and your network will nurture your vision.
Humans, as social beings, have found immense value in being connected with each other and staying together. This has helped them prosper as they improved their quality of life and security. With markets freeing and borders opening up, the people who once were closely bound geographically, have now expanded to new territories. While it is challenging to remain connected, the outcomes of networking are more rewarding, ever so in this digitally connected world.
Let’s take a look at our primary and secondary networks. The primary network is the network that we are connected to, the courtesy of our work, our relations, or our nature. The secondary networks are usually the connections of our primary network and it is this network that holds immense potential.
While sharing our thoughts, interests, and beliefs with our primary network is important, it is when we open up to our secondary network that true growth happens. It almost always leaves us with a surprise! There is just so much that we can infer from books, articles, or even online recommendations, but meeting people and learning from their experiences helps us develop interpersonal skills.
Let the world know who you are and what you do!
People on the higher rungs of the corporate ladder bring a rich amount of knowledge, experience, wisdom, and current trends to us, which are invaluable. While their time is scarce to be spent generously on everybody, when you find these people who align to your vision, making the best of their time is the key. Chart down a clear purpose of the interaction and be as genuine as possible.
In today’s materialistic world, why would anyone help another individual in terms of sharing knowledge or expertise? A very few are altruistic in nature, most of them expect some form of return or perhaps a favor in the long term. This should not come as a surprise. The emphasis should be on approaching people not only for yourself but for a larger cause that can be achieved through you.
Inspiring individuals with an accomplished history tend to want to leave behind a legacy by amplifying the impact of their work or by wanting to give back from the knowledge that they have gained. They look for individuals like venture capitalists, philanthropists, influencers, and so on, through whom the impact could be maximized. While they are constantly searching, as you are, for such opportunities, the chances that you could get in touch with them directly or indirectly through your primary contacts are pretty high. Hence, nurturing your primary contacts with care, selflessness, and attending to their needs has immense value as your growth is certainly linked to it!
The emphasis should be on approaching people not only for yourself but for the larger cause that would be done through you.
It is not selfish to harness the potential of your network if it is for amplifying a cause that is selfless or for the betterment of the people around you or a community and the world.
So discover what your cause is, share it with the people you are connected to, and network with them on your digital platform. While you are searching for the right networks to amplify your cause, remember that they are searching for you too!