Aug 9, 2022
In the professional world, it is impossible to succeed without networking. Remember that old adage: “It’s not what you know. It’s who you know.” Well, it’s true. Now, this isn’t to say that competence doesn’t matter. It still does! As Dr. Fredric Neuman puts it in a Psychology Today article, “I like to think that competence is the most important determinant of professional success; but if it is, it is only over the long run.” In the short run, we cannot underestimate the importance of meeting people, cultivating those relationships and leveraging them when the time is right. Being well-known or having a lot of contacts can help you in all sorts of ways:
- Landing a job
- Securing a promotion
- Finding a new client
- Raising money
- Swaying public opinion
Remember that former coworker you took time to befriend last year? He may have a job for you now, or know someone who does. Remember that business owner you met over drinks a month ago? She may be your next client, and your friendly conversation may have made her comfortable with the idea of Attaining your services.
Expanding and maintaining a wide circle of influence brings intended and unintended benefits. Sometimes you can envision a social relationship paying dividends in the future. But other times those dividends can seemingly come out of the blue, leaving you grateful that you made the effort in the first place. You never know where simply making an effort may lead you.
So how do you expand and maintain that circle of influence?
The article read in this episode originally appeared on the Forbes Agency Council CommunityVoice™ in July 2019.
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