The answer is you and I always do the one but not always the other. Whether you like it or not if you accept networking is simply building relationships we do it every day.
It might not always be with ‘new’ people but, unless we lie in bed alone all day, we reinforce existing relationships. The word ‘networking’ creates all sorts of fears and anxieties and yet boiling it down to its basic form it is simply talking. You’re not scared of that are you? You just never know what’s going to happen when you talk to ‘new people ‘(let’s not call them strangers; that’s scary!).
A delegate looking for a job, told me recently he met someone in a pub who, like him, was a keen consumer of German beers. The conversation ended by the business owner suggesting he might have a job for the delegate as they had got on so well. Serendipitous networking; of course. When you attend networking or referral clubs or a Chamber event or drinks with other professionals I see that as strategic networking.
So, you decide what works best for you? Whether you like it or not you’re networking daily.
Words by Will…