This is Part I of a two-part guest blog entry from Jason Lauritsen and Joe Gerstandt of Talent Anarchy. I have known Jason and Joe for several years and have been inspired by their networking. This month, they have been kind enough to share their insights with LinkedInOmaha.com.
Enjoy!
BS
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It’s Karma
Over the years, I’ve always wondered why formal networking events felt so awkward and unproductive to me. I am naturally outgoing. On top of that, I spent several years in sales. Meeting new people is definitely not a challenge for me. So, one would think that I’d be like a kid in a candy store at a networking event. However, I often found myself dreading these events or worse, trying to avoid them altogether.
This troubled me for a number of years until it finally hit me—it’s the karma. Networking events promote our selfish nature. We go to networking events generally because we need to meet people who can help us achieve our own goals. So, we spend out time meeting new people, sizing them up quickly to see if they seem like someone who can help us, then moving along to the next victim. Networking events are generally about the WIIFM (what’s in it for me) principle. I never felt like I made real, lasting connections in this environment because I was only viewed as a means to an end.
In my experience, what causes a network to grow and prosper is the act of investing good will in that network. I try to use Karma in networking. Here’s how it works for me: If someone asks me to help them, I always try to do it. If someone asks for a favor, I will make every effort to come through for them. We all have unique skills and abilities that others become aware of as we connect to them personally and professionally. And, those people in your network will recognize those things and ask you for access to them when they need the help.
The reason I think Karma applies is that most people, when someone does a favor for them, desire to return that favor. My definition of Karma is pretty simple: do good and good will return to you. So, by doing good for as many people in my network as I can, I create a network which is primed to return good to me. This is mighty powerful when you are the one who needs help.
So, let’s go back to considering networking events. Am I saying that networking events are bad? No. But perhaps we could try a new approach to the event that uses Karma instead of WIIFM to make more positive connections. Next time you attend a structured networking event, instead of opening with the question, ‘What do you do?’ try instead the question, ‘what could I do for you to help you make today a great day?’ Let me know how it goes.
Jason
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