I have conflicting feelings about our class discussion on networking. I recognize the obvious benefits of intentionally networking. I understand it is an important business strategy. I hate the idea of getting to know someone or doing nice things for a person with the hope of getting a return down the road. It would be irritating to me if other people viewed me as a resource rather than a person. It seems base to perceive people like mines, like possibilities to profit. Will I be as successful if I maintain this attitude? That depends on who is asking. I might miss out on business opportunities, but to be honest, I would rather sleep in a box and view people as people than to snag a great job and confuse people for profits. I think I would rather sincerely seek to bless others than seek a reward. Maybe I am naive, but I am happy. If you are reading this, know that even if others do not agree with me, I think you are a person. Now what? I am going to try to reach out to at least one person everyday to try help them in some way, and I will try to be anonymous if possible.
Here’s a cool video about being nice to people:
http://www.lds.org/pages/mormon-messages#the-civility-experiment
Cade, I can understand your concern. While there are some people out there who may just be looking to grow their network for personal, selfish, monetary reasons, I think most people out there are genuinely happy to make new friends. When it comes to networking, people are not going to refer you to others, or recommend people to you, if there is not a basic relationship that has been developed. I think it is pretty obvious when people are just shallow and fishing for contacts and many people either remove them from their list or don't even accept invitations.
ReplyDeleteAll this being said, one of the main missions of the church, missionary work, relies on the principle of networking--using members to refer their friends and acquaintances to the missionaries. The church organization is based on a network of members, relying on each other and helping each other. Because we know (for the most part) what caliber of people we will find in a new ward or branch, no matter the city, state, or even country, we find it easy to plug in to the local "network" to receive fellowship and help. I mean, in what other organization can we have an instant, semi-professional, moving team come help unload the truck of a new member who has no idea who these people are? Done in the right way for the right purposes, we cannot live without networking.
I understand the conflict you are feeling, it seems wrong to network for the reason of getting something out of it. I also think it is in the way you look at it. If you focus on getting to know people and helping them out (and not thinking about how they can help you) then you are well on your way to being a great asset to people. It is the more important side of networking. They will remember you as the person who wanted to help them. A true measure of a person is doing something for someone who cant do anything back for you. I am pretty sure I took some liberal paraphrasing rights on that statement, but the principle is true. You will figure out what works for you. Good Luck!
ReplyDeleteThanks Kathryn! I think you said what I wanted to say better than I did.
DeleteI think Jake and Kathryn pretty much nailed it on the head but I thought I would throw in my two cents. It is important to treat people as people but they can also be used as a resource. What is a company's greatest resource? It's people. How about the Church's greatest resource? It's people. And one of Heavenly Father's greatest resources? His children. The people you know (your network) are your greatest resource for success. Whether it's finding a job or just getting advice, other people are needed.
ReplyDeleteI had the same attitude as you when I was first learning about networking. But there is no need for us to think that it is selfish to go to others hoping that they may be able to help us out. Especially if we have the mindset of what can we do to help them. Giving others a way to receive help will, in one way or another, come back to bless us. Call them blessings or Karma, it's just the way that things tend to work out.
ReplyDeleteOof, cuttin deep there, Cade. But I like the honesty there. I think in just about any field(not just business), there's gonna' be a cynical side to it. You know, confusing people for profits or resources, using others, dog eat dog, nice guy finish last kinda stuff. That being said, I think you can do well in a lot of fields(I won't say any) without a cynical attitude. You can be a friend just for friendships sake. You can do good for goodness' sake. If you end up helping each other out, cool. If not, so what? You're still a rock star.
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