Networking

One of my largest learning over the past year is the importance of networking. It does not take that much time and the benefits are extremely positive. To be honest, I was not sure where or how to start networking, but after talking to a career coach, it made perfect sense. Networking could be old friends, old colleagues, professional associations, competitors, suppliers, vendors, and even clients/prospects.

When you network, you find out: different opinions about the marketplace, possible new clients, trends, new opportunities (both for your unit and you personally). Don't just "network" with your current colleagues as that limits your "marketplace". It's a big world out there with many opportunities; but you will not find them if you just sit back and wait for those to come to you. It is time for you to make an investment in yourself and network with others, the larger your network, the more successful you will be . . .

My strategy was to talk or write to one person each week. The person would be someone that I had spoken to in over a year. As most, this would 30 minutes each week, which is a small amount of time. Join LinkedIn or another one of the social networking capabilities, as networking has never been easier! I am on LinkedIn.

Take time to network, it will be worthwhile!