“Cross Purposes”

Networking is a catchy word. I believe it’s also a necessarily vague one that is used to describe an ill-defined work-centred social activity that few people admit to enjoying and even fewer can agree a simple definition for. In my experience it often conjures up images of situations in which we need to be simultaneously talented, fascinating, highly skilled and admired by others – often to an unrealistic degree – so it’s little wonder few people think they are much good at it. Equally, it can be characterised as a focussed episode of insincerity, manipulation and forced extraversion delivered in a calculated manner and set within a false environment. Either way many of us expect little from these opportunities and often have our expectations met.

But if we consider what these social activities actually are and how we might make them less painful and more productive, our lives – at least in a networking context – might improve. So forget about the word, and instead think about “meeting strangers with a common interest and having some things up your sleeve to help you engage them in a pleasant and possibly useful conversation.” I realise that this description doesn’t exactly trip off the tongue, but I argue that it’s a more accurate description of the activity that we are often expected to engage in, and it’s more likely to help us get a result we think worthwhile.

In fact, I assert that the ability to network effectively can be amongst the most productive and powerful components of a career.