Trainism

Right from my childhood, I have believed in the power of SELF. I never felt the need for Networking. Even during my hostel days the idea of building good relations with my seniors made me repulsive. I am still not the “YES BOSS” kinds. I always knew that if I have the caliber, right knowledge, skill set & Attitude in life I would not need people around me to make me successful.  At the same time I have also seen people who don’t move an inch in life without consulting their so called NETWORK.

So who is right and whose wrong ? Who is more successful & who is less successful? Who is more satisfied & who is less satisfied? Who has more fire in his belly & who doesn’t have it all ?

After doing a lot of analysis for years, I think I do have an answer. Not sure if it the right one. So just hear me out  It hurts to confess but the only reason I never wanted help was out of ego. I always thought I could do it myself. On the other hand, the friends’ oriented people I think are too unsure about their choices in life and thus end being with people, but are not able to use it properly as they lack skills.

People who are successful in life would always know what they want from life and people around them. So it might not be correct always, to say that they are not confident, or do not possess the right knowledge & skill set. These are people who who are really intelligent & smart as they only have the end in mind & do not get bothered with things in between. For them establishing a database of contacts is very crucial in the advancement of their career.

Below are the steps involved in building a strong network:

1. Define a goal & keep the end in mind: Don’t be aggressive or passive. You might just loose it at the start. One has to be ASSERTIVE to carry it till the end. Network should be considered as one of the mediums to make you successful & not THE only medium to take you to heights.

2. Create a database of contacts: In this stage judiciously identify who will be in your powerful contact list & who in the Backup list. Who can help you spread or expand your current horizon and who can give you an upward thrust? The contact list would contain names of your close friends, family members and professional associates etc. Research says that you must get in touch with your contacts at least once a month either face to face, on phone or through mail. Because of the common saying “Out of Sight & Out of Mind”. Also try to only have a number that you can handle. 5 from each front. That makes it a total of 15.

3. Look for more networking opportunities: Never turn down an invitation to a formal or an informal party or a meeting. Do not be afraid of going & speaking to people irrespective of their age, gender & their grade. Try to welcome more people in your circle and do not hesitate to make them a part of your group. Try to pay personal visits to people & do invite them to parties to strengthen the bond.

4. Build relationships only with the right one’s: Now that you have a big list of contacts and you have become a people’s person. Here comes the most important part of filtering the right people. In order to build a good network, be with people

• Who have and are ready to share information
• Who have energy, innovation and are motivating.
• Not to forget at good positions, so that they can offer you more that what you already have on your plate
• Have solutions and alternatives to problem

Try to avoid a company that has people who demotivate you , pull you down, are always complaining and only have questions.  If you are looking for a fast track growth then Networking for you is really important for you.