Many marketers, influencers, and networkers talk about networking, knowing more people, attending events and parties, meeting your ideal person in the elevator, selling oneself, and many more. However, many of them should have talked about our network’s growth and its impact on us.
This is my opinion, and I can be wrong; I also love to learn things by being wrong.
We always try to talk and meet top-level people, CEOs, and managers, but we must speak and manage our network.
For instance, I am pursuing my MBA at the University Canada West, and I used to think I needed to make good relations with professors. But I realized all these years I was wrong. I always wanted to meet people at the top but failed to build relationships with people in my circle.
We need to network with people who are at the top, but at the same time, we need to nurture our network as well.
You may be thinking how my uncle, roommate, and brother are critical networks for me. If we started taking them as our essential assets and nurturing the relationship from today, they would be in a different place in five years. We realized their value then, but there is still time.
I rarely talk with my friends at UCW, and I focus on professors only. But I failed to realize that the person sitting next to me could be the next billionaire, minister, or great writer.
The take from today’s reflection is we always try to network with people at the top but fail to network with the ones who already have.
There are various books on networking; here are my top favorites;
- The Third Door
- Never Eat Alone.
- Think Faster, Talk Smarter.
- Just Listen.
- Give and Take.