Move thanks to your personal network
24 December 2008
Read by 1779 persons
Golden rules to optimize your network, by Laurent Renard, author of "The guide to clubs, circles and influence networks" (Pearson Education France/Les Echos Editions, 2007).
Map the different networks
The more selective a club’s entry, the higher the quality of the relationship between members will be, and vice versa. A social network without any entry filter will have a weak link between its members. A very closed club with cooptation, sponsorship and severe selection will have a real team spirit. There is no "best" network in the absolute, there are some that are more suited to your needs, according to your tastes, your positioning and your budget. We can distinguish 10 types of networks:
Business: by sector, profession, function…
Think tank: literally "reservoir of ideas", totally independent or affiliated with parties or lobbies
Sport: from pigeon shooting to golf and polo
School: including the 24 Grandes Ecoles
Minority: according to the commonly accepted definition; female, black, homosexual population, religious, regional groups, etc.
Leisure: from chocolate tasting to opera lovers
Philanthropic: having a charitable, even humanitarian purpose
Freemason: the 9 main obediences
Political: emanations of the main parties
Social networks: from LinkedIn to Facebook, including ASmallWorld
Select a maximum of 3 networks
You cannot, and should not, be everywhere, for reasons of time, image and budget. 3 diversified networks (for example, Business, Sport and Philanthropic) in which you are active will bring more satisfaction than being a passive member of a dozen networks of the same type.
Give to receive
Networking is like a picnic. If everyone brings different dishes and is willing to share, it will be a success. If no one brings food and everyone wants to eat, it will be a disaster. Sow generously and rejoice in what grows.
Participate in the life of your network
Give your time, your skills, your good humor to make your club live. You will be noticed and your qualities will be appreciated on the ground. When an opportunity arises, you will be given preference because, in addition to your skills, people will trust you (networking is pre-selection, but not a piston).
Show restraint
Don’t start by claiming that you are looking for a job and handing out your business cards like a deck of cards at the first cocktail party, because you will be categorized and you will never climb back up. Tact, discretion and finesse…
Respect the three phases of your integration into the network
1. Entry: don’t try to shine but absolutely avoid giving a negative image of yourself. Try to understand how the club works, beyond the organizational chart and the proclaimed statutes. Who does what? Who is in charge? Who is open? How do the meetings go?
2. Rise to power: once you have assimilated the workings and the forces at play, get involved in organizing events, conferences, reports, where you will be appreciated for your commitment, subtlety, skills, energy, enthusiasm…
3. Taking responsibility: reserved for the minority who stand out, it will allow you to make the most of the advantages of the network by ensuring visibility conducive to interesting benefits…
Don’t boast about having a network
Those who have a powerful network never claim it. Don’t say you have a "network"; you have friends, relationships, with whom you have things in common, that you find in established structures…In "I have a network", there is a notion of ownership, unpleasant for the "components" of the network (are you valued in being a member of certain people’s network?). Those who want to build a network are mainly those who don’t have one.
Laurent Renard
Published April 25, 2008
Posted online December 24, 2008
lexpansion.com
Map the different networks
The more selective a club’s entry, the higher the quality of the relationship between members will be, and vice versa. A social network without any entry filter will have a weak link between its members. A very closed club with cooptation, sponsorship and severe selection will have a real team spirit. There is no "best" network in the absolute, there are some that are more suited to your needs, according to your tastes, your positioning and your budget. We can distinguish 10 types of networks:
Business: by sector, profession, function…
Think tank: literally "reservoir of ideas", totally independent or affiliated with parties or lobbies
Sport: from pigeon shooting to golf and polo
School: including the 24 Grandes Ecoles
Minority: according to the commonly accepted definition; female, black, homosexual population, religious, regional groups, etc.
Leisure: from chocolate tasting to opera lovers
Philanthropic: having a charitable, even humanitarian purpose
Freemason: the 9 main obediences
Political: emanations of the main parties
Social networks: from LinkedIn to Facebook, including ASmallWorld
Select a maximum of 3 networks
You cannot, and should not, be everywhere, for reasons of time, image and budget. 3 diversified networks (for example, Business, Sport and Philanthropic) in which you are active will bring more satisfaction than being a passive member of a dozen networks of the same type.
Give to receive
Networking is like a picnic. If everyone brings different dishes and is willing to share, it will be a success. If no one brings food and everyone wants to eat, it will be a disaster. Sow generously and rejoice in what grows.
Participate in the life of your network
Give your time, your skills, your good humor to make your club live. You will be noticed and your qualities will be appreciated on the ground. When an opportunity arises, you will be given preference because, in addition to your skills, people will trust you (networking is pre-selection, but not a piston).
Show restraint
Don’t start by claiming that you are looking for a job and handing out your business cards like a deck of cards at the first cocktail party, because you will be categorized and you will never climb back up. Tact, discretion and finesse…
Respect the three phases of your integration into the network
1. Entry: don’t try to shine but absolutely avoid giving a negative image of yourself. Try to understand how the club works, beyond the organizational chart and the proclaimed statutes. Who does what? Who is in charge? Who is open? How do the meetings go?
2. Rise to power: once you have assimilated the workings and the forces at play, get involved in organizing events, conferences, reports, where you will be appreciated for your commitment, subtlety, skills, energy, enthusiasm…
3. Taking responsibility: reserved for the minority who stand out, it will allow you to make the most of the advantages of the network by ensuring visibility conducive to interesting benefits…
Don’t boast about having a network
Those who have a powerful network never claim it. Don’t say you have a "network"; you have friends, relationships, with whom you have things in common, that you find in established structures…In "I have a network", there is a notion of ownership, unpleasant for the "components" of the network (are you valued in being a member of certain people’s network?). Those who want to build a network are mainly those who don’t have one.
Laurent Renard
Published April 25, 2008
Posted online December 24, 2008
lexpansion.com
