We are knee deep in conference season and leaders keep telling me how much they dread networking. The loud ballrooms, the business card bingo—it can all feel very “ick” when you think of networking in the traditional sense. I get it, we are not all up for the gauntlet of networking that conferences bring, and walking away from busy jobs means all that work is waiting for you back at the ranch. So why invest time in networking?
First, make no mistake: networking is a leadership competency. The power of an extensive network relieves leaders from having to know everything. Most competent leaders understand that they can know more and be more by relying on a network of professionals who can amplify and multiply their knowledge.
Here are a few ways you can be deliberate about investing in your network:
Make a Conference Plan: Download the conference app or the schedule and spend 10 minutes planning what sessions would be useful to you. If you want to hire analysts, make it a point to attend the “Analyst Roundtable”. If you need some help with legislation, make sure you attend the “Legislative Update”. Connect with the speakers after the session, add them on LinkedIn, email them thanking them for their session and ask a follow-up question.
Make Productive Small Talk: If you’re a leader with a development plan, use that to your advantage. An Assistant City Manager recently shared with me that she’s trying to figure out how to spend more time with elected officials, since she’d like to promote to City Manager one day and knows she needs the exposure. I suggested she use this opportunity to ask other local government leaders how they get reasonable exposure with electeds as a research opportunity. Small talk at happy hours or coffee can lead to action!
Network Differently: Many leaders sit on boards and committees, often ones that are virtual. Some of the best connections I’ve made are with leaders I’ve connected with while we co-serve. Consider volunteering for planning committees or panels at conferences that you already attend. Not only will you naturally meet folks interested in the same things you are, you’ll connect with them on a deeper level. Lastly, volunteer to sit on oral board panels. You’ll meet other leaders tasked with hiring similar roles, you’ll get ideas of questions, you’ll see the talent that’s moving around, and you’ll make a friend before you need one by serving a community in your network as they fill their open position.
Networking can be “ick” but it can also be fun and with a little strategy, you can make networking work for you.