Building Networks, Online and Off

Technology has made networking easier and more important than ever, so spend some time mapping your personal network

by Marshall Goldsmith

One of the most important skills for the professional of the future is networking. I had the opportunity to discuss this with Michael Dulworth, author of The Connect Effect: Building Strong Personal, Professional and Virtual Networks (Berrett-Koehler, January, 2008). He is also chief executive officer of Executive Development Networks, an organization that is focused on building cross-organizational connections in the HR world. Edited excerpts of a recent conversation follow:

MG: What's different about networking today than before?

MD: The major difference today is how easy it is to communicate with your network via the Web. Some research has pointed out that the maximum number of active network members is [around] 150. But that research was done before the Internet. Today, it may be possible to establish and maintain a much larger network—maybe with thousands of members—because the technology is widely available to assist in managing a network contact base, plus e-mail makes it so easy to communicate actively with a large number of network members.

Are virtual networks the answer?

We can network with people throughout the world, 24/7, 365 days a year. Connectivity with people in our networks can be instantaneous via IM. We can also use global positioning to know where all network members are at a given point in time (if they provide us with this access). Social networks like MySpace (NWS), Facebook, and YouTube (GOOG) are becoming platforms for all types of social interaction. All of these innovations are radically changing the nature of networking, and many are extremely positive in nature.

However, many of the people I interviewed for my book talked about how depersonalizing these online forms of networking can be. They talked a lot about the need to establish a personal connection with network members face-to-face before online forms of networking can be effective. This may be a generational issue, however, so we'll just have to wait and see.

If someone's just no good at networking—or, like many folks, just hates it—can that person do anything to build confidence and see results from networking?

First of all, I say that everyone networks every day; they just may not think they do. Everyone talks daily to a family member, a work colleague, or a friend, and this is a form of networking. Additionally, most everyone meets someone new every day. The trick is to find a way to build and maintain your network that is comfortable for you.

And how do you do that?

This is where personality, style, and preferences come into play. If you're an introvert, you may not like large gatherings. So meet a contact for lunch or go online and build and communicate with your network in this manner. Networking is not simply the act of going to social or "networking" events to try to meet new people. I'd argue that networking needs to be thought of more holistically and approached with a deliberate process mindset (i.e., "Have I networked today?").

Second, I'd stress that most people's networks are a lot better and stronger than they think. They've just not taken the time to map their network or to think about who the important contacts are within their network.

How do you suggest someone map and analyze their network?

In the book, I describe multiple ways to map and analyze your network. My favorite way is to describe your networking journey in a narrative summary while in parallel creating a network tree diagram. I describe how my network has formed since birth, starting with my parents, siblings, aunts and uncles, cousins, friends of the family, my friends, school friends, business associates, parents of my son's friends, etc.