Its a networked world!

I happened to scan through a HBR article on the importance of networking. Before I could read through the 9 pages of text and illustration and comprehend what the stalwarts mean, thoughts gazed through my mind, and I thought that its better to put them down. I can read the article later, anyway.

What is networking? Being a part of a society, an individual is forced to interact, and take help of others. A standalone human doesn’t survive for long. The same rule applies in business as well. Networking is a form of interacting, and keeping good relations with those that matter in business.

One may be tempted to say “I have no business networking, I’d rather concentrate on my work!”. Its undoubtedly true that focusing on the core competencies is what Hamel and Prahlad would like you to do; yet looking around you, understanding whats happening and whats not (after all, one needs to spot opportunities as well) requires a good deal of networking.

I have often come across people who do not like meeting others, or for that matter, meeting too many people. Meeting too many people is like creating a shelter, you never know whom you will need. It doesn’t make business sense to have too many enemies, for the animosity will get the better of you any day.

In the work that I do (that becomes by core competence), I often have to interact with the other teams for gaining knowledge, and getting their help in solving the client’s problem. After all, the ultimate objective of my effort is to make my client happy, and thereby develop rapport (a flavor of networking), and lead to my own growth. Getting other’s help and helping others is the process of unlocking the potential hidden within us. Together, we know much more than each of us do, or possibly can know. Its true that synergy adds value, and I can come to know that 1 + 1 >> 2. Why? Because of the immense potential hidden between individuals, or teams as the case may be.

So why not network? Why is it that people still do not like to do it? There are various reasons, all emanating from the human psychology. We do not network because we fear our inabilities will be out in the open, we are scared of being mocked at. We fear that others will take advantage, and leave us high and dry. And most importantly, we do not network because we simply don’t “feel like it”.

I hope I would be reading through the HBR article now, and getting some more sensible ideas.