Discover 4 Important Tips That Will Help You Grow Your professional Networks

By Perminus Wainaina

How many times since January have you told yourself that you need to build up your professional circle in order to hit the career goals you set? 

Like most people, you might have assumed that to network is to dine and wine with some of the top executives at a fine restaurant somewhere in the CBD while talking about the current market trends and who did what in that political meeting?

Unfortunately, this is not what I want to address today.

You see, with the right kind of people in your professional networks, more doors are prone to open with some amazing opportunities behind them.

And if you take a survey of some of those successful people in Kenya that you admire most, you’ll notice that very few have made it to the top of the ladder without knowing how to network.

So how does growing your professional network help develop your career?

In these 4 ways…

1. You will be able to develop a broader perspective of most things you consider common

As you try to expand your circles, you will meet professionals from all backgrounds, some in the same field as yourself and others in diverse fields.

And as you exchange ideas, you will notice that each of these people have something new that you can learn and apply in your profession.

This helps you generate fresh ideas of your own on how to rebrand yourself as a professional or if you are at the management level, learn new operational skills you can incorporate in your company.

2. Through meeting a variety of new people, you increase your professional confidence

Do you remember a time when you attended that business meeting or conference, where everyone was a stranger and you wondered where to start at?

If you’re the silent type, you probably kept your space and guarded it passionately and if you experience in such set ups, you might have probably tried to get to know the person you were sited with and tried to strike some professional conversation.

This is what I call professional confidence or lack of it.

By regularly walking up to complete strangers and mastering how to make them part of the conversation without making anyone feel awkward, you become more confident in making new circles of influence which in itself has a positive impact on your career and as a person.

3. You get to learn and master the art of handling rejection

Somebody once said that, if you aren’t getting rejected on a daily basis, your goals aren’t ambitious enough.

And you can attest to this that rejection is the worst.

In fact nobody likes it. However, in the networking world, it’s inevitable.

The way you handle a rejected meet up request can make or break you as a professional.

This is especially if you haven’t mastered the art of handling rejections, which is important for both professional and personal life.

Remember, people will ignore your calls, your emails; they will decline your meeting invites, and your requests for introductions.

And that’s okay too but do you stop at that?

Of course not…

4. You open more possibilities and opportunities for yourself as a professional

Please note that people do business with people they know, like and trust and likewise, companies don’t make decisions, people do.

And these are the people you meet and secure in your professional circles while in the networking quest.

You want to win them over but not by making a sales pitch or telling them how badly you need their help.

Remember, it is through networking that joint partnerships and joint ventures are born, new business avenues are opened, new sales prospects are acquired and even much better new job positions get filled

In fact, while at it, you might even notice that you are not the only one who has embarked on this quest which makes it even better.

So why not grab the opportunity!

But where do you find people to connect with?

The first thing you need to do is figure out who is already in your network and who do you need to add on your list.

After identifying the people you need and the goals you need to achieve, now you can go out of your way and master the art of meeting and speaking to new people.

You can look out for events such as business conferences, reaching out to people directly, meet ups like the common one in Nairobi for professional networks, asking people you know for introductions, classes and workshops like those of public speaking and Human Resource Trainings, parties, alumni associations, Twitter, and LinkedIn groups.

You cannot afford to complain about the avenues for meeting new people in this digital era.

You can even  setup a professional profile on your LinkedIn page, send requests to relevant people and after they agree, find a way to engage with them in meaningful discussions that get you setup for career success and on the right career path.

Now, with this in mind,

Remember when you are just yourself maybe in your office; you are most natural in how you express your points of view.

So as you meet new people, keep yourself at this state.

Ranks or job titles should not define your approach or how to talk to the other person; it should only make you more aware of the types of topics or issues that should be discussed.

All the best as you grow your professional circle!