Professional success does not happen in a vacuum. Executives, managers, and entrepreneurs who achieve their career goals make a concerted, ongoing effort to connect with—and support—the members of their brand communities. Your professional network—those members of your brand community with whom you connect directly—is a vital element in your brand environment. When the members of your network respect you and understand your brand, they give you their support as you advance your career. They also extend your brand for you—by carrying your message to additional people on your behalf. While investing in the stock market these days doesn’t always guarantee a profit, investing in your contacts yields a very high return: a rewarding career. As you probably know, word-of-mouth marketing is one of the best branding tools. And when you please your network members, you give them something they want to talk about with others.
You’ve probably heard the statistic that nearly two-thirds of all jobs are found through networking. Yet many people don’t devote ongoing, steady effort to building and maintaining their network of contacts. At the same time, the need for networking has never been greater as executives increasingly face a revolving door in the form of ever-shorter tenures. Combine the fact that most jobs are found through networking with this trend of decreasing tenure, and we’re certain you can appreciate the importance of investing in your social capital. As with any investment, this one requires focus and commitment. Take your eye off the stock market at any time, and you risk losing some of your hard-earned cash. It’s the same with networking. To maximize your social capital, you must forge new relationships while also maintaining your existing attachments. The story that follows illustrates the value of networking.
You have to develop a Rolodex obsession, building and deliberately managing an ever-growing network of professional contacts.
—Tom Peters, management guru
Although you need your professional contacts to support your success, building a valuable network hinges on giving—not taking. The more you give to your network members, the more they will be there for you when you most need them.
When someone comes to me for advice on how to build a network because they need a job now, I tell them it’s useless. People can tell the difference between desperation and an earnest attempt to create a relationship.
—Keith Ferrazzi, author of the bestselling networking book Never Eat Alone and one of the world’s most connected individuals
Networking is not about making superficial contacts just to meet your immediate need. It’s about cultivating relationships. And like all relationships, the most successful networking bonds benefit both parties. When you approach networking from the perspective of giving, you make small but regular deposits in your social capital account, steadily increasing its value. You treat all members of your brand community generously—for example, by giving them new-customer leads, pointing them to resources that they might find useful, and helping them solve business problems. And the more you give, the more you get. Why? In the new world of work, what goes around comes around. In a word, it’s all about karma.
Never has this concept of career karma been more crucial. In today’s workplace, we each must fend for ourselves—making it essential that we support one another. By staying connected to others, you increase the exchange of advice, contacts, wisdom, and moral support circulating out there in the world.
I absolutely believe in the power of giving back. My own experience about all the blessings I’ve had in my life is that the more I give away, the more that comes back. That is the way life works, and that is the way energy works.
—Ken Blanchard, leadership author
In your professional life, you’ve probably met “takers.” These individuals are always willing to ask for things but prove quite stingy when it comes to giving. They view the world through a lens of scarcity, not abundance. And as you might expect, they don’t get as far in their professional or personal lives as people who demonstrate a more generous spirit. Perhaps you’ve been contacted by a long-lost member of your network only because she was now seeking a job. How did that make you feel?
If you view the world through a lens of abundance rather than paucity, you will find it easier to give to those around you, and you’ll be much more likely to receive the support you need. Successful careerists live in a world of limitless possibilities, unending resources, and rich opportunities. Paul Copcutt, facilitator for the Reach Personal Branding Certification program, illustrates the power of giving to your network with this anecdote:
I went to hear Keith Ferrazzi speak at the University of Toronto’s Rotman business school. I learned of it from my contact there; I had spoken to their MBA alumni a few months earlier on personal branding. I broadcast the Keith Ferrazzi event to my 2,500 e-zine readers—about 10 percent of the 120 or so audience were people there directly from my e-zine notice.
I followed Keith’s advice in his book about “bumping” the speaker before they go and then engaging them quickly to gain a follow-up. I took my copy of Keith’s book, Never Eat Alone, and asked him to sign it “before he got famous” (a quote from the book about the speaker being mobbed afterward). He commented that I had obviously read the book. I said that William Arruda had recommended it last year and that it was my most referred and recommended book of the year. I then told Keith that I would like the opportunity to follow up with him to discuss how I can make Never Eat Alone the number-one networking book in Canada. He said, “Absolutely” and gave me his card with an invitation to call him.
As I walked away, someone behind me had taken my lead and asked for their book to be signed. I heard Keith ask the person for his thoughts on the book, and the man said, “I have the guy you were just talking with to thank for telling me about this book. I was unemployed at the time, and directly as a result of your book, I’ve now landed a job.”
During Keith’s talk (which was excellent), he referred to this person, Bob, and said how touched he was that his book had made such a difference. He then explained that Bob “has to thank this gentleman for even being here,” and he pointed to me. He asked me to state my name and invited me to stand up. Then he said, “I talk on the subject of your brand, but as a direct result of Bob hearing about personal branding from Paul, he is now employed. So you should all take a moment to remember this face. And if you want to find out more about personal branding, this man has the program for you.”
Needless to say, I had a steady line of people afterward queuing up to exchange business cards and express their interest in my program.
Your most precious, valued possessions and your greatest powers are invisible and intangible. No one can take them. You, and you alone, can give them. You will receive abundance for your giving. The more you give—the more you will have!
—W. Clement Stone, businessman and advocate of positive mental attitude
What’s the ultimate gift? Giving to someone who hasn’t asked for help. You enhance your social capital even more by recognizing that someone in your brand community has a need you can fill— and pitching in without being asked. Some people find it difficult to call on others for something they need. To give to these individuals, get to know them: The stronger your relationship and the deeper your knowledge of the other person, the more easily you can sense when he or she needs something—and proactively respond to that need. When you practice this kind of giving, you attain the highest level in the karma kingdom. The story that follows depicts one professional who excelled at giving without being asked.
Do you send e-mails or instant messages to people who work in the next office? If you do, you’re missing one of the best opportunities to network: face-to-face exchanges with people in your organization. Some business professionals mistakenly assume that networking means cultivating relationships only with external contacts. But restricting your networking attempts to individuals outside your organization can damage your relationships with internal constituents. The following story shows how.
Participating in professional associations and external activities (the outer rings of your brand community), as well as making connections through virtual networks such as LinkedIn (refer back to Chapter 11), can be valuable activities. But as Maria’s story demonstrates, you can generate even more social capital by connecting with your colleagues inside the walls of your company. Why? Since the average tenure of an executive position is waning, your colleagues at your current organization may well be working somewhere else soon. And anytime one of your network members moves to a new employer, you gain fresh contacts in those other companies as well as opportunities to incorporate newcomers at your existing company into your professional network. Thus, investing in your internal network pays double returns. Try that with the stock market.
Finally, the best-connected executives and managers do a little networking each day—forging new relationships while also strengthening bonds with their existing contacts. They make networking a daily routine, like brushing their teeth. To increase the value of your social capital, adopt the same approach. Include in your daily “to do” lists activities that will help you make new contacts and enhance existing ones. Networking, just like other personal branding activities, is something you do “ongoingly.”
This book is powerful proof of the value of networking. Our book proposal was referred to our editor, Laurie Harting, via a network contact—L. Michelle Tullier (a networking expert who wrote a book on the topic). Kirsten and Michelle had met many years ago when Michelle taught a course at NYU in career counseling that Kirsten took, and they had remained in touch. Kirsten introduced William to Michelle at the Career Masters Institute Conference in Denver where William delivered the keynote presentation. When we were looking for guest experts for our Reach Branding Club teleseminars, we asked Michelle to share some of her networking wisdom, and she kindly agreed. Michelle then proactively introduced us to an outplacement company that was interested in including executive branding in their offerings. In August of 2006, we asked Michelle if she could introduce us to her editor at John Wiley & Sons. She immediately responded to our request, giving us contact information and encouraging us to use her name. We e-mailed Michelle’s editor who quickly referred us to the right editor at Wiley for our book. Just three weeks later, after a few conference calls and e-mails, we were negotiating the contract. Without Michelle’s referral, it could have taken us much longer to secure a publisher with the international reach that we desired.
Your social capital not only helps you find a job, it enables you to do your job. As an executive or manager, you bring a major asset to your employer: your collection of contacts. The more people you know, the more easily you find the resources necessary to manage your job responsibilities. For example, if you’re the head of product development and your team needs to find a new designer, you may know someone who will fit the bill. Or if you’re the IT director and your department is thinking about adopting a new customer relationship management system, you probably know numerous people who can lend their opinions on the various systems you’re evaluating. Even though networking isn’t listed in your job description, consider it one of your most important responsibilities.
People with winning personal brands know that the loneranger approach to career management doesn’t work. If you watch The Apprentice, you may have noticed that Donald Trump is connected to a host of individuals who help him succeed. Other major brands—Jack Welch, Richard Branson, Bill Gates, Oprah—all work the same way. And if you look closely at the executives whom you know and respect most, you will probably see that they, too, regularly draw on an immense store of social capital—a wealth of solid, mutually beneficial relationships with colleagues, clients, business partners, former supervisors, mentors, and so forth.
One effective strategy for building your network is through giving back to society. Every major corporation does this through its corporate social responsibility initiatives. For example, British Petroleum works to create a cleaner environment, American Express contributes to efforts aimed at ending world hunger, and Avon supports breast-cancer awareness. Companies that genuinely and wholeheartedly embrace an important social cause gain an edge over rivals claiming that “it’s not our job to worry about social problems.” Socially responsible organizations increase their visibility, attract loyal customers, and enable their employees to feel the satisfaction that comes with contributing to something larger than themselves and their company.
Demonstrating personal social responsibility can give you advantages, too—including burnishing your personal brand and thereby further distinguishing you from competitors. For example, renowned U.K. chef, Jamie Oliver, is working to reduce obesity by making school lunches more healthful. Bill and Melinda Gates have created a foundation devoted to make education available to everyone around the globe. And Madonna is feeding and educating orphans in Malawi, Africa.
When you support a cause you care about, you have to trust that your generosity will come back to you—but without expecting the return to take any specific form. Think of personal social responsibility as a strategic way of managing your career, rather than a tactical plan that will generate specific outcomes. The results will be positive, but you cannot—nor should you try to—predict exactly what shape they will take. When Bob Geldof founded Band Aid to help ease poverty and starvation in Africa, he probably wasn’t thinking, “Hmmm, if I start this organization, then I’ll be knighted by the queen and nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.” Instead, he likely started Band Aid with the intention of giving wholeheartedly to a cause he felt passionate about.
I don’t think you ever stop giving. I really don’t. I think it’s an ongoing process. And it’s not just about being able to write a check. It’s being able to touch somebody’s life.
—Oprah Winfrey, Emmy award winning talk show host, philanthropist, and actor
You don’t need a Swiss bank account to do your part in easing society’s ills. All strong personal brands contribute to the world at large in some way. (In fact, you can think of “the world” as making up the outermost ring in your brand community.) Doing well usually puts you in an even better position to do good. Aiding others benefits you personally, helps society overall, and enhances your brand. It enables you to extend your professional network and sharpen your skills. It also makes you more interesting as an employee or as a candidate for a new job. When you champion a cause, you do great things for your career and for your spirit while you’re making the world a better place for others.
Remember: All your professional interactions collectively communicate your brand and thus determine your career destiny. Networking and demonstrating personal social responsibility count among the most powerful levers for benefiting yourself and those around you, as well as contribute to the career karma so essential to professional success. All this is vital to exuding—managing your brand environment. But the best brands do even more: They “evolve and resolve”—a topic we discuss in the concluding chapter.