Founder & CEO, Wall to Wall Communications, LLC. | Public Affairs | Public Relations | PR | Media Relations | Clients include real estate, non-profit, consumer | Former US Congress & NY Governor staffer | Maryland Terp
Networking is not the same as having a network. Networking can be tough for some people. It's about getting out there, going to fundraisers, industry events, and awful happy hour after awful happy hour, and asking "So, what do you do?" For even the most experienced and confident among us, it can be daunting at best. Networking is good for meeting new people and developing new pipelines to opportunity. Having a network, however, is harder and takes much longer to develop. When I launched Wall to Wall Communications three years ago next month, I spent the first few weeks calling friends, old coworkers, business acquaintances, or anyone I had ever met at an awful cocktail party, asking for a coffee or a brief conversation about how I could be helpful to them or anyone they knew. This was not something I could have necessarily done five or ten years earlier in my career. I've worked for more than a few organizations over more than 20 years, from government to campaigns to private companies. I've been privileged to work with some of the best and brightest among us (and frankly, some of the not-so-best nor brightest). I would like to think I've been pretty good about keeping in touch with many of them through holidays, birthdays, career milestones, family triumphs, and tragedies. I make a point to drop emails, text messages, LinkedIn comments, and phone calls to people not only when I need something, but sometimes just to check in and chat. So when I culled through a decent list of more than 200 people who I thought might be able to help, I had a pretty good response rate. Obviously, not everyone had business for me on the spot. But they took my calls, had an open mind, and seemed to genuinely think about how they could help. More than a few circled back in the following months with thoughts and opportunities for me, some of which panned out. Many did not. The others whom I spoke to, I was just happy to talk to and reconnect after months or years away. That's a network. It takes time, attention, and energy, but learn to make "network" a noun, not a verb. Your career will thank you and you'll be better for it.
Well said. Hope this gets seen by many young people starting or gaining momentum in their careers.
Municipal Securities Market Thought Leader: Managing Legal Counsel at RBC Capital Markets
10moSo true. Congrats on your successes and persistence.