Building Your Next Level Network
Your network is your net worth, an oldie but a goodie, and I’d argue that this is becoming not only more and more important in this connection economy we are transitioning into but also vital for navigating the complexities of today's rapidly evolving professional landscape.
If you have listened to the podcast for a little while or have been following me on LinkedIn, you’d have heard me talking about the difference between an expert and authority more than a few times. In the end, the differentiating factor between someone who’s excellent at what they do and someone who’s excellent at what they do AND gets recognized for it lies in their ability to: a) communicate how they do what they do in a language and way that resonates with their decision-maker and b) be visible to them.
With that said, most of my clients who are at this mid-senior level and who’re working toward getting into the C-Suite or working with more high-profile clients or want to get onto a board lack the one thing: not having access to the right level of decision-makers.
And here is why:
Most of us as we grow (up) in our profession are busy working and doing the doing. Working in our career with long days at work, managing big workloads and even bigger personal commitments are often the reasons why we don’t ‘have time’ to also work on our career. And this is also the exact reason why these people get stuck at a certain level where it doesn’t (just) come down to their performance anymore but their exposure to the right level of decision-makers.
Plus - who your ideal decision-maker is also changes over the years. When you start your career, anyone who is a little more senior and could make an intro, put in a good word for you or even get you a job at a company is your decision-maker. But as we progress, we often miss the ‘detail’ to not only build peer networks which happen naturally anyway but we don’t focus on building already the next level network for when we need it. You build a roof before it rains and that also applies to your network. So many don’t ‘feel ready’ or ‘important enough’ to reach out to senior decision-makers, industry leaders, or well-connected people because they don’t think they could provide anything that would be relevant for them.
This is where we have to work on straight away because everyone is looking for something and we just need to figure out what’s relevant for your decision-maker that you can provide and use this as an ‘excuse’ to reach out in the first place.
Once we know that, we can leverage this in various ways: organize a 1:1 meeting, use intros at networking events, build your own hand-picked circle of influential people... you name it.
To give you some inspiration and ideas, here are a few examples from what some of my clients have used in the last few months to gain visibility:
Internal workshop organisation: One of my clients has been working toward a promotion with more staff responsibilities for a while but couldn’t quite get the traction internally. One topic we identified is relevant to the industry overall and with that, to that organization which is one of the leaders in the category is AI. So we planned a workshop he facilitated with senior stakeholders from the wider organization (rather than just his immediate team) to gain more exposure as a thought leader and leader in action. The attendance was ok but not amazing but that doesn’t even matter. I always say that the actual event (may it be this workshop, a speaking engagement, a networking event you attend) is 20% of the result you want. The 80% is what you do with it before and after and how you leverage it to your advantage. In this case, we also summarized the findings with recommendations, sent out to the wider executive team who couldn’t make it, use it for an upcoming workshop with a new team that is now reporting to him.
Whitepaper research + release: Another client of mine works with government stakeholders and very specialized professionals who don’t necessarily spend a lot of time online; they’re working all over the country and don’t just come to certain events together and also have their own agendas which she is mediating. Since her brand archetype is also a sage and law is her professional background, we decided that an original white paper is the goer. Firstly- it was a good excuse to reach out to senior decision-makers for their anonymous input. Then it was another good excuse to arrange a meeting to present the findings and also use them to provide solutions to their challenges which they voiced. Lastly- we also use the findings in keynotes for industry conferences where she speaks as well as short-form content on LinkedIn.
Build your own network and events: One last example I want to share is from another client who was recently promoted to a partner in her firm and one of her responsibilities is to also do BD which she didn’t have to do prior to the promotion. Again, it’s a very niche industry with very busy stakeholders that wouldn’t spend too much time on LinkedIn. Since it’s also a very delicate topic she specializes in, we decided that events are the goer. Not just any thought. Very hand-selected ones that she organizes and hosts. This way, she is in control over who she invites, the content that is covered but also how the insights are used afterwards.
While those examples are quite different and tailored to their industry but also my clients’ personality and preference, the one common denominator is the repurposing of the activity through content creation on Linkedin. This is something that most struggle because they try to create in isolation rather than document what they already do and leverage this activity in multiple ways.
You may think it’s not worth posting because you get little or no engagement but I can guarantee you that people are lurkers and see your content / build a perception based on that. I don’t think there is one coaching client who has engaged in my content before they engaged me to work with them but everyone knew what I was up to because they had seen my content and built their perception about me on that.
Another few ideas how you can create your own value asset is by thinking how you can provide a platform for them in one or another way. I started to invite thought and industry leaders to my organizations where I worked and gave them exposure to my team and also to the wider community later on. You’d be surprised how open and willing even senior leaders are to be part of a panel discussion, give a presentation or join as an interviewee. Over the last few years, this very podcast has also been such a fantastic platform to get very senior and influential guests on who I built relationships afterwards. Also think about joining industry associations or interest groups as they always put on events with guest speakers and also always look for volunteers who can assist with that if you don’t want to build your own platform (just yet).
One last thing I want to say is that adding anything (responsibilities, tasks, commitments but also people) to your life also requires letting go of what or who doesn’t fit in there anymore. Every stage in life and your career requires a different version of you and often it’s the old circle of influence who also keep us stuck as change is scary for most and they do anything to keep you where you are so they don’t have to change.
Do yourself a favor and take an audit of people and communities you hang out with and how much energy they give you vs drain you. Do they challenge you to be and do better or are they always judging you for wanting more, working on weekends on a side project or think you’re crazy getting up early to exercise?
I know who I want to be surrounded by because one of my personal values is growth and I never settle because I think it’s boring. No judgement for those who enjoy the status quo but it’s not me which is why I constantly push myself to build next level networks so they can keep challenge me in my way of thinking, doing and being.
I’d love to hear from you! How’re you getting infront of next level decision makers? What’s your approach to surround yourself with people who equally challenge and support you in your journey? Let me know by sending me a DM on LinkedIn.
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