I recently had the opportunity to read a fabulous book titled “Networking is a Contact Sport” by Joe Sweeney. In the book Joe uses one of the best metaphors to describe networking: bamboo!
Unlike normal crops that you can harvest annually, bamboo takes a lot longer to grow. According to the stories of professional botanists, you take a little bamboo seed, plant it, water it, and fertilize it for a whole year, but nothing happens. The second year you water and fertilize the bamboo plant, but again nothing happens. The third year you water and fertilize it, and again nothing happens. Talk about discouraging…
But when you continue watering and fertilizing the seed the fourth year, suddenly the Chinese bamboo tree sprouts and grows ninety feet in six weeks.
All those years, the bamboo was growing roots that became the foundation to support the massive growth. That’s why the way bamboo grows in much like networking – you need patience as well as persistence without losing track of the long-term perspective.
Networking is one of those things we do even thought we don’t realize it. We may meet a friend or colleague through another friend or colleague, we talk to our neighbors about the next neighborhood block party, or we meet someone on the bus or train. Have you ever stopped and thought about who they are professionally? Or who or what they have connections to? While there certainly exists “planned” networking opportunities, most opportunities to network takes place when we least expect it.
A few year ago I was working with an undergraduate political science student from Ghana who was interested in International Relations. Her dream was to continue her education and pursue a graduate degree from the University of York in the United Kingdom. After officially submitting her graduate school application she planned a trip to visit her brother who was living and working in the UK. I not only suggested that she thoroughly enjoy her visit, but that she consider bringing along her resume just in case. Upon arriving into the UK she boarded a train to meet her brother in Leed, UK. While riding the train she was sitting next to a woman who seemed kind, but without the woman asking where she is traveling from, wouldn’t have probably talked with. After explaining where she was from and the purpose of her visit, she asked the woman if she was a local and what she does. Lo and behold, the woman worked at the University of York as a faculty member in the Department of International Relations. I know…what are the odds? Well the conversation took off from there and the woman actually asked if she would be willing to send her a CV (or resume) and without hesitation the student opened her bag and pulled out a resume. The woman, beyond impressed, reviewed the resume and was very encouraged on what she saw. She then said she would take it back to her department and share it with her colleagues. Two weeks later, my student received confirmation that she was not only admitted into the program but received a fellowship to work with a faculty member in the department; the woman from the train!
Networking is about building relationships, people connecting with people and discovering common interests. I continuously remind myself and others that it is all about who you know or need to get to know, and what you do with that information. Remember, you never know when an opportunity will come a knockin’…will you be ready when it does?
