Uber-networker Julia Hobsbawn joins the dots
As well as being appointed the world’s first networking professor, at Cass Business School in 2011, Julia Hobsbawn recently presented Network Nation on BBC Radio 4. She reveals why HR professionals need to alter their understanding of the term.
Why does our idea of ‘networking’ need to change?
People think networking is easy – that it’s simply about adding people to your social networks. But we can’t devolve the responsibility for cultivating relationships to websites.
What are the hallmarks of a true ‘networker’?
A networker embeds practices into their daily lives that fundamentally affect how they interact with others and which, through knowledge transfer, could even impact their company’s bottom line. People make the mistake of thinking networking is very transactional – that one good turn results in another. The truth is that it’s a much longer-term project. True networkers don’t look for instant gain. The impacts often aren’t immediate or obvious, and come about in unusual ways. I spend only a third of my time networking expecting something in return; the rest is spent meeting with people without knowing what the outcomes might be.
How does someone become a better networker?
Social networks are merely databases until you add the real social element to it, so being a networker is all about face-to-face interaction with small, close-knit groups of people. The greatest value comes from reconnecting with people you know already: research shows you can only maintain meaningful relationships with 150 people. You should spend at least 8-10 hours a week networking, in person or by phone or email. Social media should be a last resort.
Are HR professionals good networkers?
Generally speaking, they aren’t because they are still trying to answer outdated questions about whether or not they can network outside their company, how they might do it, and why. HR professionals can also be reluctant to promote the idea of the ‘blended self’. But they can be good networkers if they allow it to happen. Great networking is highly nuanced, and is about creating boundaries. It’s just as important for HR directors to say they don’t think someone is a useful contact as it is to accept them into their hierarchy.
How can busy organisations justify freeing their employees to spend time networking?
Organisations can’t afford not to let people network. Good employers know that networking produces more well-rounded people. Networking is about collaboration with others, and advancing the interests of yourself and your organisation, not only seeking your next job. My one wish is for employers to quadruple their travel and entertaining budgets to facilitate this.
Would networking be more acceptable if return on investment could be quantified?
Good networking isn’t all about gain, but there is a need to measure its effectiveness. Networking events should bring together communities of people worth meeting with content that’s worth learning about. I think networking will also soon be seen as part of our ‘social health’ – how we value and use our time.