Building a Network to Stay Ahead in Industry Changes

I had a conversation with a 26-year-old who had been given the advice not to build relationships with coworkers or others in his industry that could be competitors. The advice he received from a mentor was that you are in competition with people … And you can’t trust them. I disagree with that suggestion and believe the opposite is true for young professional professionals (actually my advice goes for people of all ages)… if you’re thinking about the long-term, you need to need to network, network, network…. but let’s go a layer deeper. Building relationships in your industry and your community isn’t about collecting business cards or followers. It’s about investing in yourself for the long game. Here are three reasons to start early: 1. All opportunities come from people – always. Jobs, clients, introductions, mentors, partnerships… they rarely come from cold applications or online likes, links, shares, or follows. They come from trust. And trust takes time. If you want doors to open in your 30s, 40s, and beyond, the time to build meaningful, mutually beneficial relationships is right from the start. 2. Reputation grows while you’re not looking. How people talk about you when you’re not in the room matters (and yes, people in your company and your industry. Do talk about you behind your back). Get involved. Show up. Volunteer. Help others succeed. The compound interest of your reputation starts accruing the moment you engage. 3. Community anchors you when things get hard. Careers aren’t straight lines. There will be pivots, setbacks, and reinventions. There will be recessions and layoffs that happen. Having a network of trusted peers, colleagues, and mentors makes the tough times survivable…. and the good times even better. When I speak to organizations that have young professionals… I am very clear that they need to think about how and why they” choose . Show up. Be curious. Give more than you take. It all adds up. #HumanInteraction #NetworkingMatters #CareerGrowth #UncommonConnections

"I'm not a networker," she said. Then I checked her LinkedIn... She had 42 mutual connections with her hiring manager. That's not networking luck - that's the power of industry focus. One of my clients just landed a Director role with a $30K salary increase after 16 years in pharma. Before working with us, she described her job search as "scattered." Sound familiar? Here's what changed: Instead of trying to be a universal candidate, she embraced her industry expertise and leveraged her existing relationships. The result? Two separate connections independently recommended her to the hiring manager - one who had directly reported to this manager previously and another who knew an executive there. Neither recommendation was solicited. They emerged organically from conversations where she wasn't even actively "networking." The career acceleration formula most miss: 1️⃣Your industry colleagues aren't just contacts - they're future hiring managers and champions. 2️⃣Focusing on depth (industry expertise) beats breadth (random connections) 3️⃣People who already know your work are 6x more likely to advocate for you than new connections. Most professionals approach networking backwards. They chase new "strategic" connections while ignoring the relationships they've already built through years of delivering good work. The most valuable asset in your career isn't your resume - it's your reputation within your professional ecosystem. How has relationship-building helped you land a better job?

Don’t fall into the narrow networking pit. Talk of diversity of views or ‘Fresh Eyes’, Is consistently everywhere. From the front lines to the C Suite. Except in most networking efforts. While there’s often lot of talk about networking being increasingly more important in an age of massive change and disruption, Most people still- Stay in their same lanes, With their same role charter, With their same industry, With their same ‘tribe’, With their local area, And we know why- that ‘relatability’ factor- People ‘like us’…. Here’s the problem with that. Once you’re 10-15 years into a career path, You already have had excessive access and exposure to those individuals and groups in your lane. You are in a form of an echo chamber of self Reinforcing ideas and beliefs… So the upside for well rounded outside the box type exponential growth is nominal. This may be fine if your desire is for more of the same…or to play it safe. But if your desire is - *To be memorable and unique, *To become wise beyond your years, *To become reinvigorated with fresh perspectives, *To be able to connect with, understand, and influence people of ‘all’ walks, *To be the one who brings truly fresh views and ideas into your bubbles and silo, *To have access to people and places you would normally never have direct access to, Then you should likely network completely the opposite of the ways everyone has traditionally done so. I can chalk every positive career and life navigation decision or jump in my career, To connecting with and learning from people completely outside of my tunnel vision silo. People some would argue I had no business wasting time with. Different ages, Different roles, Different views, Different industries, I am constantly shocked by the power of transferable knowledge that is available to any of us who are willing to look for it. The world needs more creative crossover. More people with more diverse views and perspectives. The specific and narrow skills are quickly being replaced. I firmly believe one of the things that will keep us ahead of the curve in this new world, Is how diverse our skill set, network, and knowledge/perspective base is. That does not happen without real intentionality, Real ‘outside the box’ authentic connections and experiences, And a really curious and wide open mind.