Creative Networking

One of my personal highlights during this time of social distancing has been seeing how creative people have become when it comes to building relationships. I’ve witnessed and experienced some pretty memorable interactions that did not require hugs and meeting face-to-face, although this extravert is looking forward to the day I can high five you for all your accomplishments.

My neighbors enjoy leaving somewhat secret, random gifts at my door. I say “somewhat secret” because there’s usually a note or a text that comes along with the gift once I find it. For Easter, they decorated a roll of toilet paper as a bunny (Talk about a valuable gift when such an essential was so hard to find!). More recently, they left a friendship spider plant, which apparently is hard to kill, at my door (maybe they noticed my thumb was not quite green). I was blown away at the uniqueness of the gifts as well as how they made me feel. I felt like I belonged, like I mattered, and like I wanted to continue to connect with them.

I have a long-term friend of let’s just say many, many years. I received a virtual meeting randomly from her one day, saying she just wanted to catch up. I came to find out that she made a list of her friends that she cycles through over and over again to make sure she gets some quality time with them regularly, even though they cannot meet face-to-face. She did not want to forget or miss anyone. I felt honored to make the list, but even more than that, I wanted to clone her in my life and in the world because she showed she was resilient, she was strong, and she authentically cared enough to be intentional with our relationship.

While these were not the only creative interactions I experienced, I mention them here because they both left a lasting impression with me. They left me wanting more interactions with them - Genuine, purposeful, value-filled interactions. It reminded me about what true networking is all about - real relationships in which two people naturally want to go out of their way to encourage and help one another.

I know there are many people currently struggling to find jobs, so my hope is that these stories will inspire a little creativity in your networking approach to build the relationships that will be there for your over the long haul. You want relationships with others that support you and challenge your thoughts, so over time, there’s no question when it comes to whether they will refer you to a contact or their organization for your next job.

Here’s my challenge to you:

What is a unique strategy you can try today to connect with your network in a genuine, purposeful, and value-filled way, so you can build long-term support?