I recently 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. You could take a bamboo seed, plant it, water it, and fertilize it for a whole year and possibly nothing would happen. 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 tree sprouts and grows 90 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 is 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 without knowing it. We get introduced to a new friend or colleague, we talk to our neighbors at the block party, or we meet someone on the bus or train. While there certainly exists “planned” networking opportunities, most opportunities to network take place when we least expect it.
A few years ago, I was working with an undergraduate political science student from Ghana who was interested in international relations. Her dream was to pursue a graduate degree from the University of York in the UK. After officially submitting her graduate school application, she took a trip to visit her brother who was living and working in the UK. I suggested that she bring along her résumé. While riding the train, she began chatting with the woman next to her. Turns out that her seatmate worked at the University of York as a faculty member in the Department of International Relations. (I know…what are the odds?) The conversation took off from there and the woman asked if she would be willing to send her a CV (or résumé) and without hesitation, my student opened her bag and pulled it out. The woman said she would take it back to her department and share it with her colleagues. Two weeks later, my student received word that she was not only admitted into the program, but also had received a fellowship to work with a faculty member; the woman from the train!
Networking is about building relationships, connecting with people, and discovering common interests. I continuously remind myself and others that it is all about who you know, who you need to get to know, and what you do with that information. Remember, you never know when an opportunity will come knocking… Will you be ready when it does?
