I think you have ever come across the Bible’s phrase of “iron sharpens iron”, with no intention to side with religion here, the phrase comes from the book of Proverbs( 27:17) and the main concept behind it is to suffice the simple concept that it would almost be impossible for one tool to become sharper without the presence of the other. That’s how the human nature since the birth of civilization works, one depends on the other through studying and adapting of lifestyle and skills forinstance today the most valuable thing that many are objectified too is the power and influence in forming meaningful relations with others, that’s what I believe and that’s what people like Armstrong Williams, an American journalist believe in as he describes it is an essential element in building wealth.

I would like to flashback to a precious moment last year, where during an occassional dinner between me, my family and friends; a certain associate in profession and my dad’s longtime friend almost likely a relative challenged me with a question, he asked me “What’s the most precious tool for you to connect towards your goals in this world?”, I gave an answer directly opposite to his simple gesture that it was the people. I failed to get it by then but after that occasion I had to connect dots that he meant network leveraging.

So, what is basically networking?( I know there is an IT version for this, Iam not talking about that), networking is simply leveraging the power of connecting what you have in terms of knowledge and skills to others in a to and fro simulating form, it is more like a teleportation that has many subsystems of which are all useful. In the era of the digital economy we are in, the ability to network and accenture in it’s usefulness is termed as one of the neccesary soft skills or skillset that can connects you to look for any interesting endeavour be it a job for entry level job seekers or for an entrepreneur be it meeting potential investors that can help you.

Iam writing this piece reflecting on this topic to address the group which I fall in which is the “millennials”. For millennials networking is a top softskill to harness as many of us are constantly seeking for opportunities like jobs pursuits, job hoopings or looking to venture into entrepreneurship or business endeavors. Most of us need this skillset now more than ever, but the major problem on site is that how well can we crack this skillset? I too struggle to understand it’s working system but I have tenured to some hacks that are useful and these are such as the following which can be helpful:

1. Seek to understand your preferred industry than the next person in line with you. Networking lures in the power of attraction just like physics in magnetics which is “like poles repel, but unlike poles attract”, the realm is that if you add up to what you are specialized in it can be easier for you to connect dots with people you are bound to have a simultaneous gain from, an example is from Steve Jobs who ascertained synthesizing of ideas from his diverse experiences with people he led of different backgrounds though he had already known and envisioned further from his field.
2. Find a tribe you can relate with, then join the pack. Relishing the power of networking starts from the group of associates you engage with, since this game is like a tetris bridge, the interconnected or sharp ones are the ones that can lead you to the right direction and not otherwise, that starts from the inner circle you have.
3. Join professional associations/seminars/ symposiums, learn and then act. Networking is a congenial process, it iterates depending on who you want to be and who you see can be the right fit for you and that includes subsidizing the roots of professions above you in associations they are in and learning to adapt on what they do, so it can of advantage to you, get more insights here.
4. Never be afraid to put the ketchup sauce in the pasta. The idiom here is never be too afraid to reach out to the person you want to be mentored of or connect to have a business or potential talk with, we live in a digital world and it is much more easier to reach the kind of people you in a fast paced manner, just do it!
5. Know your exit strategy. Networking is a learning process, it has an end like all oter systematic processes, the picture below enlightens the proceeds.

Image1.1: Networking as a learning process stages.

In this world of mutiple crosscutting issues, it is not what you know about anymore, it is more about what you know and who you know and how you can position yourself, that’s the hob nob effect, “socializing accordingly”but with the right people within the right way or manner. It should be noted that it is a steady process and it has growing patterns in it.

let’s do it. Inspired by Nike™.