The power of networking comes not when you need it, but through respectful cultivation when you don’t.
Nobody and I mean nobody, is safe from elimination at any company. No matter how valuable you may consider yourself, situations change daily and if required, positions will be eliminated for the greater good of the company. The sooner you understand and accept that, the easier it is to prepare yourself for that eventuality. Preparing yourself includes building a strong and respectful professional network.
I have closed a company, walked away from multiple corporate positions and yesterday had my position eliminated. None of these situations has caused fear or trepidation. Without sounding brash, I’m pretty good at what I do. My work brings value to every company I’ve built or worked for. I also have a tremendous professional network that has my back because I have their back.
Building that network started back in 1998 or 1999 when I found a website called the WWUG or World Wide Users Group. It was the dawn of peer to peer user groups to share knowledge around all things in the creative industry. Quickly behind that came the CreativeCOW website and the user groups exploded with millions of posts per month.
I began by asking and then answering questions in the forums. First in one forum, then a few, then dozens. One tutorial turned into a couple dozen. One product review turned into dozens. 10 years later I had over 25,000 posts, reviews, and articles in that one site. I was appearing at major conventions and consulting to creative teams worldwide. I also had something much more valuable than a post or follower count; a network of like-minded colleagues from all over the globe who enjoyed sharing knowledge.
In other words, we bonded over a give and take relationship. We all gave of ourselves and when needed, took information from the group. We enjoyed helping to make each other successful and that enjoyment continues to this day.
Marco Solorio and I connected 20 years ago and have been laughing ever since.
That give and take is the key to any successful network. You cannot build a respectful network around ‘take.’ If the only time you try to build a network is when you need it, such as the pursuit of a new job, you will often fail. Give, give, give and then give some more. Don’t ask for anything in return.
Building that network of trusted and respected colleagues is a long game. It starts with engagement. You have knowledge in your field of expertise. Look for forums and discussions in social, in user groups, here on LinkedIn and find discussions where you can respectfully engage sharing and using your knowledge.
Dive-bombing a conversation with “Wow that’s awesome!” is not as effective as “Wow, that is an awesome piece of work. I really like what you did with the color grading on that second scene. Did you use a LUT or did you build those looks from scratch?” The first response might get a “Thanks” from the author. The second response shows you have an understanding of the craft, the author’s work and would like to know more about the process. There’s a respect to the conversation and you’re asking the author to engage back with you. Creating respectful engagement can lead to a connection over time.
Notice I said ‘over time.’ Repeat this respectful engagement, give and share knowledge in multiple conversations before jumping in to send a connection request or a DM for additional information. You’re building trust with the other person to say, “I’m truly interested in what you have to say. I’ll be respectful of your time and if you don’t mind, I’d like to send you a few questions directly from time to time.”
Bram Desmet is one of the truly "good guys" in business and one of the sharpest wits I know.
Once again, give, give, give and then give some more. Your network will build itself with people asking to connect to you. You are someone people respect and you add value to their network by simply giving of yourself.
Also understand, networking is NOT a numbers game. It’s now about how many people you are connected to. “Gaming the system” to gain thousands of unknown and anonymous connections is not necessarily going to help you when you need it most. Building a network of engaged connections that is mutually beneficial takes time. It means looking over each other’s profile and looking through previous engagements to see if there truly is a reason to connect. Transactional connections simply to pad your numbers so you ‘look more respected’ are not as beneficial in the long run.
What’s really interesting about networking on LinkedIn is that you’re introduced to people from many industries outside of your own. While at Georgia-Pacific I was introduced to people in the paper and timber industries. In Florida, I connected to people in the science and med-tech industry\ies. Lately, I’ve made a lot of connections in the retail, grocery and dairy industries. These connections are just as welcome and vital as those in my creative field because my storytelling work now applies to almost any industry. Companies have a story to tell and more than likely, video is driving their storytelling campaigns. These connections open up my work and abilities to many more potential jobs than if I just kept to the film and television industry. From a personal level, it’s really cool to be connected with some truly brilliant minds and know that I can actually help them with some advice about storytelling. And I learn some really interesting things way outside my comfort zone following their feeds.
The elimination of my position yesterday was not unexpected. As a former owner of multiple businesses, the signs were there that change could happen sooner rather than later. A business must do what it needs to do to protect itself and sometimes that means eliminating salaries. It literally IS just business and it’s smart business. Yes, people do lose their jobs and it really sucks for the business owner to lay people off. But when it happened yesterday, it was ok, I have my network.
Shane Ross is one of the most creative and giving people I know in the creative industry.
By following the signs and refusing to be in denial about the possibility of layoffs, my network was already engaged a few months ago. I’ve already had several promising interviews, more interviews lined up for next week and an offer to do some freelance photography and video production. My network built up over 20 years of continual giving is now allowing me to ‘make an ask’ for help. Colleagues are leaning in and help is being offered without asking, from both long time connections and from new colleagues in industries I never would have imagined just last year. I cannot begin to tell you the immense gratitude and respect I have to these tremendous professionals who feel that being connected to me adds value to them. That they are willing to reach through their networks help me find a new adventure is humbling and reassuring. They know I'll do the same for them when needed.
Give, give, give and then give some more. Build a strong respectful network. When you truly do need help, it will be given.
My original network. Karen and Pedro, the two who started me on the storytelling path I'm on today.