George Fraser: Networking Powerhouse
Dr. Joel Martin and George Fraser
Networking works when you fully understand that there is inherent value in every human being and every human relationship regardless of title or position. Only when we mature enough to stop prejudging people as to their worthiness of our assistance can we truly give without expectation. When you give first, without expectation, you are networking for the benefit of others, and therefore the law of increasing returns will reward you tenfold.
There are no expectations to this law. Had the people in my life prejudged me because I lived in publicly subsidized tenement housing or because I mopped floors at La Guardia Airport, I would never have had the assistance I needed to fully blossom and maximize my full human potential. This probably would be the case with most Black people. This is the spiritual and philosophical underpinning of effective networking.
Networking works when you understand that there is very little that you can do or have in life without working with other people. Therefore, you work diligently on building and developing your infrastructure of human resources.
Networking works when you understand that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Networks must be built upon a foundation of established relationships, first of all, but they can extend beyond. Building that essential foundation, however, takes time. To create one, you must have an established rapport with your key core of networking contacts.
Networking works when you can comfortably and successfully match needs and resources. Creating a win-win situation is the optimum, and although it may not always be exactly an even exchange, often things work out that way in the long run.
If, at first glance, you do not appear to have an established network base of close friends and contacts, you need not despair. You probably do have the necessary foundation, but you simply have not yet recognized your friends and other associates as the base of your network.
As adults, on average we each know at least five hundred to seven hundred people on a casual or social basis. If you multiply that number of contacts by the number of people each of them knows, then your extended network of secondary contacts—friends of friends, colleagues of colleagues—is mind-boggling! There have been many studies to document the power of the extended network, but one of the most renowned is that of sociologist Mark Granovetter. Entitled “The Strength of Weak Ties,” it was presented in the American Journal of Sociology.
Granovetter found that acquaintances are more likely than family or friends to give individuals direct information and to recommend opportunities to them. These acquaintances, he found, are often only two or three contacts away. With the right interpersonal skills, you can be successful in attracting their assistance, even though you do not have personal relationships with them.
“Thank you!” Perhaps most important to making networking work is showing appreciation for the contributions of your fellow networkers. Remember how your mother labored to instill gratitude in you? (“Now, say ‘thank you!’”) Well, as usual, your mother knew best. Expressing gratitude is positive reinforcement. It works.
I make a point to thank people just for making a call for me or sending me some special article they think I might be interested in. All of this takes time, but it is time invested toward a larger reward…that of being a positively powerful person.
Thank you, Dr. Martin, for your insightfully written book – How To Be A Positively Powerful Person.
The above post was written by George C. Fraser and first appeared as the introduction to How To Be A Positively Powerful Person written by Dr. Joel P. Martin. George C. Fraser is the CEO of FraserNet and Producer of the PowerNetworking Conference. Dr. Joel Martin, Triad West President is the PowerNetworking Conference Director of Education. This year’s conference is June 25 to 27th in Atlanta, GA.
George Fraser is the author, of CLICK and Success Runs In Our Race. He is considered by many to be the new voice for African Americans and one of the foremost authorities on networking and building effective relationships.A popular speaker , George C. Fraser’s inspiring talks on success principles, effective networking, wealth creation, business ethics, and valuing diversity, are as popular among corporate professionals as they are among college students. His views have been solicited by CNN and the Wall Street Journal. Over the past decade, the prestigious publication, Vital Speeches of the Day, has selected, reprinted and distributed worldwide, four of Mr. Fraser’s speeches–a first for any professional speaker in America.