2017 Issue

59 Additionally, studies have identified personal benefits to professional networking. These benefits include: 1. Salary (Wolff & Moser, 2009) 2. Promotions (Michael & Yukl, 1993) 3. Perceived Success (Langford, 2000) 4. Job Satisfaction (Wolff & Moser, 2009) Steps to Improve a Professional Network Professional networking is a skill that can be learned. It may be more natural for some, but as with all skills, all can benefit by taking an active role in the development of the skill. W.C. Byham discusses certain steps to develop and improve one’s professional network. The following is an adaptation to the steps outlined in his article (Byham, 2009). 1. Figure out who you need in your network. It’s not enough to know your discipline or to have good problem solving skills. Many tasks have significant elements that are relationally based rather than analyt- ically based – even in the civil engineering field. Some of these relationships include government agencies, different engineering disciplines, competitors, tech- nology experts, suppliers and contractors. Determine your business goals and be specific and strategic in who you need to know to achieve your goals. 2. Introduce yourself. It is human nature to stick with things that are comfortable. This often does not include reaching out of our comfort zones to get to know someone. Taking the risk to meet someone will not only increase your professional network, it has been shown that we empower ourselves and become better leaders by doing so (Warrell, 2013). The risk to meet someone is most typically associated with a fear of being rejected. Some have found that having pre-calculated questions or researching discussion topics beforehand has been helpful. Additionally, there are numerous ways to immerse ourselves in networking situations by getting involved with com- munity projects, volunteering opportunities, profes- sional organizations and other industry-related events. Although face-to-face relationship building is far more effective, there is also value in building online profes- sional networks through websites such as LinkedIn. 3. Deliberately build the relationship. Once con- tact has been made, the next step is to develop the relationship. One easy way to do this is by asking for help. It is easy to think that asking for help will make us appear uneducated or weak, but asking for help has been linked to job success (Bauer, Erdogan, Bodner, Truxillo, & Tucker, 2007). Get to know your contacts and build on your relationship in any way you can. Building the relationship will provide a more reliable professional network and allow access to information within a short amount of time. 4. Help others. Our professional network cannot grow if we are not doing our part to promote the relationship. In order for others to help us, we must, too, help them. We can pass on information, give useful information or simply acknowledge the relationship regularly. It makes sense that if we do these things, the other party will more likely start to follow the same behavior. An- other important aspect of helping others is our need to be responsive. When reached out to, we should make every effort we can to respond in a timely man- ner. We often need information quickly, and when we are able to readily provide that information to others, we will find that our professional network will similarly become reliable. Conclusion Building professional networks is a critical element to suc- cess in the business world. While it is easily overlooked, it remains an opportunity of which successful leaders will take advantage. There is value in investing time into our profes- sional networks and in relating the various forms of net- works to our own networking strategies. We will discover a broad level of benefits within our careers. By being deliber- ate and purposeful in our networking, we can develop the skills to become more successful in achieving our profes- sional goals. References Bauer, T. N., Erdogan, B., Bodner, T., Truxillo, D. M., & Tucker, J. S. (2007). Newcomer Adjustment During Orgnaziational Social- ization: A Meta-Analytical Review of Antecedents, Outcomes and Methods. Portland State University. Byham, W. C. (2009, January). Start Networking Right Away (Even If You Hate It). Harvard Business Review. Retrieved November 1, 2016, from https://hbr.org/2009/01/start-networking-right- away-even-if-you-hate-it Ibarra, H., & Mark, H. L. (2007, January). How Leaders Create and Use Networks. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved November 1, 2016, from https://hbr.org/2007/01/how-leaders-create-and- use-networks Langford, P. (2000). Importance of Relationship Management for the Career Success of Australian Managers. Australian Journal of Psychology , 52, 163-168. Michael, J., & Yukl, G. (1993). Managerial Level and Sub-Unit Func- tion as Determinants of Networking Behavior in Organizations. Group & Organizational Managemenr , 18, 328-351. TNS. (2012). The Mindset Divide . LinkedIn. Warrell, M. (2013, June 18). Take a Risk: The Odds Are Better Than You Think . Retrieved November 1, 2016, from Forbes Website: http://www.forbes.com/sites/margiewarrell/2013/06/18/take-a- risk-the-odds-are-better-than-you-think/#83c0351d09ed Wolff, H.-G., & Moser, K. (2009). Affects of Networking on Career Success: A Longitudinal Study. Journal of Applied Psychology , 94(1), 196-206.