Notes on making connections

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Following others blindly to expand one’s network will only bring more busyness and trouble. Steps for developing a network resource plan: Determine career goals — Assess the current status of network resources — Identify the needs regarding network resources — Design the structure of these network resources — Formulate a network resource plan — Create an action plan. When developing an action plan for network resources, the following points should be taken into consideration: The structure of the network resources must be scientific and reasonable. For example, gender structure, age structure, industry structure, educational background and knowledge level structure, hierarchical structure, internal and external structure, as well as structure in the present and future. The network structure of many managers is too simple and monotonous, resulting in low-quality networking resources. For example, some people focus only on internal networking resources within the company, ignoring those outside the company, which results in a narrow circle of contacts, limited information, and a narrow perspective. Some people focus only on the networking resources they have at the present moment, ignoring those that will be available in the future. As a result, as their careers and situations change, they end up lacking the necessary networking resources at critical times, and last-minute efforts often prove ineffective. Networking resources should meet the needs of both career and personal life. One should not focus solely on career advancement and professional success, at the expense of a rich and varied life and emergency needs. For example, there are people who may not be of much help in your professional career, but they can be great assistants in your daily life, taking care of household matters and everyday tasks; you shouldn’t ignore them. Networking resources should balance material and spiritual needs. You cannot plunge headfirst into the trap of pursuing fame and fortune, forgetting the true purpose of life, which is to seek happiness. For example, you need one or two friends who are genuine; even if they have a rough or vulgar personality, they can scold you harshly, helping you to regain your clarity for a moment. You should also have one or two attentive friends who are someone you can talk to; they share in your successes and help you cope with your setbacks. You should even have one or two people who like to argue, those who are always against your views, but you can always draw the necessary insights from their absurd statements. When it comes to networking resources, attention should be paid to mental needs. For example, you should make friends with experts, scholars, professors, seasoned professionals, wise people, and those who are highly knowledgeable in their fields; engaging with them on a regular basis will be of great benefit to you. For the puzzles that you can’t figure out no matter how hard you try, their brief words might provide you with some guidance. How to develop potential networking resources 1. Referrals from acquaintances: Expand your network. According to a survey conducted jointly by the Society for Human Resource Management and The Wall Street Journal among human resource managers and job seekers, 95% of human resource managers or job seekers find suitable candidates or jobs through their networks, and 61% of human resource managers as well as 78% of job seekers consider this to be the most effective method. 51job.com also conducted a survey on \"the most effective ways to find a job,\" in which \"referrals from acquaintances\" was listed as the second most effective method. Therefore, based on your networking development plan, you can list the fields where the contacts you need to build relationships with are located. Then, you can ask your current network supporters to help you find or introduce those potential contacts, and from there create opportunities to take action. 2. Joining clubs: Breaking out of one’s isolated circle. By participating in clubs, one can interact with others in a natural setting, learn how to serve others, thereby identifying business opportunities and expanding one’s network of contacts. Are the people you know all similar to yourself? Similar backgrounds? Similar views on many things? If your answer is yes, then you need to be careful, as this means your circle of acquaintances is becoming narrower and you have fewer opportunities to expand your network. To expand one’s network beyond colleagues and coworkers and broaden one’s circle of friends, so-called “virtual teams” are very important; in other words, it involves building relationships through participation in various group activities. When one is too eager to get close to strangers in everyday life, it’s easy to face rejection; however, when participating in clubs, interactions between people proceed more smoothly in a ‘natural’ manner. Why emphasize nature? Because interactions and exchanges between people occur best in a natural setting, which helps to build emotions and trust. Through the community’s charitable and recreational activities, interpersonal interactions and connections are formed. People who join clubs possess three traits: first, they prove that they are brave by approaching others actively, rather than staying at home, in the kitchen, or at their workplace out of fear of people’s complexity ； The second is to prove that one is a person who enjoys growing, because in a club, whether it’s reading, listening to speeches, or sharing one’s life with others, these are all opportunities for learning and growth ； Thirdly, it is people who are enthusiastic and willing to do good deeds who join such organizations, contributing their time and money in the hope that, through the power of the group, society can become a better place. Many people refuse to join any clubs, either by saying they don’t have money or that they don’t have time. In fact, if one wants to expand their network of contacts, one must first learn how to love others before caring about money; getting close to people is equivalent to getting close to money and to a better future ； The only way to create wealth and find opportunities in life is to get close to people, build networks, as once those connections are established, everything else becomes easier. Don’t forget that if you join a club, it’s best to seek a role as an organizer; of course, being the president, chairman, or secretary would be even better. As a minimum, try to become a member of the staff, because this gives you the opportunity to serve others. By serving others, you naturally spend more time interacting with them and getting to know them, and thus your network of contacts gradually expands. 3. Making use of the Internet: an affordable channel for building networks. I have a friend who works as a sales manager at a medium-sized company; he also has his own blog, and in his free time he likes to share on it his experiences, insights, lessons learned, as well as the challenges he has faced in his career. Once, while browsing a blog page, he came across a truly excellent article. After reading it, he left a comment for the author, sharing his thoughts and expressing his approval and praise for the article. Through this back-and-forth, they established a relationship of honest communication based on shared interests, which turned out to be very fruitful. Four months later, one day he suddenly received a call from this online friend, who said they were on a business trip in his city and asked if they could meet. After talking for a full two hours, the other person finally handed him his business card and asked if he would be interested in working at his company. It turned out that this internet user was actually the owner of the second-largest company in the industry he worked in, a company renowned nationwide. Now, he is the deputy general manager in charge of marketing at this company. Thanks to their unguarded communication online, both parties have gained a fairly thorough understanding of each other’s values, ideas, hobbies, interests, principles of conduct, abilities, etc.; as a result, getting along with this online business partner has always been smooth. Currently, he also serves as the moderator for two blog sections. According to him, thanks to the Internet, he has made nearly 20 close friends in fifteen or sixteen cities across the country; this has **helped to advance his business, and he is very excited about the expansion of his network of contacts. 4. Attend training: A platform for like-minded people. Participating in various training courses related to one’s work or interests has three advantages: first, by going out, one realizes that there are always better people and things elsewhere ； Second, it is only after learning that one realizes how ignorant one has been ； Thirdly, training courses are not only a great place to acquire knowledge, broaden one’s horizons, and develop new ideas, but they also serve as an excellent opportunity and platform for us to expand our network of contacts. Of course, the most important thing is to be proactive and pay attention to details. 5. Participate in events: These are platforms to showcase yourself and meet new people. Alumni gatherings, fellow townspeople’s meetings, military comrades’ gatherings, social get-togethers, salon events, celebrations, and so on – if you have the time, try to attend as many of these as possible. Some people instinctively dislike or fear attending noisy parties, believing that such activities are purely a waste of time and effort. Of course, if you want to be a self-occupied person, these activities are indeed a waste of time and life. If you want to expand your career and professional prospects, these activities are essential for you; what you need to do is determine which ones to attend and which ones to decline. Once you decide to participate, you take on a task: why are you participating in this event? You must gain something from this event, and that is the enrichment of your network of contacts. Of course, you can be more relaxed with activities among elders and old friends. 6. Every moment offers opportunities to build connections: Learn to communicate and give praise. If you want to be successful, you need to know how to seize opportunities and use every chance to develop relationships and networks. In fact, there are many opportunities right around you, but you might end up letting them slip away without realizing it. For weddings, for example, you can eat something before heading out and arrive early, as it’s an opportunity for them to meet more strangers ； It’s just about attending a meeting where people meet by chance; you can exchange business cards with five or six people around you and have a chat during the breaks ； During travel, it is important to be good at communicating and interacting, and to take the initiative to talk to others. Next is communication skills. The so-called communication skill is actually the ability to understand others, including understanding their needs, desires, abilities, and motivations, and to respond appropriately. How can I find out? One must learn to listen; listening is the best way to understand others. Besides listening, praising others at the right time is also a great trick for communication. U.S. steel magnate Carnegie paid a staggering annual salary of $1 million in 1921 to hire CEO Schwab. At that time, many journalists who visited Carnegie asked why he Carnegie said, “Because he is the best at praising others, and that is his most valuable skill.” ”Even Carnegie’s epitaph written for himself read, “Here lies a man who knew how to make those smarter than him happier.” ” Within the company, you should also cherish the opportunities to spend time alone with your supervisors, managers, and colleagues – for example, by accompanying them to meetings or business trips. These are excellent opportunities given to you by fate to strengthen your professional network, so definitely don’t miss them. Of course, you need to be fully prepared and perform appropriately, so as not to backfire. 7. Don’t be afraid of rejection – take bold action. Statistics show that there are currently 1.35 million McDonald’s stores in Japan, with annual sales exceeding 4 billion dollars. The owner of these two pieces of data is a Japanese elder named Fujita Ta, the honorary president of McDonald’s Japan. Fujita graduated from the Department of Economics at Waseda University in Japan in 1965, and immediately after graduation began working at a large electrical appliance company. In 1971, he began to build his own business by operating a McDonald's franchise. McDonald’s is a globally renowned chain of fast-food restaurants that operates under a franchise system; to obtain franchise rights, one needs to have considerable financial resources as well as specific qualifications.