In the modern professional landscape, the old adage “It’s not what you know, but who you know” holds truer than ever before. Building a strong network is not just a luxury but a necessity for career advancement and success. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting out, investing time and effort into cultivating meaningful connections can yield invaluable benefits. 

Why Build a Strong Network?

Opportunities Abound: A strong network opens doors to a plethora of opportunities. From job openings and collaborations to mentorship and career advice, your network can serve as a gateway to avenues you might not have discovered otherwise.

Knowledge Sharing and Learning: Networking exposes you to diverse perspectives and insights from professionals across various industries. Engaging with individuals from different backgrounds broadens your understanding of industry trends, best practices, and emerging technologies, fostering continuous learning and growth.

Support System in Times of Need: Building genuine relationships within your network creates a support system that you can rely on during challenging times. Whether you’re navigating a career transition, facing a professional dilemma, or seeking advice, your network can offer guidance, encouragement, and sometimes even practical assistance.

Professional Development and Mentorship: Mentors play a pivotal role in career development, offering guidance, wisdom, and encouragement based on their own experiences. By expanding your network, you increase the likelihood of finding mentors who can provide invaluable insights and support as you navigate your career journey.

Enhanced Visibility and Credibility: A strong network enhances your visibility within your industry or professional community. Active participation in networking events, industry conferences, and online forums can help you establish yourself as a credible and respected authority in your field, opening doors to new opportunities and collaborations.

How to Build a Strong Network:

Be Genuine and Authentic: Authenticity is key to building meaningful connections. Approach networking with a genuine interest in getting to know others, rather than solely focusing on what you can gain. Building trust and rapport takes time, so prioritise building authentic relationships over transactional networking.

Utilise Networking Channels: Networking opportunities abound both online and offline. Leverage social media platforms such as LinkedIn, professional associations, industry events, conferences, and networking groups to expand your reach and connect with professionals across different sectors.

Nurture Relationships: Building a strong network isn’t just about making initial connections; it’s about nurturing and maintaining those relationships over time. Stay in touch with your contacts through periodic check-ins, sharing relevant content or insights, and offering support whenever possible.

Give Before You Receive: Networking is a two-way street. Instead of solely focusing on what you can gain from your network, look for opportunities to contribute value and support to others. Whether it’s offering assistance, sharing knowledge, or making introductions, being generous and helpful strengthens your relationships and fosters reciprocity. 

Asking leaders that you respect to mentor you is smart and often people feel intrinsically flattered to be asked. We have known mentees to offer to be a taxi to the airport to get one hour of their mentors undivided attention. Always thank in writing the learnings you gain from mentors.

Step Out of Your Comfort Zone: Building a strong network often requires stepping out of your comfort zone and initiating conversations with new people. Embrace networking events and opportunities as chances to expand your horizons, learn from others, and forge new connections.

By investing in cultivating meaningful relationships, actively engaging with your professional community, and offering value to others, you can harness the power of connection to unlock a wealth of opportunities, support, and growth in your career journey. Remember, your network isn’t just about who you know—it’s about the relationships you nurture and the value you bring to each connection. So, start building your network today, and watch as it propels your career to new heights.

 

Yoga and meditation has more benefits than just greater posture and flexibility

Recently I completed my 200 hours yoga teacher training. Over the last 15 years I have discovered the huge benefits of yoga in managing my career and business and raising a family with two very active sons. I have been running Mondo Search Executive business for the last 25 years and the last 2 years have been probably the toughest years that I have seen, as the war for talent increases and the business landscape is dramatically evolving. Yet my sense of peace, well being and calmness has increased. It might be with age that I have learnt not to catastrophy as I have seen the highs and lows of the economic cycles but I truly believe my daily routine of doing yoga has significantly helped me.

Recently at a global recruitment NPA conference with our executive global recruiting alliance partners I met one business owner from the Philippines who had been running her business for 20 years, Nerissa Reyes of Avante People. This lady seemed so energised and delighted in her business, like it was the first day of a start up. I asked her secret and ironically she said yoga! Nerissa said “I used to have severe back pain due to work pressure. The doctors had done surgery to ease the back pain; it was to no avail until I discovered  the POWER OF YOGA.

Yoga is the connection of mind to body and in our busy worlds where we so often run so fast with mobile phones, email and social media, we do have time to ” defrag” the brain. Prince Ea recently cited in his book called “can we autocorrect humanity” that the average  person spends 4 years of their life looking at their phone .  There are also recent studies showing that 15 minutes of meditation has more dopamine and ” happy emotions” released than an antidepressant tablet. So naturally it makes sense to consider yoga and meditation to support you in your everyday life.

5 Ways that I have found that yoga keeps me Sane in Business:

1. Yoga reduces Stress by triggering the Relaxation Response.

This is achieved through conscious breathing, practicing poses, learning relaxation techniques, and meditation. The antidote to the stress response is the relaxation response, which activates the parasympathetic nervous system. More importantly, yoga teaches us how to remain peaceful in the face of discomfort and challenge. We learn the art of surrender to hold a painful pose and breathe – learning how to sit in pain is critical to building resilience in the workplace as not all days are amazing!

2. Yoga helps us pay attention and sleep well

Many people notice that they are more physically, mentally and emotionally self-aware. Often, this self-awareness begins by paying attention to our breath and all its habits. Then, we move to our thought cycles, and finally, to where we hold tension in our bodies. I have learnt through yoga, how to switch off my mind at sleep time and my sleep has really improved. A rested employee is 85% more effectual!

3. Yoga heals our bodies and minds.

The poses, conscious breathing and visualization serve as therapy to reduce physical pain, as well as emotional anxiety. Yoga allows us to free our emotions in poses and has a massive impact on our well being. Feeling a sense of emotional freedom is a great place to be whilst working!

4.Yoga reminds us to take one moment at a time. Don’t judge, just observe.

We observe our thoughts when we do yoga and begin to take responsibility for our inner dialogue. It teaches us to simply observe and not judge – some days you will balance well and other days you will wobble wildly. Just observe and don’t judge yourself. A workplace full of judgement and gossip is toxic – learning to observe is a healthy business behaviour. Learning to pause is powerful.

5. Yoga allows us to be playful and curious /childlike. The childlike fun of yoga is like child’s play. Recently I observed my surf club yoga class, all ages 28 – 68 all helping each other with leg poses up the wall! As adults we spend too much time in our heads being serious and responsible. Yoga brings back child’s play. The more playful we are, the more people will gravitate to our energy.

Neoteny – is ageing yet retaining the childlike behaviour traits of spontaneity, creativity and a sense of wonder!

Certainly, the yogic benefits go beyond this list…in my experience, yoga can help us to experience the best life ever and bring this to our workplace and home lives.

Simone Allan        

Simone@mondosearch.com.au 1300 737917