NetWORKing Excellence: Building a Strong Value-Based Network in an Accelerating Digital World

NetWORKing Excellence

Building a Strong Value-Based Network in an Accelerating Digital World

David R. Olivencia

new degree press

copyright © 2023 David R. Olivencia

All rights reserved.

NetWORKing Excellence

Building a Strong Value-Based Network in an Accelerating Digital World

ISBN

979-8-88926-406-4 Paperback

979-8-88926-407-1 eBook

Contents

Introduction

Part 1

Foundation

Step 1

Deeply Understand Yourself

Step 2

Have SMART Goals

Step 3

Define and Refine Your Brand

Step 4

Execute Disciplined Rituals and Routines

Part 2

Execution

Step 5

Identify the Right People

Step 6

Target the Right Networks

Step 7

Build Relationships with and Add Value to Your Network

Step 8

Measure and Increase the Value You Provide

Part 3

Optimization

Step 9

Master Networking Events

Step 10

Scale the Value to Your Network with Digital and Social Media

Conclusion

Appendix

Introduction

There I was, on August 13, 2010, on a hot summer day in the global capital of the world—New York City—at the NASDAQ trading desk. Just a couple of years earlier, I cofounded an international technology leadership network called HITEC (Hispanic IT Executive Council), and we had taken off like a rocket ship, gathering the support of corporate executives and many corporations, including Target, Cisco, Oracle, Disney, UBS, GM, and many others.

As I reflected on these rapid accomplishments, I looked over a sea of smiling, excited members, video cameras, photographers, and pictures up on the large NASDAQ Times Square digital billboard. I could not forget that this would have never happened if I had not put in the work behind NetWORKing. This work included leveraging years of readings, mentorship, networking events, taking action, and following up. In the end, it was one of the most memorable events in my life, highlighting the true joys of networking.

We live in a world that has become increasingly digital and a world that continues to thirst for more meaningful relationships. Networking continues to be vitally important for finding a job, progressing in a career, accomplishing goals, and maintaining long-term health.

From a career growth perspective, 80 percent of professionals consider networking important to career success. However, only 48 percent consistently keep in touch with their network (LinkedIn Corporate Communications 2017). When it comes to using networking to find jobs, 70 percent of jobs never publish publicly, and according to HubSpot, 85 percent of all jobs fill through networking (Fisher 2019; Apollo Technical 2022). Additionally, a study by LinkedIn in 2017 showed that 35 percent of participants said casual conversation through LinkedIn Messaging led to new opportunities (LinkedIn Corporate Communications 2017).

The problem with this is that if networking is so important for getting jobs, career advancement, accomplishing your goals, and living longer, why isn’t it taught in schools? Why isn’t more focus and emphasis put on this vital skill? I believe only 48 percent of professionals consistently stay connected with their network because they leverage the use of goals, daily rituals, and other easy tools and techniques (LinkedIn Corporate Communications 2017). The reason 52 percent of people do not consistently stay connected with their networks is that schools do not teach those tools, techniques, and best practices. Goals, daily rituals, tools, techniques, and tips from leading networking experts can help this 52 percent not only consistently keep in touch with their network but also help them accelerate the value of networking.

When I look at my life and career around networking, I built an amazing network, and I am fortunate to have accomplished many things I never thought I would be able to accomplish. My disciplined approach to networking has helped me rise through the corporate ranks at leading technology companies, cofound leading nonprofits, obtain board of directors positions at leading technology companies, get invited to the White House across three different presidential administrations, open the NASDAQ, and receive an honorary doctorate from Bentley University, among many other accomplishments.

I have leveraged a methodology and approach to networking, which is an amalgamation of books, best practices, mentors, and observing and interviewing great networkers. This process and methodology have a foundational component around self-understanding and a focus on execution and optimization. It focuses on goals, rituals, and building networks to ensure mutual success. Lastly, many in my network have come up to me and said, Wow, you know lots of people and are super connected. In the spirit of networking, this compliment inspired me to write down my approach and best practices to help others do the same.

Networking has allowed me to meet amazing people. The learnings, approach, and action around networking allowed me to meet and network with people who align with my life purpose and goals. This includes CEOs, Fortune 500 board members, presidents of countries, members of Congress, nonprofit leaders, investors, executives, professional athletes, connectors, and many other interesting people. The approach and actions described in this book can help you build deeper relationships with those focused on your life purpose and goals. Additionally, it makes life fun and rewarding.

Networking has helped accelerate my career and life goals. I delivered results in senior executive roles in some of the world’s best companies, started nonprofits, some of which are the strongest leadership nonprofits in the world, served on the board of national nonprofits, received invitations to the White House by multiple presidential administrations, and opened the NASDAQ, among other memorable accomplishments. I attribute these networking accomplishments to the value-based networks I have built over time and the intentional way I go about adding value to my network. This book can help you accelerate your career and life goals, no matter what they are.

I learned about networking from many great people over the years by observing master networkers in action, watching how they work their networks in a room, and participating in various networks. I also learned a ton about networks from reading. I read dozens of books on networking, leadership, goal setting, relationships, and value/value creation. I also taught some of the world’s leading sales professionals about value selling. Finally, and most importantly, I put all these learnings into action around a methodology (more detail within this book), which is a key differentiator.

To be excellent at networking requires discipline, an approach, and work. This book will discuss various ways to work to build, nurture, and grow relationships. There are foundational components to networking. You need to ensure that as part of this foundation, you are strong at the center, you network with the right people, and you use your time efficiently.

This book focuses on self-understanding within the foundation you can use to identify goals, rituals, and people to help you accomplish your goals. The magic happens as you begin to connect with and add value to this network. There are tips, techniques, and ways to optimize networking events better. Reading the tips and stories from leaders who are excellent at networking will help you more efficiently approach events you attend. Finally, we are moving into an ever-increasingly digital world. World-class networkers will need to leverage digital tools and social media to stay connected and nurture a digital network to help them accelerate their goals.

This book is for business leaders, nonprofit leaders, public servants, entrepreneurs, sales leaders, or anybody who is looking to live a more meaningful life, more rapidly accomplish their goals, find tips and techniques to be a better networker, and better leverage digital and social media tools to fulfill their goals and help others accomplish theirs.

As I reflect on my life and my career, one of the many things that have made it enjoyable is networking with people and helping them succeed in their goals. I also look back fondly on those who have helped me and the various networks that have connected me to these people and enabled many of my own accomplishments.

Human survival has depended on people and relationships for thousands of years. Embedded in our DNA, this enables us to be social creatures and desire social interaction. By reading this book, you will grow as a human and develop more meaningful relationships. As proven in several studies around networking and relationships, you will also increase your chances of living a longer, more meaningful life. Finally, you will increase your chances of growing rapidly in your career and having more fun.

In the spirit of networking, I hope this book, the experiences, and the approach I share help you and others in your network achieve your goals.

FOUNDATION

What Is Networking and Why Is It Important?

Everything you want to achieve in life is going to be with and through other people.

—Keith Ferrazzi

How do you define networking?

Whenever I am with a group discussing a new topic, I like to ensure we are on the same page about what it means. If you do not know what networking is, it is hard to improve or make it excellent. Many people talk about the importance of networking, but when you ask people what the definition is, you get many different answers. As I heard these definitions over the years, I learned there are some good ones and some bad ones.

Through reading the literature on networking, executing sales and leadership trainings across my career, watching many top leaders build relationships through networking, and seeing bad networking practices, I have been able to come up with the following definition. Networking is:

Creating and improving value-based relationships to facilitate mutual goal accomplishment

•Creating and improving—Networking is not just about creating connections. You should continuously improve your networking relationships.

•Value-based relationships—Networking focuses on an ongoing relationship of deeply understanding what the other person values, their goals, and how to help them.

•Facilitate—Make it easy to accomplish mutual goals. A good networker is always looking to help their peers accomplish its goals and help make it as easy as possible.

•Mutual goals—Networking is not about your goals. It is more about helping the other person and your network accomplish their goals.

The bad networking definitions include:

•Distributing your business cards at events to as many people as possible.

•Meeting people to accomplish your goals.

•Connecting with as many people as you can on LinkedIn.

•Working the entire room.

For this book, I interviewed Raymond Arroyo, a friend from whom I learned a lot about networking. We met in the early 2000s when he was the chief diversity officer at Aetna, and I am grateful for his continued friendship and perspectives on networking. For Raymond, networking is really about building authentic relationships.

Raymond said, There is a hunger for authenticity in people’s behavior. So, if you become somewhat vulnerable or exposed but authentic, people become attracted to you, creating its own charisma.

Raymond also mentions that you must be alert to people’s intentions when networking. He discussed how bad intentions have put some skepticism into how he views networking. This derived from people feeling more attracted to his perceived power and influence versus him. This has had an impact on trust, which is a vital component of relationship building and networking.

Raymond’s network has evolved throughout his life as he has moved out of his corporate leadership role and is now a managing director for the executive search firm Chapman Farrell Group. The benefits of networking are different for him at this point in his career and life. At this point, Raymond has narrowed his inner circle to a few he really trusts and is more self-aware of people’s intentions as he is networking.

Keith Ferrazzi Value of Networking

In a YouTube video, Keith Ferrazzi, CEO of Ferrazzi Greenlight and an American author of several books on networking, mentions that about 70,000 years ago, we called networks tribes, and there were only about twelve of those tribes in Africa. If those groups didn’t connect and come together, they wouldn’t survive.

Keith said, As a result, DNA hardwiring in our core is for connecting, serving, and helping each other succeed. If we didn’t, we were thrown out and eaten by mountain lions. Therefore, networking and connections are deep within our DNA, and we long for them (Ferrazzi 2011).

David Wieland on the Value of Networking

In my interview with David Weiland, cofounder and managing partner at Motivate Venture Capital, David said, Humans prefer to do business with and interact with humans. That is why networking is so powerful. We need to be deliberate about networking to realize this.

On the definition of networking, David said, I look to connect with interesting and diverse people and try to be helpful, expecting nothing in return.

Settling on a common definition of networking and identifying actions and approaches has helped create the first piece of a foundation to build off. Additionally, taking into account misconceptions about networking and some of the actions that aren’t networking will further help build a strong foundation for excellence.

Great Things Are Done through People and Networks

Throughout history, individuals have had very few great accomplishments on their own. Winning battles in war, growing companies, winning in team sports, landing a person on the moon, and countless other examples are great things accomplished with a group and would be impossible to achieve as an individual. It takes groups, teams, and networks to carry out big things. Networks provide efficiency, scale, and diverse views to improve outcomes.

Gale Wilkinson, managing partner at VITALIZE, an early stage VC (venture capital) plus angel platform investing in the work revolution, is a