In today’s fast-paced world, it is easy to forget that connections form the backbone of our society. Our personal and professional lives are more intertwined than we like to think and the connections we form and maintain play a big part in that.
As Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry Simon N. Young said,
“Humans are inherently social. We are not special in this way; it is hard to think of any animal for whom the regulation of social behavior is not important.”
Given this, it should come as no surprise that our work also depends on our ability to form and maintain connections. Whether you are a new professional or seasoned, forming new connections is essential to your career, new opportunities and your overall growth. In this blog post we will explore 7 compelling reasons why.
1.) Personal Growth
We will start with the most obvious and fulfilling reason, personal growth but before I start, I want to preface this whole blog by saying that none of this is easy. Maintaining connections and forming new ones take some amount of work on your end. It takes patience and learning people’s boundaries. As an artist it is akin to a dance for me. Everybody has their own flow but what doesn’t change is ensuring that the people you include in your circles feel respected and valued. While the work may not be easy the rewards are usually worth it in the end. Just bear in mind that not every connection is meant to be a fruitful one but every connection will provide a learning lesson. It may not be a lesson you wanted but a lesson is a lesson nonetheless and you can apply that lesson for next time and for your growth.
Now that my disclaimer is over, let us proceed.
We are starting with personal growth because in the words of Lauryn Hill,
“ How you gonna win, when you ain't right within?”
For those who need a translation, you can’t win in life until you start to work on your personal growth. Maintaining and forming new connections help us grow as individuals. Having traveled to many different countries, I have grown to realize the beauty of the United States through its people. That we get to meet diverse people within our immediate environment who have different beliefs and values. Some that may even challenge how you see the world. Some that bring us new skills and new insights on how to navigate the world. In this country, you will meet people from different countries that bring their customs and values with them and you will meet people whose ancestors are from here, all with new knowledge for growth. Being able to maintain a diverse connection with others promotes what is called, “brain plasticity”. Brain plasticity is your brain’s ability to grow and adapt to change. The brain is like a muscle and the more you train it, the better it serves you in absorbing new information, new skills, and has even been shown to help people recover from strokes. What easier way to do this than to simply meet diverse groups of people. Growing as a human is not easy and it takes work but that personal work will elevate you in other areas in your life including your career.
2.) Community and Belonging
What is a group of both diverse and like minded people called? That’s right, community. A group of the first part has now become a community and now you are part of a community, if you so choose of course but what does that mean and what are the incentives?
To make it as simple as possible, a community is a group of people who ensures that you are going in the right direction. They are the individuals who, through their collective confidence, can empower you. They are also there to hold you accountable. Nobody wants to disappoint a community of people but it is bound to happen, we are human and are bound to make mistakes. Post accountability, it is a community’s role to try and get you back to your feet, just as you would hopefully do for another. This is why a community is important. They provide us the confidence to keep moving forward, whether it is physically, professionally, spiritually or all the above. There is nothing greater than that feeling of knowing that there are a group of people out there wanting to see you be the best you, even in your trying times. You are more willing to take more professional risks like challenging projects or roles due to that confidence and possibly be noticed by your employer for that raise or! Give you the confidence to leave that role you have been stuck at with no room for growth.
Another disclaimer, not all communities are for you though and it will take time to find that right group of people that value and respect you and want the best for you. They are out there.
3.) Professional Opportunities
Now that we have moved past “me and we”, it is time to look at the professional benefits of maintaining and forming connections. I will preface this by saying that, there hasn’t been a role I have ever held in my life that wasn’t due to a professional connection I had made. This world is really all about who you know. We have all seen that person holding a role down that doesn’t really fit them and wonder how they got the job. Chances are, they leveraged their connections–and you should too. Networking is the buzzword for fostering connections in the professional world.
Where and how does one network? Start small. Find your niche and the field you want to explore. Google events for that field, maybe your job is offering such an event, find out. When you first start attending, the goal isn’t to meet as many people as possible. Instead, introduce yourself to at least one person, but focus on gathering data. Walk around, “do as the Romans do”. Participate in any activities that may be on the agenda for the day, as you do this, you will be able to meet people in that field and you might even start to see faces become familiar to you and yours to them.
Build your elevator pitch and blurb as to who you are. Take it from me, that part is NOT easy and I still stumble with it from time to time. Everybody has a different approach. I can’t remember my pitch off the top of my head to save my life but! I am very good at natural conversation and I make sure that I insert my interests and what I do within the conversations. It all takes practice but with enough experience and having that community we spoke about up there, you can gain the confidence to be great in these scenarios. Practice with the connections you made and do not be afraid to ask for help. Through that community we spoke about, you now have resources that can help you in your professional career.
Attending events isn't the only way to foster new connections, you can also do exemplary work at your role and be noticed by coworkers and higher ups. You never know, a co-worker could leave to go start the next big thing and invite you to join them based on them seeing your work ethics and staying in touch. Which brings me to my next point: actively making sure a connection happens. You may be an introvert and group lunches may not be your thing if they are a thing at your workplace, that is ok. Exchange LinkedIn information, take their email, in person ask what they are working on, share experiences and they will hopefully share theirs. Do this with others as well, on top of going to those events I mentioned earlier. There is no rush in any of this, take your time. Building and maintaining professional relationships ensures you stay updated with your industry trends and innovations. It also ensures that you stay fresh in their minds when it comes to grants and other opportunities. This will keep you always ready for what is next and make you that much more of a valuable professional. As McKersin Consulting, we were only able to meet the needs of our last last client because of connections I had maintained over the years and leveraging those connections is what will be the backbone of this firm.
4.) Adaptability
Not only is the world fast-paced, it is also fast changing. Through connections we are provided with the information, feedback, and support needed to navigate these changes. The diverse connections you form can help you anticipate trends, respond to challenges, and seize new opportunities. Adaptability is being taught in all project frameworks now because of the importance behind its need to survive this ever changing world. In “Scrum” we call it agility, in other spaces it is simply called being flexible but what remains the same is the idea that you as the professional have to be open to change and new ideas. Maintaining connections, especially diverse ones ensures that new ideas are always traveling in and out of your head. Without my love for being adaptable I wouldn't be where I am today and I certainly wouldn’t be writing this blog or have a website. Like you many have read from my post before this one, shifting careers is a difficult decision and sometimes it can be your calling but without the willingness to explore and to rely on your connections as support and guidance it will remain almost impossible.
5.) Collective Impact
As the founder of McKersin Consulting I fully understand that real change only happens when people come together with a shared goal and purpose. This is where you can apply all the connections you have made in your life into an action that makes you feel good. Maintaining those strong connections amplifies our abilities to bring about change because we can pool resources, knowledge and expertise. We can do more together than we could ever do by ourselves.
You do not have to be a Saul Alinsky or Stacey Abrams in order to create change with your connections. You do not even have to be the head organizer for collective impact. You can be somebody with the resources that a movement may need. Maybe you and your colleagues work in finance and your community has an initiative to teach kids and adults about saving money and opening bank accounts. Maybe you’re a mechanic and notice the local youth organization has a van, you could offer a check-up and provide a maintenance schedule. You and your connections could easily start a backpack drive and get others to participate or maybe a free week of arts programming in a park. It does not take much to change a community but what it does take is the willingness to work with others and preserving those connections you have personally or professionally made.
6.) Support network
While this list follows a certain order, I believe there's someone out there who would place this at the top of their list. Not everyone has a healthy support network or knows where to look. If you have been in the dark, or feeling lost, start with therapy. Finding the right therapist may take time, but they can help you build that support network and be that first person on it. It is their job to help you, you will NOT be a burden. Because this topic is serious to me I have added some supplemental reading and resources so that you do not have to only hear it from me.
For those that have the network in place and for those who will reach that point, a support network is what helps you build resiliency. It is what gets you back up when you have fallen or tired. A safety net for when times are rough by providing guidance, possible resources and encouragement. Support networks can be anybody you have built a lasting connection with, a coworker, a friend, your spouse, family and friends or all the above. We have all had bad days in our career, having those people encourage you to get back up does wonders for your psyche. Bringing up my good friend Joseph again, there are times I have been tired and wanting to give up on some of the work that I do and I call him and he either directly helps me or provides me with the resources I need by going through his own firm. We all reach that point.
I believe that nobody should be trying to navigate this ever changing fast paced world without a strong support network.
7.) Mentorship and guidance
Getting the right mentor is a blog post on its own! But here we are in my attempt to try and squeeze this into a few paragraphs. Mentors WILL elevate your professional life. That is the very point of them. Finding them is a whole other matter but easier than it may sound. Before you start looking for a mentor you want to ask yourself…why? Set your goals, and reason. Are you looking to change fields? Struggling with deadlines at your current role? Your art isn’t coming out how you would like? By setting your goals and reason you can find the right mentor for you and not waste their and your time.
Keep in mind, age isn't a requirement for a mentor, sometimes a mentor might be physically younger than you but with more experience than you in a field and that is ok.
Let’s say your goal is to be more intentional with your art. First step is to look at the different groups you already belong to, are you part of an arts collective? A Facebook group dedicated to your art form? Do you know anybody on LinkedIn who is further ahead in their career in your art discipline? The best one in my opinion is school, did you attend an arts school? You can always reach out to your professors for advice and guidance. Sometimes there are alumni resources. This is the research part of it.
Now that we have acknowledged where you could find a mentor, it is time to make the ask! I wouldn't start by simply going,
“Hey, would you like to be my mentor?”
or
“Be my mentor please”
It will come off as a grade school Valentine's Day request. You want to start by asking for their help on ONE issue, can’t stress this enough, start with ONE issue. They have their own lives to live and you don’t want to burn that connection before it is even established. After you make the request, you should iterate why you chose them and acknowledge their expertise in the field. The worst they can say at this point is that they are busy and if so it doesn’t hurt to ask if they can point you to someone else. If all goes well, you now have a mentor that can guide you in being more intentional with your artwork.
Mentorship is a two way street, at times their roles can have official mentorship programs at their jobs where they are now viewed in a positive light, they can also get the personal satisfaction of helping someone in their career and engage in mutual learning.
Through the mentees I have and have had, there is no greater feeling to me than eventually being able to stand with them side by side years later as they are experts in their own field. Oftentimes I don’t even know I am a mentor to somebody until they call me such. You can never have too many mentors, rinse and repeat that process for different aspects of your life. Do not forget to let them know their mentorship is working. Be sure to tell them of your wins!
It is Worth it!
Maintaining and forming connections take work but what lays ahead is fully worth it and I hope that I was able to prove that to y’all. It is essential for personal growth, professional success and being adaptable. This is why at McKersin Consulting we are all about fostering community collaborations through strategic partnerships. I couldn't have this firm without any of the connections I had tended to over the years.
Invest in your connections!
Nurture your relationships!
and continuously seek out new opportunities to connect with others. Thank you for sticking through till the end.
With Love and Respect,
-McKersin
I leave you with a question for the comments, in what ways have your professional connections contributed to your career growth and development? Looking forward to reading them and see y’all NEXT WEEK!
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