The level of attendance at business functions traditionally serving as networking opportunities went up dramatically during the Great Financial Fiasco. While the program content may be indeed excellent, I suspect the increase in attendees has something to do with a need to stimulate revenue in the challenging economic environment.
“Challenging” might be understating it. I don’t know of any company, personally, that was unaffected by the recession, with the possible exception of outplacement firms. Many companies were on the brink of bankruptcy for months. General Motors was a poster child of what was undoubtedly an epidemic of the capitalistic flu. So as service providers and entrepreneurs looking for financing struggled to keep their businesses healthy, they turned attention to the collections of business leaders and professionals where they might find a solution or a sale.
Personally, I think this is fine and normal. But I overheard a conversation at the Hyatt in La Jolla recently that reveals important undercurrents to what we might call “capitalistic karma”.
The man in the grey suit said to his colleague, “It’s interesting how all these people now show up to programs and business events once they need something.”
“I know what you mean,” replied his blue-suited friend. “We’ve been devoting time and support dollars to this organization for years, and all of a sudden, everybody wants to get involved.”
“Why don’t you think they took the time to do that before now?” asked Mr. Grey Suit. “Contributing to one’s profession or business community is something you’d expect people to do when times are good, to give back.”
“Not everybody views it that way,” said Mr. Blue Suit. “They don’t realize that building strong relationships starts with offering value without expecting immediate reciprocity.”
Mr. Grey Suit smiled. “I remember a guy who would call me every two years, like clockwork. He’d be out of a job and he’d call up to see if I ‘needed anything’. Then he’d let me know he was ‘in transition’ and wanted help networking. He didn’t understand how it really works. I never got a call from him unless he was looking for work.”
“Pretty short-sighted,” said Mr. Blue Suit. “And now when I come to a program like tonight, I brace myself for the people who suddenly need to bring in new business, and they took a course in networking. You know, the workshops that tell you how to ‘work a room’, make sure you leave with ten business cards and you tell your ‘elevator speech’ to at least twenty individuals.”
Mr. Grey Suit mused, “Those workshops are given by people who have never been hit up at business functions in such a manner. They don’t have any clue how to do it.”
“Well, what would you tell a group of hopeful professionals who saw tonight’s event as a networking opportunity and who needed to grow their business?” asked Mr. Blue Suit.
“First of all, I’d tell them that they have to take a long-term view of relationship building,” Mr. Grey Suit replied. “You can’t establish any kind of relationship with a new person in a few minutes. The best you can do is leave them with a feeling that you were a positive part of their evening. To do that, you have to show interest in what they are doing, for the pure reason that you want to know about them and their business. You have to demonstrate courteous curiosity. Relationships are built over a long period of time, so you can’t wait until you’re hungry for business to start. It has to be an ongoing, natural part of the way you behave as a business professional.
“Next, I’d tell them that you have to demonstrate value. I learned from an early mentor that if you want to be successful in business, you have to make yourself valuable to other people. When I first started going to these functions, I would sit at the table and if someone asked a question that I knew the answer to, I’d simply help them. My colleagues told me I was giving away my value, that I was losing money. But what I was really doing was demonstrating my value, and concurrently demonstrating my own personal values. One of my values is that, like the concept of ‘karma’, you ultimately experience life in the same quality as you influence others. If you give to the world around you, you will receive. You won’t be able to predict when or how, but it will happen. So helping someone else with a problem shouldn’t always be viewed as a quid pro quo event. Sure, you have to earn a living, but you can give out samples of your value without giving away the store. My rule of thumb is to donate about 10% of my time each month in some way to people who need assistance or have a problem they can’t solve by themselves. I believe these principles can greatly improve a person’s chances of success in business”, he finished.
I realized how important the ideas were these two gentlemen were discussing, and how unlikely it is that the people who need to hear them will get the advice during hard times. So I offer it to you. If it helps you over the long haul to succeed in your career, then I have followed Mr. Grey Suit’s advice.