Network versus community
Networking is a word that strikes fear and loathing into the hearts of many people. As an extrovert, I’ve never minded attending events with the sole purpose of meeting new people. I take pride in having a wide network.
But I want to stop talking about my network and start focusing on my community.
It's not that the word “network” isn’t accurate anymore. It’s just that it doesn't feel like it encompasses the sense I have of the people around me.
Belonging is really important for us as human beings. Our ancestors survived by being part of a community, so that desire for connection to other people is hard-wired into us. Many of us grew up being part of a community. When we move somewhere new or change jobs, we immediately try to figure out how to be part of the new community.
In writing this blog, I did some googling about the difference between network and community. Here’s one of the definitions I found, in an article in Inc magazine.
“Your network can be thought of as people you want to be connected to, whilst your community is those that want to be connected to you too. It's a subtle difference with a big impact. Make the connections to those who will be useful and relevant to your business, then work hard to turn those connections into people who care, so that they evolve into your community.”
Read the rest of this article here.
This resonates with the sense I’ve been having that I want to be connected to the people in my network. I don’t just want to have a list of people who know me or know my name. I want to build relationships with the people around me so that our interactions are meaningful to both of us.
Often, I’ll talk someone who is looking for something. Maybe they're looking for a new job or they’re trying to fill a role. When this happens, I'll automatically begin to mentally scan my community to think of who I could connect this person with. I find it so rewarding when I introduce two people and the connection is valuable for them.
Moving forward, I want to focus more on connecting to people in my network to build my community, and I want to embrace being part of that community. I'm at a point in my life where there might be some ways that I can give back and add value to the community.
The idea of building community aligns with my values of generosity, wisdom, and connection.
Some ideas for building community:
Reveal enough of yourself that other people can find a connection point with you.
Interact with people in a genuine way, not just superficially.
Make an effort to meet one on one for a conversation, with the only agenda being to learn more about the person.
Ask for what you need and accept help.
Offer help with no thought of getting something in return.
Look for groups of like-minded people, and join them. Or build your own groups and nurture the connections that can be made in smaller settings.
Don’t think of connecting as “networking”. Just do what comes naturally to you as a human animal, and interact with the people around you.
I'm not saying that I'll no longer use the word network or networking. But I want to go beyond counting the number of LinkedIn connections I have, or the number of likes on my Instagram posts, and move into truly connecting with the people around me.