It is easy to start off in public affairs as a young, hyper-networker, forever out and about, especially in the evenings. But as you progress, become more senior and gain additional personal commitments, not least families and possibly children, the opportunities to do that lessen. How should you cope with this?
In the first place, there is no need to panic. Networks change in nature and some fall away over time for everyone. It does though remain important to have a network that refreshes and develops over time. You do not want to get stuck in one time period. That is not good for the career or one’s self esteem.
Here are five steps you can take.
- Think young – there are always younger members of the team that can pick up some of the strain of networking and keep you up-to-date with, for instance, a new intake of MPs or researchers. That may sound mercenary but do not forget that you have experience that these younger networks will want to learn from so it is a two-way relationship. These contacts may want to hear from some of your now more senior contacts as well.
- Friends of friends – you don’t have to have all the contacts or know everyone. Instead, you should feel free to ask your existing contacts if they know relevant people. The personal recommendation, akin to LinkedIn, can be more useful and powerful than going through the pain of networking. It is a lot more direct and quicker. That is one of the benefits of having spent time networking and contact building in the early stages of a career.
- Use tools – contact does not always have to be face-to-face, social media can work as well. You will have less time to meet new people but also catch up with old friends and contacts as well. If that means using LinkedIn, blog posts, Twitter or for special friends, FaceBook, then use those opportunities. As you would tell clients, if stakeholders only hear from you in times of trouble then they are less likely to offer advice or support. The same applies to your contacts. You are really seeking out new ways to maintain contact. More senior will not want random, fairly pointless contact instead focus on the meaningful and expert. If that’s curating some information for them or providing insight through a blog then use such opportunities.
- Do what you can – this may seem obvious but make sure you do not disappear completely. If business breakfasts work better in terms of personal commitments then set a target of attending a number per quarter. Target setting may be a useful discipline to get into which you may want to factor into personal development plans or reviews at work.
- Membership bodies – can often be an excellent source of new contacts but only if you are prepared to work with them. They organise events, work with policy audiences and, hopefully, have a wide membership base. But you can only utilise these if you put some effort in. Too often membership bodies are something you have to join and sometimes feel little natural affiliation for. That is the wrong attitude. Be prepared to put some hours into making the most of your membership for more selfish reasons as well.
You can also reassure yourself that contact building at a more senior level is often about quality, not just quantity. Your networks will also have the same challenges as you as well which is important and another source of reassurance.
These are lessons that I employ which help but I am sure there are others and I would love to hear other examples. I am sure Richard Messingham from the Law Society has a few useful lessons as this blog came out of an email discussion we had. Other ideas for blogs always gratefully received.