The Social NeTwork
PR guru ARCHANA JAIN spills her secrets to acing the art of networking—getting and staying ahead at work is all about the right connections
If you are like me, and most other executives I know, you are enclosed by a close bubble of friends and family. I know I was, when I started my public relations company, PR Pundit, 14 years ago. But I also knew, that if I really wanted it to take off, I needed to hobnob, to make my web of contacts, and push myself outside of that space and build new relationships consciously. Barely in the fifth month of my new venture, I remember putting on my trendiest business suit and heading to The Oberoi, New Delhi, to speak on Public Relations at a business leaders conference. Armed with my slide presentation (on which
had laboured the entire week) and a list of expected questions, I fought jelly knees and butterflies in my stomach, to share my limited knowledge and experience with my audience, to leave a lasting impression, and make some new client contacts. I had recognised that I couldn’t ignore the speaking engagement that had come knocking at my door without doing disservice to my fledgling practice.
Ladies, there is no escape from networking. The more people you know and trust, the faster you find solutions to problems, jobs, and contracts. In a scenario where 70 percent of jobs are never advertised and employers prefer to hire people they know, networking is the mantra and the manager of your career.
It’s no wonder then that great networkers make great leaders. They have created simple systems that enable them to connect and enlarge their circle of influence. Case in point: Naina Lal Kidwai, president, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and country head, HSBC, who makes time to lend advice and governance to organisations. Conscious of her success and position, especially her long list of firsts as a corporate woman, she wears the badge of a trailblazer.
Parmeshwar Godrej is another natural connector. A benchmark of your social quotient, either you’ve been invited to a Parmeshwar Godrej party or she’s been to one of yours. International celebrities like Goldie Hawn and Richard Gere have participated in her fund-raising initiatives for AIDS awareness and other causes,
and early last year, she hosted a glamorous evening in honour of Oprah Winfrey’s visit to India. Takeaway tip: Even if you don’t have the Godrej name, remember one connection leads to another and six degrees of separation is always at play.
The one thing to realise about networking is the tremendous snowball effect it has. Bill Gates speaks of it as the “trilogy of trust—the trust that one person has in another, which is then passed on to the third party.” Based on this, it is possible to open discussions or collaborations with a third person, even though you may have had no direct contact with them in the past. Rohini Nilekani, a former journalist and wife of the erstwhile CEO of Infosys, Nandan Nilekani, acknowledges that the Infosys connection has helped her in her philanthropic work—she used the web of contacts to find solutions to the water crisis in various regions of the country, and provide better quality education to underprivileged children.
Conferences are the perfect platform for learning and more importantly networking. My company would not have been representing the Italian luxury brand Tod’s today, if it were not for making the time to attend Hindustan Times’s Luxury Summit in 2007. I went there to understand the luxury domain and ended up meeting some new brands looking to set base in India. Earlier this year, even celebrated designer Christian Louboutin made time to network with Bollywood, when he was in Mumbai to launch his boutique.
If you are not good at networking, learn! If you are an introvert like me, learn your networking skills well, or reconcile to life in the slow lane. It starts with simply being able to spot an opportunity and not being a f ra id to st art conversations. Look out for business events and social engagements, where you can benefit from being seen or meeting potential business associates. Talk about the food, entertainment, or even fashion when you are standing in the buffet line or seated at the table. Ask questions—your neighbour’s association to the host, or try to find something in common without seeming overtly ambitious to make an acquaintance. Memberships to businessmen clubs like The Belvedere at The Oberoi and The Chambers at The Taj can help build familiarity and make you more acceptable among the elite business corporations.
But let’s recognise that good networking is not about social climbing. Therefore it needs to stem from an authenticity of purpose. You should not be merely seeking power or connections for its own sake. Networking is a life skill, so it cannot be pursued only when you want something. Designer Tarun Tahiliani, who has styled some of the most beautiful women in the world and partnered with global brands, says that networking does tend to have a bad connotation of someone trying to climb a social or corporate ladder through obsequiousness, blatant ambition, or sycophancy. “However, like everything in life, there is a good and a bad side,” he adds. “Networking can, in the correct context, just be about meeting interesting people from a particular field which is engaging, enlightening, and often opens doors, but as all things in life, the best instances are serendipitous!”
Today, more than ever, technology affords us a new way to meet and interact. The widespread use of cell phones has everyone from school children to grannies posting Facebook updates, and instead of a phone call or a power lunch, you now you have Twitter and LinkedIn. Karan Johar, considered one of the most influential Indians on Twitter, has over two million followers—his networking skills were evident in the manner in which he was able to secure guests for his show
Koffee with Karan. And with her constant tweeting, actress Gul Panag has earned the status of social pro. Another success story is Malini Agarwal of the blog Miss Malini, which she started in 2008 while working as Channel [ V]’s head of digital content. The response to her constant feed on Bolly wood was so overwhelming that Agarwal started blogging full-time in February 2011. Today, her portal has half a million visitors every month, and over 1.5 million followers across Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, and Instagram. A typical day in Malini’s life has her running from one event to the next and informing her followers about it instantly. She is courted by major events and global brands, and has been invited to blog about the Bread & Butter Festival in Berlin, Cape Town Fashion Week, and Singapore Night Grand Prix.
All the world’s knowledge, money, and fame is contained within the people you see around you every day. Networking is about forming connections with people so that you can get more of whatever you’re looking for, directly or indirectly. Do not view networking as a mere exchange of a handshake and business cards—utilise accessible networking tools like social media, leverage what you’ve already built, and expand on it. It’s a very small world, much smaller than we believe it to be and we are all connected in some way. There are only positive things to gain from connecting and reconnecting with those around you. So let’s network!
Even celebrated designer Christian Louboutin made time to network with Bollywood earlier this year when he was in Mumbai to launch his boutique