Networking: Take the Work Out by Putting the Fun In

Career Advice

by Liz Lynch on Feb 3rd, 2010

networking If you know you need to network to get that new job or promotion, but you just can't bring yourself to do it because it seems like such a chore, maybe what could help you most is a shift in focus.

Scientific Blogging reported on a new study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology which showed that while hard workers are motivated by hard work and do better in tasks where "achievement" is the stated goal, those who don't like to work as hard do better than their counterparts when tasks are presented as "fun." So if you can't get motivated to network, could it be that you're more a natural net-slacker than a natural net-worker?

For all the years I've been speaking, writing and coaching professionals on how to build relationships more effectively, especially those who don't like to network, my approach has always been to help them maximize their activities so they can get more out of doing less. Teaching them how to be more strategic and targeted saves time and effort and helps take the "work" out of "networking."

But this study suggests adding another dimension. Instead of just taking the work OUT of networking, putting some fun IN could be doubly beneficial.

If you don't consider yourself a networking over-achiever, that's totally okay. You can still get out there and build professional relationships successfully by focusing less on the achievement aspects and thinking more about how to turn up the fun. Here are 4 ideas to get you started:

Partner with a friend. Attend events with a fun colleague. Having a wing man (or woman) at your side can help you feel more relaxed and confident right off the bat, especially if you're not as outgoing around strangers. Your friend can talk you up more easily than you can, and buddying up can give you more courage to approach others and start conversations yourself.
Pick fun events. I hate networking mixers and avoid them as much as possible. My favorite places to network instead are seminars. Whether it's a wine tasting class or a three-day marketing conference, I love to learn so those environments naturally energize me, and I enjoy talking to people and finding out why they're there.
Attend the same events regularly. While you might feel awkward the first time you show up, the more often you go back for subsequent meetings, the more comfortable you become as you see the same faces over and over. Eventually those strangers become friends and those gatherings becomes less tedious and more entertaining.
Organize your own events. Think about what would be a fun environment for you and go make it happen. Is it a potluck dinner? A day of whitewater rafting? Invite a group of friends and encourage each of them to bring a colleague or two as well. Networking doesn't have to be all business, and it doesn't have to take place in a windowless ballroom. Common experiences are what bring people together. You can build relationships anytime and anywhere.