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Un-networking
Making space
In business you are told to network. You need to make connections, build relationships, and establish a customer base. Its not just about growing your network its about cultivating good connections and seeking out new markets. If you want to succeed organically you need to replace old branches that wither and die. You also need to prune shoots that suck life from your main objective.
The anxiety expressed by many when moving to a new company or into a new community doesn’t register with me. I’ve never found it intimidating being the new kid. I’m not an extrovert so I don’t go out of my way to make new acquaintances. I’ve never felt confident to promote myself and can find a crowd full of people overwhelming. Yet apart from the experiences of my childhood which still haunt me, I rarely find new relationships to be difficult. Maybe people find me approachable because I don’t have a pitch.
What I like about new relationships Its the lack of baggage. Skeletons will emerge at some point but the new person doesn’t know where any bodies are buried or what bodies they might be. They can only judge by what they see, hear and gather from my body language. The new relationship is a journey of discovery much like familiarising yourself with the island on which you’re holidaying. Our brains love novelty and being stimulated by newness. I occasionally come…
