MBA Crystal Ball

Combining business networking with technical and managerial skills can ensure that your ascent in the corporate world continues unabated.

Our long time reader, Ipseeta Aruni, shared insights with us in a 3-part blog series on building and sustaining business relationships.

Ipseeta is a graduate of the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee and a Columbia MBA grad, with a keen interest in the arena of soft skills in business. As an electrical engineer by education, she loves exploring concepts and technologies that aim at drastically improving the performance of current software technology. She has numerous research papers to her credit.

These articles were published on our blog and subsequently moved here.

How to network and build relationships for corporate success
by Ipseeta Aruni

Networking has been the buzzword of late in corporate circles. We harp on it, we stand in awe when we see a good networker. In short it's paramount to a cataclysmic weapon which can help one bridge the bureaucratic divide in multi-tiered organizations swiftly. What does it take to be a good networker though?

Contrary to popular belief that networking skills only come naturally, there are ways to develop them. There are certain rules one can follow to transform that cold-call into a warm-call. This may come as a shock to people who believe that networking for the sake of networking must be discouraged. But the fact remains that it's primarily through these skills that one can create an instantaneous impact in the crucial five minutes of conversation one has with that big-shot at a coffee session.

For keeping this simple, let's call our star networker Mr. EasyConnect and his sounding board Mr. PureBiz. How do you connect without sounding like a schmooze. The key is to connect at an emotional level. One of the easiest ways is to divert the conversation towards likes and dislikes. It would give you a fair enough idea of what Mr. PureBiz likes and would throw open wide an area for future conversations. The scene is set.

Mr. PureBiz has given you a brief tally of his career progression and his job responsibilities. Mr. EasyConnect chips in by asking what he likes doing in his leisure time. Bingo! Here's some common ground to explore together. Mr. PureBiz loves listening to metal music and coincidentally Mr. EasyConnect also has an interest in it. They have a heart-to-heart talk on the inventors of metal, how soothing it is to get lost in a world of music at the end of each day and how frustrating it was to see Metallica cancel their concert in Delhi at the last minute. At the end of the five minutes dialogue,

Mr. EasyConnect has weasled his way into Mr. PureBiz's memory and is thinking of when to follow-up with him next. Mr. PureBiz is smiling his way out as he reminisces the feel-good factor this guy named EasyConnect generated in his consciousness. But be sure to mention your own achievements at a suitable point in the conversation without sounding like you are boasting.

So you manage to create a good first impression. What next? It's important to build trust and credibility right from the beginning. Send a follow-up email to thank Mr. PureBiz. Now you are there both in his memory and in his inbox! Be sure to mention where you met and one key take-away from the interesting conversation you had with him.

While the conversation lasts, maintain eye contact. Look into his eyes, give him all your attention. Let your eyes do the talking. Let them reflect your admiration for Mr. PureBiz. Make sure you stand by your own convictions though without trying to overtly please him, or you'll end up coming across as a smooth-talker. Last but not the least, you should have a loose but firm handshake. It reflects upon your character and your confidence level. It says 'I am a take control, take charge' guy without being seen as dominating.

Now, let's explore the scenario wherein you don't find any common interests. In such scenarios it's always best to be prepared in advance. Prior to the meeting, find out who's going to be there. Research their LinkedIn profiles, check their Facebook page. This'll give you a fair enough idea of what the person has done in the past, what specific fields he has explored, also which clubs he's a member of. Read, google, browse and read again. You should be good to go with atleast one ice-breaker topic for each person you want to connect with.

This'll turn most of your introduction meetings into an invitation for further conversations. Build relationships before you need them.

How to take the business relationship to the next level
by Ipseeta Aruni

Ice-breakers come and go, what remains with you are memories of a person who really connects with your deepest desires and values. We have already seen how Mr. EasyConnect carved a niche in Mr. PureBiz’s memory.

Once you have gotten past the initial communication gap, it’s time to get on full throttle to make the relationship a meaningful one. Nothing works as good as a social network in this case nor does it take much to invite a person in the virtual space to share some aspects of your life with (but only the relevant ones). So it’s essential to have privacy options enabled.

But beware, this method may backfire. There are other people who maybe trying to connect with you for not purely selfless reasons and exposing personal facts makes you vulnerable to their advances. You should make sure you are able to distinguish between the well-wishers and the schmoozers.

Next step to firmly establish your credentials is to use the networking platform to build your brand. Broadcast only the stuff that you think will win you brownie points in terms of credibility, restrict non-sensical posts only to your closest friends. Your posts should be structured such that you come across as an information resource. After all, information is key.

It’s easier to stand out when you pay true heed to your abilities and express willingness to take them to the next level. For instance, if you are an amateur guitarist, take a chance and perform at a nearby pub. It may take some amount of dedication to get over the initial inertia but it’ll definitely be worth it once you get started.

The above works for connecting with people who you would rarely meet in person again. Otherwise, it becomes a lot easier. Stay informed on who’s who of the organization. Take a sneak peek at their profiles on the company website. Keep track of organization updates regarding restructuring, new initiatives and formal awards. You never know who you are gonna bump into while waiting for the elevator or standing in queue at the cafeteria.

It would be more than a pleasant surprise for someone to have a stranger walk up to them and congratulate them on their new achievement. And then when you introduce yourself, it suddenly dawns on them that you have met before. And there goes the inertia bumped off by the momentum sprung by your surprise pitch. Now you are in safe waters. You can bank on the relationship to be pegged at this level of trust no matter what.

Another surefire way to up your visibility in the corporate world is to be on the trusted list of a super-connector. Ferret out those individuals who seem to know the right people and who go out of their way to connect. By doing so, you have bridged atleast one degree of separation from most of the key figures on the workfloor.

A great way to connect with such people may be an office party or over lunch or coffee. Take a little more time than usual at the coffee machine to look around and scan the area for any potential super-connectors. If you are lucky enough to find one and better still if they are alone and seem approachable, walk across and extend a hand and a warm smile. Tell them who you are, what you do and how you came to know about them. Nothing works better than coffee when you are trying to forge a bond. So take the bull by the horns and ride it to victory.

I can’t emphasize enough the importance of staying informed. The key is to read the relevant magazines, use the information to stretch your imagination, enhance your skillset and project it to your network. Your network only becomes stronger if you constantly feed it with the right inputs. If you are not considered an asset, your network withers away.

The trick is to constantly focus on improving yourself and use your skills to help someone else out of a sticky spot. It maybe a trivial thing like helping someone invest in the share market but there’s always the promise of it reaping high returns. What goes around does come around. The better your image is, the stronger your connections become. All you have to do is project the image and never ever give up.

How to keep the relationships warm
by Ipseeta Aruni

If you have experienced the initial euphoria of building up your network, chances are it would have snowballed into a connection matrix. By now, connecting should have become second nature to you. One contact spirals into a multitude of connections driving your confidence and visibility on a steep upward trajectory.

But don’t let the adulation get to you, because the minute you do, you flop straight down to the bottom of the reputation curve which is why it is so important to keep in touch with the people who helped you up the ladder. You can do this in a manner that suits you, prioritize your contacts, segregate them into different lists, you can do this on Facebook too with the Lists feature. Now all you gotta do is stay on the radar.

An easy way to do this is to build a networking chart. Against each person’s name, assign the three most primary qualities the person admires, viz., involvement in sports, spiritualism, music etc. Do this for your first-level contacts (People with whom you are on a first name basis, and I don’t mean your peers, they can be your local club members or your senior managers but they should be a whole lot wiser than you and you should have a strong rapport with them).

Next step, keep track of the goings-on in their lives. Ensure you have those 2-min water-cooler conversations whenever you meet them, send them a note, give them a quick call while you are lunching/dining alone or travelling or broadcast information of consequence to them on your social network.

Dinner parties can be a great way to build strong relationships with a multitude of people and it’s not all that difficult to play the perfect host. You can very well order food from outside, but the ‘Have hands, will cook’ mentality will take you a long way in nurturing professional relationships. The choice of food has to be eclectic. If you have never really tried cooking, don’t despair. There are a number of good magazines that can up your culinary skills in a very short time. My personal favourite is ‘Good Food’, you can try and experiment with what suits you and what could be the simplest way to showcase culinary delights to an unsuspecting guest-list and steal their hearts.

Sports is another great way to connect and build relationships. Get involved in the company Cricket team. It doesn’t matter if you are not a pro, having the will to learn and practice helps. Everyone’s equal when it comes to playing a game, be it an Executive Director or a Junior Analyst, hence it throws open numerous opportunities to connect at an emotional level.

More so because it’s such an effective platform to size up people – whether they are up to handling challenges, how they deal with stress, what kind of personality they have and whether they gel with a team. All the time you are playing, somebody is sizing you up and forming mental impressions about your character traits. Make sure you make the most of it.

Another very important thing is to keep track of your USP. What makes you stand out. This and only this will fire your visibility drive. Explore your talents, try something new, have a mission and make it happen. Say, you have a penchant for dance and skating. Perfect these skills and get into figure-skating. Break the box!

When you are involved in something worth knowing about, spread the message, create a buzz! If you can, connect with media. And write, it gives you instant credibility and helps your brand in a way nothing else does. Happy networking!