A word we hear a lot in many multi-national companies. I also heard this word so many times that I started hating it. I wanted a job in which my work introduces me and not not the job where I have to introduce my work. But there is a difference between dream and reality and we have to accept the reality. And the reality is you have to speak for your work for others to know it. As it was forced on me I was not happy with the word NETWORKING in this new context. In my college days it was related to computer networks and we both shared a good time. But this time this word came with a completely different context.
Here I always heard that to grow you should build a bigger network. But I started ignoring it thinking I am happy with what I have and I don’t want to run behind that success if it comes by this means.
Then one day someone asked me to write something about networking in my targets for this year. Stating annual targets is one of the practices in my company. I requested her not to ask me to write about networking. She smiled and explained me the reason why companies started using this word.
In US they have common practice to greet one another. When we go there we just greet the person we are meeting thinking just to go on someone’s seat to say hello is waste of time for both of us. But they expect that if someone is new in office then he should come and introduce him to all the people present. That is why companies started this practice in India so that this practice is inserted into our blood and we will be more synchronous towards to US. Reason was logical and I started respecting it though not accepted it.
Actually I have had reason for not accepting this practice. In my college days I was zero in sports and even bigger zero in cultural activities. I don’t think people other than my department even knew my face or name. Whoever knew me was solely because of my work. For some I was good and for others I was bad. Whatever I was I was solely because of my work. I was happy to know a handful people who know me by my work than to many people knowing me just by name or face.
I wanted same thing in my professional life. I wanted that people know me by my work and solely by my work.
I accepted in my mind that I will not be able to network and this is not the work which I wanted. I started life like a normal person who asks his mentor the work to be done each day, complete the work taking help of anyone and leave for home. I was doing my work thinking my work is speaking for me and it was.
But then came my birthday, it was like any other day till the evening when I saw my inbox full of facebook messages sent to me for my birthday wishes.
More than happiness it was surprise for me. Many of the persons who sent me the message have met me only once and few have not even met me. They know me by my work or through my friends.
Isn’t this my network?
Who says network is only limited to company you work in. May be it is better for your success in the company but I am happy that I am preparing for my success in life which does not differentiate between people based on companies.
Why we only focus on people who decide our professional success and ignore those who have left the impact from our success. We are bothered that my boss should not feel that I am bad and no matter what the normal person thinks about me. We would say sorry to our colleagues if we even by mistake push them but would rather expect a sorry from lift attendant even if we have made mistake. We are so mean that we differentiate people by the impact they have in our success.
But today I came to knew about a secret of life. Today I feel satisfied that I am not alone and except from my family and few friends who meet me regularly there is a lot of people in different parts of the world who may not be even knowing my face but still cares for me or at least have a minute in a year to spare on me. They could have ignored a facebook update stating friend’s birthday but they didn’t.
Today I realized the power of my network. May be today I got the real meaning of networking. It may not be the same that the companies shout but it is MY NETWORK which forced me to write one more blog when I did not even know my blog’s URL. They were asking me to write blog or update site. In reality they were willing to get involved with me. I am not part of their success decider but still they are willing to interact with me. This is real network.
It the power to drive happiness into your life
It is the power to support you and to make to successful in LIFE!!!!!
I am really grateful for all those who spent a minute for me because this experience was really huge for me and to support me probably till my next birthday when I would expect a bigger network because now I am NETWORK-KING :) where network is not the number of contact in your phonebook but the number of persons in your wish-book….
