I suppose at 40, I can say that career success is a combination of who I know and what I know. But at 18, can networking really help? At coffee with a friend, she mentioned how she was mentoring her niece and somewhat surprised that she lacked any sense of structure around goal setting and identifying stepping stones to get what she wanted. Her niece calls her a lot for advice about things that were innate for my friend at 18.
I wonder if this is both a reflection of how entitled the over-nurtured generations have become, and therefore not really self-sufficient, or has it always been a case by case basis with youth in every generation?
Another thing she said that really resonated with me is that networking sounds so shallow. Whereas community is more inclusive. True, that. Can a network really deliver? Maybe not so much for an 18 year old.
As I was combing through my 500+ LinkedIn emails of connections (and deleting old email from my inbox), I was thinking about how remote some of these connections are for me.What if I called Scott in Singapore and asked for a favor? It’s been, like, 15 years! Probably not going to happen. I suppose an introduction to someone is more in line with our level of relationship.
At 18 when you are just beginning, I still believe that knowing people is key to success. My friend Denise happens to be a supportive community for her niece. But for many of us, we are not as fortunate to have a community that is at our disposal.
Enter, Covert Leadership!
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