Networking = Rule Breaking

Networking = Rule Breaking As I was preparing to talk about the value of building a network to a group of teenagers, I began looking at the concept through their eyes. In school they have learned to follow rules, stay within the lines, work hard to get good grades, perform well and make varsity. These rules are probably why theyhave built the resistance to seeing the value of knowing people and developing relationships.Educationsdontformally recognize or reward for this. Being nice to a teacher to get a goodgradeis deemed as bad orunethical in education. In the world of work, being nice to during an interview or when talking with a manager may be the only way to survive. In school, it doesnt matter how well you know the teacher. Your performance is evaluated only on how well you test and do the work. In sports, same thing. You are evaluated on how well you perform, period. No wonder these kids are so ill-prepared to compete for jobs. They dont know the rules are different. They run to the job boards (rule followers). They have been fed logic that if they get good grades, they will be swooped up by hungry employers. Where was the advice that maybe you should learn to develop interpersonal skills: play well with others, communicate well and expand the list of people you know and who know about you? In a recent UpMo article on networking, they quote an MBA Dean who basically said that MBA students are repulsed by the idea of networking and dont see the valueof a class on it. They simply dont get it. (Huge kudos to my blogging mentor Mike Lally. He is quoted in this UpMo piece!) Why would these MBA students see the value of networkingit has never been something they have been rewarded for. Why would anyone see the valuein something thatbreaks the traditional rules of applying for jobs?