The Networked Professional

Task 3a & 3b

My Current and Established Networks

Mine is a complex network of people and information network with multi dimensions and layers.

Over the years of teaching Dance and working in other industries, my people network has expanded considerably.  To date I remain in contact with some of the dance students I trained with 30 years ago and even more of them today since Social Networking sites such as Face Book, and Linkedin.  Since the School and College ‘reunions’ have appeared such as Friends Reunited, this has been a great new source and provision for fresh friends/professionals for networking. 

Most of my friends and colleagues of my generation,  are no longer  hungry to establish a career or find our true calling in life as they don't seem to have any reason to further prove much more to themselves their family or others.  To a certain degree, we have ‘arrived’ after years of work experience, building skills and a degree of financial stability.  It seems our concepts and plans for the future have seemingly come to fruition at this time.  I have had a number of discussions with  my friends and colleagues about career or jobs at this time.  These happen to be about job changes.  Namely,  redundancies, early retirement or health reasons.   With this current challenging climate in mind, helping a friend or colleague find a new job or career through my own network of contacts can be very satisfying to me. I recently helped a friend by introducing them to a contact that was able to help secure a new job in the hidden market.
Why is Networking so important? 

• it can provide you with help when needed
• it offers you expertise beyond your own,

My current Networking includes;

Face Book                               Friends Reunited

LinkedIn,                                  Websites

Smart phone                             Discussion Forums

Skype                                      Network Support sites

Video Conferencing                  Events

Blogging                                   Exhibitions

Email                                        Charity/Fund Raising Events

 Here is a useful link to a presentation on;

 How to Network

I have found one to one meetings and group discussions still the best way to network and get clarity from the lines of my initial enquiry or links.

Today I am forging new links with specific people to add to my map of networking professionals.   I will also need to get involved in new ways and improving the way I network.   I would like to attend more lectures and discussion sessions and to make improvements on my website and complete my  LinkedIn profile.

Cooperation

Experience and I trust, wisdom, has prepared me to know that Cooperating should be mutually beneficial. If I make contact with an old associate or friend for information, help or advice, I do this knowing that we have built a relationship and understanding over the years based on good reputation and mutual respect knowing that we wouldn’t take advantage of one another’s time, position or situations.   It is something I learnt that is a hard lesson of life, for myself.  I am a person that takes time to invest in friends and associates.  I soon realised early on that I needed to be build and maintain very good reputation of myself and my business to keep in association with my specialist contacts.  Wikipedia’s description states;

Reputation of a social entity (a person, a group of people, an organisation) is an opinion about that entity, typically a result of social evaluation on a set of criteria. It is important in education, business, and online communities.

The Game Theory

Linking with some of the strategies I read from The Complexity of Cooperation (Axelrod 1997)   I recall a series of events that lead to a close friend of mine and I to stop working together as it almost destroyed our friendship.  Initially we both collaborated on a Dance project and gave the same amount of time and energy to it and so shared the accreditation, it got to a point that I was putting in more hard work, time and effort only to receive the same accreditation, well I wasn’t happy so I argued for a bigger share of accreditation.  By this time my ego and reputation had grown and I defected with a different strategy.   I learnt an important lesson not to engage in business with a friend or at least if you do to have clear defined rules of engagement.  In this situation it required a delicate balancing act to work aside another person in a creative capacity.  I would have to lead or they would take the lead and I would assist for a short time. I understand this to be inherent genetic behaviour with me rather than my ability to use strategy

My understanding Affiliations vs my experiences with Affiliations.

It seems, we as humans want an alliance, association, connection or partnership with someone, group, social and private events.

It could be seen as a ‘needs to an end’ or various levels of ‘you scratch my back…..’ or ‘Quid pro quo’ (Latin meaning ‘what for what’) I found Affiliation has a direct link with The Game Theory, whether you use strategies and or your genetic behaviour in the end you will always move your links with people to suit your individual game plan. 

At first as a newly qualified professional you need your first chance to step onto the career ladder so your old teachers/contacts are essential for that recommendation, feedback and support. Your strategies constantly shifts and changes at differing levels. You begin to see a change in your private and public life and keep those affiliations separate. I agree with The O’Conner and Rosenblood 1996, model of social affiliation rings very true with this as I have experienced it when my level of contact varies. There are times when I do need to be on my own and at times with just one friend.  There are times to when I need to be away or have no contact with my family.

I believe I have been a good teacher or dancer from the feedback and responses I have been given but times change and learning changes. The numerous times the words of ‘promise’ for a job or dance contract through a new contact that disguised themselves as friends or responsible manager, only to be left stranded.   So my very first lesson was not to instantly trust, but to establish how mutually beneficial we can be to one another.  The outcome over the years is that a genuine friendship or professional mutual respect evolves. 

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I have similar views to Leanne Watson;

 I believe we all learn from experience, and situations in our lives vary and send us on different paths, leading to different contacts and connections within those networks. Really understanding why we do things and need certain things is what will help us grow and understand our professional and personal lives further.