I have always known that I am typically the quieter person in larger groups or around people that I don't know. I would always look at those who were able to talk to anyone and be able to lead groups with such confidence. I wanted to do this, but never really knew how. Plus, I would tell myself, "I am the shy one. If they want to, they will come talk to me." I could not be more wrong!
Last year when I moved to BYU where I knew absolutely no one, I decided that because no one knew me I could start fresh and be the "loud one." This is not very easy! But I was able to branch out a little. It wasn't until my calling to the Relief Society Presidency that I was able to really reach out and meet new people.
In a devotional given at a BYU special event in 2005, Sheri Dew spoke as an honored alumni about leadership. She started by defining a leader as "anyone who lives as they really believe and stands up for what they believe." Which means that really I shouldn't wait for a calling to give me the reason to reach out to others to lead. But how can this be? I can easily see having multiple people trying to lead the same group as a bad thing; competition, tension, and other possible problems. But as a CEO and President of a large publishing company, she has a lot of credibility when she says, "Every organization needs a whole lot of leaders!" She goes on to explain that it is impossible for any one person to lead any kind of organization. That it takes dozens of people put together to lead.
So what does this have anything to do with networking? Sister Dew shares an important quality of a good leader, trust. A good leader needs to build trust among those that he or she is leading. "If you can't trust somebody you can't work with them. If you can't trust somebody you can't build a relationship with them." The important thing about building trust is getting out and showing to people that you can really do something and that you are willing to do what ever it is to do so. Show that you care. Prove that you have good judgement and pure motives.
Networking takes time. It takes more than just getting out and meeting people. It takes more than talking to people and getting their email address. Good networking, worthwhile networking is taking the time to prove that you really are sincere. That you really do care and that you are willing to help in anyway possible. Knowing someone's name is something, but when one can gain creditably and trust, then they have effectively begun to network.
After I was called to the Relief Society, I started to get to know all the girls' names. A good start to networking. Then I branched out more. I took the time to find them all on facebook, a small thing, yes, but then I could see what they were up to. If they had a bad day, I could find out either through their posts or posts that their friends had posted on their wall. I started to offer help to do small little tasks. I was beginning to show them that I was willing to help no matter the task. I would take them cookies and sit and listen. I learned so much by simply being willing to serve them and show them that my motives of serving were pure. I am now really good friends with many of these girls and because I built up that relationship of trust I have been able to keep in touch with them. They are willing to follow me because of that trust. And I am not alone when I am trying to reach out to more, just as Sheri said, I cannot do it alone, I need others to help me. Networking has helped me to gain the followers and added leaders to help me to spread goodness, happiness and the Gospel to others.
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