No one wants to find themselves in a networking situation where they feel taken advantage of- and indeed, most professionals don’t want to be in the opposite position, either, where their colleague questions their motives. Here are three strategies you can use to build mutual and fulfilling long-term professional relationships and ensure your new connections never feel that you’re approaching them for the wrong reasons.
Delay asking for favors
It’s a principle to avoid asking for any favors for at least a year. That lets you step back and concentrate on building a genuine friendship with no pressure.
- Don’t be deluged with connection requests from people you barely know. Avoid becoming their enabler.
Make your intentions clear
Once you’ve gotten to know someone well enough to make an ask, it’s essential to be clear upfront about what it is, and what’s actually going on
- Sneak favor attacks are common
- Well-intentioned professionals simply don’t have a sense of how to appropriately ask for what they want
- They’ll often try to disguise their intentions, leading to misunderstandings and ill will
Think creatively about how you can help
Almost every professional recognizes that networking is important, but often we fail to do it because we aren’t sure what we can offer or we don’t want our intentions to be misconstrued.
- By following the three strategies above, we can work to build the kind of meaningful, long-term connections we all want.
