What Type of Networker Are You?
Last week, with the help of Lorna Helps, we busted 3 BIG myths about when it comes to networking!
Myth #1 - Networking is for the individual
Myth #2 - Networking is only for sales teams
Myth #3 - A Team must network evenly for it to be fair.
This week, we’re honing in further on #Myth3, to understand the importance of playing to our strengths within a team and why having clarity on what type of Networker we are, enables us to truly add value to the team.
Let’s go!
On a team whether it’s a work team, sports team, or even a family, every person has their individual roles to play. Looking at this in its most simple form. In my household, my husband and I split house duties pretty evenly. I’m good at gathering our laundry before it piles too high, our 4-year-old is ace at helping me categorise the clothes by color before we wash them, and my husband, Chris, is really great folding the laundry and putting it away.
I don’t know about you but I hate folding laundry! --- if it was socially acceptable, I would wear wrinkled clothes all day every day but together, as a family, my other teammates prevent that from happening!
Another great example of how vital the different dynamics of a team are, can be shown with our team at CutClass. I’m awesome at problem solving, and often find myself knee deep in all the techy stuff. You know, the kind of stuff that drives everyone, including my business partner Leslie a little bonkers! Leslie on the other hand thrives on structuring financial projections (something I despise). Sho, the third arm to our trio is an all-around design wizard. She brings our combined vision to life - a skill set that neither Leslie and I possess.
Understanding our strengths and learning how best to play to them is essential when we’re networking. Why? Well, there’s many reasons! Firstly, it helps you identify what comes naturally to you in social / networking settings. By knowing what we’re good at, you can then compartmentalise what you’re not so good at, highlighting areas that need a little work or improvement. Most importantly however, understanding your own strengths helps you identify everyone else’s!
From a managerial standpoint it’s vital to know the different types of networkers in your team too so you can delegate networking tasks more efficiently and effectively.
Networking is filled with different types of players and roles, but typically they fall into 1 of 4 categories. As a networker, you are either:
1. a Shark
2. a Penguin
3. a Bee
4. a Lone Wolf
But how do you know which one you are?
Here’s a breakdown of each type of networker –
Sharks
Sharks as we know, are natural predators. Sharks are people that we are sometimes afraid to encounter. They are the person who jumps from one small group to another, taking a big bite at each group before moving on. They also share ALL about themselves, shove their card in your face, and move on without ever really finding anything out about you.
Sharks, while they come off pushy, are simply a part of the “networking ecosystem”. It’s better to accept that they exist and try to not get frustrated about it. If you choose to be a Shark, you may find that your relationships aren’t very strong and your conversations won’t really go beyond surface level.
Penguins
Now let’s talk about Penguins. Penguins are the polar opposite of Sharks. As some of you know, MOST Penguins are monogamous. That means that male and female pairs will mate exclusively with each other for the duration of the season and continue to do so for the rest of their lives. After mating, the female Penguin will lay just ONE. SINGLE. EGG. Some species lay 2, but only if they’re lucky.
Penguin networkers are great people, easy to approach, and they gravitate to the same people at every event. While this is a nice way to network because it’s familiar and very comfortable, it’s not the best way to network forever. It’s tokay to start here but you have to keep progressive and grow out of it over time. Penguins lay 1 egg and some “lucky” species lay 2 eggs...I want you to be producing more than 1 connection or egg as you move through your networking journey, I know you can do it
Bees
Okay...let’s talk about Bees. Bees are fantastic insects! I know, I know, we may run away from them from time to time, but hear me out… Bees make the world go round! They fly from flower to flower pollinating each one they visit. It’s the most incredible thing.
Fun fact: Honey Bees can visit up to 5,000 flowers a day!
Earlier we discovered that a “shark networker” that goes from group to group and takes what they need and leaves. Bee networkers are different from a shark, you see, Bee’s contribute pollen to each flower they visit. In a networking setting, a bee networker will contribute something to each person or group they engage with, and guess what? Contributing something doesn’t always have to be a witty insight, joke, or a thought-provoking question. It can also come in the form of a good listener. A good listener is present and makes other people feel heard, and people love to know someone is truly listening to them.
Lone Wolves
And finally, our Lone Wolves! These networkers usually wind up at networking events because it’s required by work. It’s an “I have to” kinda thing. Either that or their partner / family invited them to something and they can’t get out of it. These guys would rather check out the punch bowl then the other guests at the party.
Being a lone wolf isn’t a great place to be as a networker, but if you’re one of them, then I bet this blog has already got you thinking outside of the box you previously discarded ‘networking’ into Don’t believe me? Come try me! I’m here every week to bring the powers of networking to life, and through sharing my own experiences, I’m helping to shape your journey into a success!
Think you know what networker you are?
You can take my quiz to find out.
Once you know which kind of networker you are, I want you to take just 5 minutes to describe the type of networker you are and how you would like to use this knowledge to show up in the future! Working on your networking strategy now creates major benefits for your networking success in the future! (…and definitely earns you that glass of wine tonight!)