Focus Magazine - Summer 2015 - 26

FEATURESTORY

Change Your Paradigm,
Transform Your Network
I By Daniel Hallak

I

f networking doesn't feel right, you
are doing it wrong. Midway
through my master's degree, I
became concerned about my postgraduation job prospects. Bright
classmates of mine were struggling
with their transitions in the beginning
of a recession and this filled me with
fear. At the advice of trusted mentors,
I decided to start "networking."
Feverishly I built as many contacts
as possible to increase my chances of
landing a job upon graduation. My
eﬀorts went well and I began to
cultivate a large number of
connections, but something felt oﬀ.
What I learned is that the paradigm
shiing secret to world-class
networking is generous living and that
networking for others brings
tremendous joy as you pay it forward.

A New Paradigm
I started to feel really guilty. Aer
networking meetings with several
generous people it occurred to me that
I was networking to gain something
but my new connections were
networking to give. I was approaching
networking the wrong way. is
epiphany changed my paradigm.
Suddenly, networking became about
much more than landing a job or
launching my coaching practice.
I realized that networking was not a
set of actions for gain but rather a
lifestyle of giving. Networking became
about building relationships, not
contacts. Armed with a new purposedriven networking paradigm,
everything changed.

26

A Lifestyle of
Generosity
roughout my
career I have had
the privilege of
building external
partnerships as a
large part of my
work. is has given
me the opportunity
to meet some
world-class
relationship builders
and study their
secrets. e best networkers I know
are extremely generous. ese people
are well-connected powerhouses who
speak nationally, run successful
organizations and still make time for
others. When I inquire about their
relationship-building secrets, they
quickly speak about building
relationships to serve other people.
ese rare individuals actually take
the time to thoughtfully listen and
then connect you with people or
resources without expecting a favor in
return. For these generous superconnectors, networking truly is a
lifestyle where every social setting
becomes an opportunity to create
value for other people. ey look at
the world as an unlimited networking
opportunity - they don't have to
spend inordinate hours on networking
because it is something that they just
do everywhere they go. eir eyes are
always open to the needs of people
and they are constantly thinking of
how to leverage their social capital for
service.

A few years ago I met with a friend
who is an influential business owner. I
was in a career transition and I wanted
his advice. When we sat down for
coﬀee, the first thing he
enthusiastically asked was, "How can I
serve you?" Aer an hour of
thoughtful questions and wise advice,
he oﬀered to broker a conversation
with a recruiter who might have an
opportunity for me. For my friend and
so many like him, networking as
service has become second nature and
as natural as breathing.

The Rewards of Networking
on Purpose
Transforming your networking
paradigm has lots of rewards. e
utmost gain is the joy of serving
others and seeing them thrive and
develop. Everyone has something to
give to other people. Helping someone
launch their business, land a dream
job, find a babysitter so they can get a
date night or connect to an inspiring
mentor is exhilarating. By always

FOCUS | SUMMER 2015 | www.L-TEN.org
http://www.L-TEN.org
Focus Magazine - Summer 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Focus Magazine - Summer 2015
