The Hub Factor: The Art of Influence through Powerful Networking Skills Julia E.

Hubbel The Hubbel Group/The Hub Factor 720.221.7335; jhubbel@principlednetworking.com 92nd Annual International Supply Management Conference, May 2007 Abstract. Supply Chain Management is beset with change from every direction: demands for greater speed, innovation, streamlining of processes; the demand for better communication and more efficiency of networks across traditional and nontraditional lines; intense competition both internally and externally. You are required to think faster and more creatively, to have more and better answers, to come up with better solutions than ever before and to have them faster than ever before. Youre required to do this with fewer resources, in less time, and with greater accuracy. In a highly competitive environment, how do you not only survive, but thrive in such a rapidly changing and demanding world? Definition. Networking as a term didnt enter our vernacular until 1966. It means the passing along of information, ideas and contacts from one person to another, and then possibly to more people, according to Donna Fisher, in Professional Networking for Dummies. She adds, Every time someone shares an idea or contact with you, you are on the receiving end of networking. Every time you give someone support, encouragement, or a recommendation, you are on the giving end of networking. For many people, however, networking got its reputation in the 1980s where it became known as a pushy, its all about me exercise, a hard sell where only the aggressive sales types could win at the game. Networking got a bad reputation. Also, networking involves the risk of rejection. A New York Times article described 75% of the American public as more afraid to enter a room full of strangers than they were to speak in public. More people are afraid of death than they are of speaking in public. Networking, which involves reaching out to others and offering up ourselves to be accepted and liked, is risky business, and for many, just too scary a proposition. Thats why, when it comes to social occasions, many people stick with standing with friends, acquaintances, even people they dont particularly like in order to avoid having to mix with strangers! The future of Supply Chain Management is the development of powerful relationships, built on trust and collaboration, which are earned by how you treat people right from the start. How you approach people based on your intention is expressed by your body language, your facial expression and the first words out of your mouth. Are you here to get or to give? To take or to make a difference? Are you here to create value only for yourself or for others as well? Those who are here only for themselves will quickly find themselves left out in a world that is increasingly savvy about selfishness. The more fast-paced and demanding Supply Chain becomes, the more humanity is required of us to get the job done. As the world around you changes the shifts, its the relationships that survive. Those relationships cannot be assumed; they have to be earned, developed, nurtured and protected with care and attention over time. How you start them is the heart of networking, how you maintain them is the soul of networking. Networking as an activity has evolved over the years to mean something different to each person according to personality, capacity and motivation. For most, it has been limited only to

social activities. You network only when you go to a social event or a conference where there are specific times set aside for networking. And for many people, these times are personally challenging. You may perhaps feel as though you have to put on your networking game face, have an additional glass of wine or another drink to get you through the crowd, or bolster yourself by taking along a buddy as a support system. Sometimes you may find yourself hanging on to someone youve met a little too long because theyve been friendly to you, or you talk for hours to just one person and miss the signals that theyd like to move on. For others, its like a sports game, where theyre out to get as many cards as possible so they can brag about how many contacts theyve made, which is an empty achievement. At the end of the night, theyll have a handful of cards from a great many people about whom they remember nothing, and those people wont recall anything about them, either. Nothing ventured and nothing gained. Networking doesnt have to be about managing your fear, and it also isnt about managing people as though it was a points system. Networking for the 21st century is fundamentally different. Its about creating and leaving a legacy of value. It recognizes differences in gender and race. Networking for this era reaches across personality style and business cards and gets to the heart of who people are and creates genuine connections. Especially during times of rapid change, when people are more likely to draw into themselves, it is important to reach out to others in ways that create genuine, heartfelt relationships. Traditional networking has always depended upon the business card, which offers a snapshot of who you are, but a limited snapshot. In a millisecond, you are summed up by a title, a company affiliation, gender and race. Men generally exchange cards to establish pecking order, to see who has the greater authority, the larger playing field, the bigger title, the more important company affiliation, the larger budget, much like in the military where rank and power establishes who salutes whom. The business card quickly establishes where men stand with one another and allow them to proceed with an implicit understand of rank and power. The conversation also follows a similar line, usually about business or sports, which allow connection along comfortable lines of familiarity but within a set of boundaries, establishing a connection along transactional lines. Men generally prefer to discuss business first, along transactional lines: What have you got for me? What do you bring to the deal? The personal relationship is earned on the basis of how well business is conducted. Women, and many people of color, generally network quite differently. Their preferred approach is along relational lines. Instead of exchanging business cards right away and getting down to business, they would prefer to talk about you: your family, your life, your world, your children, even your clothes, the food, to get a feel for who you are and how you treat the people in your world. Theyre interested in the context around you, your history, your background, what makes you who you are. They are whole person observers; they will watch your face closely, observe body language, catch nuances in tonal changes in voice and be much more observant of slight changes in attention and mood. Women and many people of color look to establish the relationship first and then create business opportunities later as a result of the personal connection. There are exceptions to these rules but these are general trends which are recognizable among men, women and people of color, especially in the rest of the world. Internationally, with rare

exceptions such as Israel where it is business first and foremost, the relationship creates the connection first. How do you navigate these relationship potholes? How can you reach across differences and connect? First, by recognizing and honoring gender and racial differences and not expecting women and people of color to respond to white male style networking styles or vice versa. A bit of adaptation on both sides goes a long way towards making connecting go more smoothly. Second, networking for the 21st century requires that we take a bit of a risk and share something personal about ourselves that allows us to get past the business card connection, especially for white males, for whom this is a big step. The revelation creates the relationshipespecially when its something funny or revealing, and it allows others to see us as human and humane, and creates a conversation about who we are. Often its the very thing that creates the personal connection with someone else, the connective tissue with another human being that never could have happened only with a business card which is otherwise cold and impersonal. True, we can have professional connections, but the glue of life is the personal experiences we share. Third, our ability to ask good questions is the key to creating excellent connections. For most of us, networking is agonizing because we feel it is all about us, that we are on the spot and we are supposed to be entertaining and witty. That is hardly the case. Networking is never about you, never was about you and never will be about you. Ask people what they think, how they feel about ideas, interview them as though you were going to write a story about them for a magazine. Make them talk about themselves. Ask open-ended questions and delve deeper. Listen with the intention to learn. And as you listen, listen with the intention make a differenceto pay a compliment, to make a referral to them to help them out, to give them an idea, to do something good for them in some way. Always be looking for a way to leave someone with something of value. Have your internal Rolodex spinning to give this person someone to meet who will further their career. Networking is how you will leave other people feeling about themselves, how you will leave a legacy of value, how you leave other people feeling supported. In this way, we build a network of friends and confidants who are our biggest fans and who will be there when we need them, because we have already supported them first. When we connect with other people with an attitude of service and are looking for a way to leave them with something of value, like a great idea or a referral or a compliment, it is a powerful way to build a legacy for ourselves. Fourth, pay it forward. Mentor, give ideas, suggestions, support, recommendations, open doors for people. Do favors, help make deals happen. Help people find jobs. Help your vendors out by coaching them or advising them. This builds loyalty and friendship. Boost your MWBE vendors by providing training and coaching on collaboration. Build closer alliances with peers at conferences such as this one to build your professional knowledge and your information sources. The more you do for others, the more you find others will do for you. Youll find more information coming your way, more tips, more inside skinny, more calls, more job referrals. Youll keep up to date on the latest in the industry from industry leaders because you know them personally, not because you read about them- youve met them and gotten on their mailing lists because youve networked with them at the conferences where theyve spoken.

You have built a network of connections, now you have to stay in touch. Traditionally, people follow up only 10% of the connections they make at a conference. Dont become a typical statistic! Some of these people may represent your future, and you, theirs! Follow up within a week with at least an email, at best a personal note. There is nothing so powerful as a hand written note in a world of electronic communications, simply because they are so rare. You want to be remembered, so do what most people dont do- follow up, and do it quickly enough so that you wont be relegated to foggy memory. Use a contact management system like ACT or Outlook to manage your connections. Youll have those youll identify as your inner circle whom you have contact with every day whom you dont need to tag because theyre already part of your everyday life. Then youll have a circle of people who are high priority whom you need to ping weekly, people you need to call monthly, every other month and so on, based on their importance to you. Use a system that will allow you to manage these calls and remind you to send out a holiday card that isnt during a normal holiday- say birthdays or a non-typical holiday, like St. Patricks Day where yours wont get lost in the masses at Christmas. However you decide to keep in touch, do it regularly so that your network is fed and it feeds you. Summary. Ultimately, networking is an expression of who you are as a human being. It is an extension of your humanity, how you treat others, your relationship with everyone around you. Your ability to connect with others determines your success in everything you do. The world of the 21st century demands greater connectedness now more than any other time. The greater the rate of change, the greater the demand for deeply grounded human relationships. Starting with this conference, its time to make connections count like they never have before. , REFERENCES: Fisher, Donna, Professional Networking for Dummies, Hungry Minds Inc., New York 2001