Networking & Serendipity: (almost) meeting Madonna & other false hopes

In many situations, the personal network is decisive for the professional one Success. However, building such a network is a long-term affair – and a question of sympathy.

The mistaken hope for instant success

I recently met Madonna at the Venice Film Festival. Well almost anyway. I just missed her by five minutes. No, I don't mean a statue or a saint, but THE Madonna, the pop star. You know. All of this on the occasion of the opening of an exhibition at the Venice Biennale, where there were usually a lot of interesting people for me. It doesn't really matter whether Madonna was there or not.

I wanted yours with this introduction awareness rather a typical one Networking-direct errors. Namely, approaching things too efficiently, in the mistaken hope of instant success: I do something, and a result must come out of it immediately. And Madonna is actually just a pseudonym: You could also use Barack Obama or the HR manager of the Companywhere you would like to work. Then Time management works like this. say. And networking, whether online or offline, often takes a lot of time. With an uncertain outcome. What could be more obvious than to approach things a little more efficiently?

Good opportunities are often overlooked

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Unfortunately, this arises fast a tunnel vision: we narrow our Objective like that, a certain one People to meet someone who seems important to us - forgetting that we often have nothing in common with this person. Because even if I had stood face to face with Madonna that day: What ever Welt should I have talked to her? About social media issues or productivity? And what do you want to say to your prospective HR manager if you don't qualifications bring along that he is looking for? The often quoted sentence "Everyone knows everyone around six corners" may be true. In fact, that day I met a colleague from New York who used to live in the same house as Madonna. But it also suggests that we can achieve anything and everyone. Might be. But it is not enough to just meet the target person, you also need a common ground. Many small intermediate steps are often necessary. And that just takes time.

Which brings me to another point: when I'm zeroing in on meeting Madonna (or anyone else), I'm probably overlooking a lot of other opportunities that are available to me. And many other interesting people who could be much more important to me. Because the American journalist, who knew Madonna vaguely from earlier, gave me new, good contacts. And anyway, if my original goal had been to meet Madonna, I wouldn't have been in Venice on the Lido that day at all. That was only because I met a group of Italians on the Berlin S-Bahn last year. Conversations and meetings turned into friendships, which resulted in an invitation and a return invitation. At the same time, Madonna and the film festival were out of the question. If I had that as a strategic networking goal in the Eye if I had, I would have had to start it completely differently.

Avoid time management

Yes, I even go one step further: In my opinion, strategic networking can only work to a limited extent. If I set myself the goal of meeting Person X (or Madonna), it might sound efficient at first glance. Works for many things "Objective = Result ”very good after all. But: Interpersonal relationships are more complicated. To meet Person X, I may have to kill a lot of time with Person AW beforehand. This is roughly what bad career counselors recommend when you give networking tips: "Go to the important events, talk to the important people ..." And maybe even if the chemistry with those people is not right. Which increases the chance that the chemistry with Mr. or Mrs. X isn't right either. And that nothing comes of it. In a nutshell, it sounds pretty absurd: However, I keep observing, whether on social media or elsewhere, that a lot of people do just that.

The best tip for time management when networking is: It is best not to do any time management at all. Forget strategic considerations. Rede with people you sympathisch are. This increases the likelihood that something useful will come out of it because there is common ground. Because the friends of your friends are usually sympathetic to you too and good contact leads to further good contacts. Because you together Fun has and is creative. And because you never have the feeling that you have time with pleasant people anyway verlieren. And then, in the end, you can leave Madonna completely unmoved.

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