Author Bio

Mike Dulworth is an expert on the strategic value of personal and professional networks. He is President and CEO of Executive Networks, which is a leading provider of peer networks for human resource professionals in large organizations. Mike is the author of several books and he writes and speaks widely on networking. Learn more

Book Excerpt

Chapter 1 What’s Your Networking Quotient?

As we have seen, people are finding that strong personal, professional, and virtual networks are an increasingly essential element in their development, effectiveness, and well-being. Just look at the popularity of virtual networks like MySpace®, Flickr™, LinkedIn®, and Ryze. A strong network can help you navigate rapid change in a number of ways, including broadening your exposure to information and your access to expertise.

Networking is something that we all do naturally everyday; we may just not call it that. The people who are most successful in life do it purposefully. The purpose of this book is to help you do what you do naturally more consciously, more systematically, and effectively.
In this chapter, you will have an opportunity to assess your NQ, or networking quotient. By having a single measure of your ability to develop strong networks—your Networking Quotient (NQ)—you’ll understand the strength of your network and where you can improve.

Before we get to the assessment of your NQ, let me share with you my equation for success:

IQ + EQ + NQ = Success.

IQ is the capacity to learn and understand and can be measured by standardized tests. EQ is an acronym for Emotional Intelligence Quotient. In his bestselling book, Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman asserts that emotional intelligence (EQ) describes an ability, capacity, or skill to perceive, assess, and manage the emotions of one’s self, of others, and of groups.

IQ, as the capacity to learn and understand, is pretty much a fixed capability in all of us. You may be pretty smart, but probably don’t have the IQ of Stephen Hawking, the theoretical physicist. If we can’t change our IQ and want to be more successful, what can we do?

We have some control over our EQ, so that can be a place to spend some time. It’s an excellent idea for all of us to better understand ourselves and others from this perspective. But, like IQ, this can only take us so far. We all seem to be wired in certain ways, and it’s unlikely that personal understanding, psychotherapy, or self-development are going to change these innate traits or behaviors.

It probably won’t surprise you, then, that I think our NQ is where we have the greatest potential for exponential change. We have almost 100% control over our ability to build, nurture and leverage our networks. Some might argue that being an extrovert or an introvert can greatly affect, if not determine, one’s NQ score, but my experience tells me that this is not the case. Some of the best networkers I’ve ever met are introverts – and that includes me!

So, IQ + EIQ + NQ = Success – and the best way to improve this equation is by improving your NQ. Before you can improve it, however, you need to know what your NQ is. Before we turn to assessing your NQ, it helps to take a look at exactly what we are assessing by taking a look at what makes a strong network to begin with.

    The Qualities of Strong Networks

A number of years ago Rob Cross, whom we met in the Introduction, wrote, “What really distinguishes high performers from the rest of the pack is their ability to maintain and leverage personal networks. The most effective create and tap large, diversified networks that are rich in experience and span all organizational boundaries.”

Let’s unpack that statement, since it captures many of the qualities of strong networks.

    Quantity

Size matters – you never know when an important connection will lead to a positive outcome. Virtually everyone I talked to in researching this book stressed that larger networks are better networks. John Zapolski, Partner, Management Innovation Group, told me, “I am constantly looking to expand my network, especially people on the periphery of my network.” The more people you have in your network, the more opportunities you have open to you, the more knowledge you can access, the more talent you can tap.

    Relationships

Vibrant networks are more than a collection of business cards or email addresses: they are built on relationships. When you have a strong relationship with people, they are more willing to spend time with you, share information with you, open doors for you, and the like. You have to build those relationships, and you do that by showing a genuine interest in other people. IDEO’s John Foster told me that a critical success factor in building a strong network is “making sure that you’re dealing in a reciprocal relationship. You must give back to the relationship in some meaningful way and there has to be a real exchange of value for a network relationship to be worthwhile.”

    Diversity

As Cross indicates, the best networks are diverse and span organizational boundaries. If everyone in your network looks like you, acts like you, and have your interests, how are you ever going to learn new things, discover new opportunities, or move in new directions? Let’s hear from John Zapolski again: “I pretty actively look for opportunities to go to new events that are really outside of the typical domain of events that I would normally go to. For example, I met a woman recently who works in innovation, but she has a deep science background so in talking with her I asked her a lot of questions about her background in bioengineering and genetics and I learned a lot. Inevitably I’ll find out what groups people like this belong to, or events that they go to and maybe I’ll try to attend just so I can meet people outside of my core network. I look for those new events where I can get pulled into a direction of a deeper interest.” Meeting diverse people with very different interests is the best way to keep expanding your horizons.

    Quality.

While quantity is important, quality is perhaps even more important. What does quality mean here? As Rob Cross indicated, a network should be “rich in experience.” Quality refers to people who are experienced, who have strong networks of their own, who have authority, who can open doors, who command respect in their fields. Scott Saslow, Executive Director of The Institute of Executive Development, who contributed a chapter to a book on corporate learning I published with Jossey Bass, recently told me, “There is too much focus on the quantity of one’s network right now (”I have 8 billion colleagues from Linked-In”), and eventually the focus will shift to quality.” In today’s egalitarian world, we may try to treat everyone the same. But when it comes to networking, that makes little sense.

Now that we understand what makes for strong, vibrant networks, we can turn to measuring your NQ.