Some are natural born networkers.
Others must work at it.
Because we aren’t trained to network, many are uncomfortable and hesitant.
They are turned off by those they see “shmoozing”.
One mistake I see people make is having an insular network.
I see it AND I understand it.
This was me.
I spent a 20+ year career that spanned only two companies.
Primarily in one industry.
About 10 years ago, I realized the lack of diversity in my network.
In my case, diversity was not demographic.
I had a network of varied gender, background, race, and age.
My challenge (and the challenge for many) was occupational diversity.
What is Occupational Diversity?
Diverse occupational networks include a range of people across industries, roles, and experiences.
In our job we start to live inside a “bubble”.
We know our peers and clients …. REALLY well.
We tend not to know others outside of that bubble.
The longer we stay at a company, the more insular the bubble becomes.
Why do We Need Occupational Network Diversity?
Building a diverse network involves connecting with people we may not naturally meet.
Over time, these relationships can bring many things to our careers, such as:
- Opportunities: Access to roles, clients, or collaborations you may not have encountered.
- Innovation: Fresh ideas and new ways of thinking.
- Support: A variety of people to turn to for advice, mentorship, or help.
- Resilience: A wide network helps you pivot during transitions like job changes or layoffs.
- Visibility: Greater reach across industries and groups amplifies your brand and voice.
6 Considerations for Network Diversity
As we work to build a broader and more diverse network, here are 6 areas to consider.
We can benchmark our current network across these dimensions.
Then, determine areas where we want to intentionally diversify.
Demographic: Including people of different genders, ethnicities, ages, abilities, and life experiences. This fosters innovation and helps avoid group thinking by challenging assumptions with varied viewpoints.
Geographic and Cultural: Connections across countries, regions, or cultures bring global perspectives and highlight different ways of approaching challenges or opportunities.Culturalintelligence can unlock new partnerships, collaborations, and ideas.
Industries and Sectors: Connections spanning different fields like tech, automotive, healthcare, finance, marketing, and more provide insights into trends and opportunities we might otherwise miss.Helps adapt to industry shifts, uncover new opportunities, and spot innovations outside our niche.
Roles and Seniority Levels: This includes leaders, peers, mentors, early-career professionals, and even students. We could also feature people in technical, creative, and operational roles.This providesperspective on leadership, execution, and fresh ways of thinking, which can help with problem-solving or future growth.
Mindsets and Skill Sets: Balancing connections with people who think differently (analytical, creative, strategic, or action-oriented) expands our thinking and approach.We get more comprehensive solutions and broaden our ability to navigate challenges from multiple angles.
Shared and Unshared Interests: While having connections with similar interests builds camaraderie, connections with different passions expose us to new ideas, tools, or industries.This sparks curiosity, encourages growth, and fosters learning outside our comfort zone.
Your Turn
When you consider your professional network, how insular or diverse is it today?
Considering the 6 types of diversity, which is your strongest and which is the weakest?
What could you do in the year ahead to intentionally start to expand your network diversity?