Does your network need a health checkup?

Most of us don’t regularly do a ‘health check’ of our professional business network. Perhaps it’s time to ask yourself does my network need a tune up? This handy checklist can help.

My Network Health Checkup

Ask yourself these questions about your network:

Is my network stagnant or has it diminished in size*?

  • Am I adding new people to my network on a regular basis? 
  • Who was the last new person I became friends with? Name of person: ____________________  Date you met: __________________

*It is estimated that during the pandemic and post-pandemic, on average, people’s networks diminished by 200.

Is my network diverse?

  • Are a percentage of my contacts in different fields or industries?
  • Are they primarily those who are part of my day-to-day work interactions?
  • Are they all at the same career level as me?
  • Are they mostly the same gender as myself? The same age? In the same city?
  • Do you feel you have good relationships with a substantial number of people in higher positions or those who are highly connected?
  • Are there bright younger people who you are mentoring ― or possibly could?
  • Name three people you know of who are doing work that excites or interests you. You don’t have to have met them personally, but would like to!
    • Name: _____________________ How could you meet: __________________________
    • Name: _____________________ How could you meet: __________________________
    • Name: _____________________ How could you meet: __________________________

On a scale of 1 to 10 how happy are you with your present network? 

  • #1: Not happy (It’s just me and my dog and actually he might have a bigger network than me).
  • #10: Very happy (My network is in great shape, I maintain strong, high-trust relationships with a diverse group of people locally and globally.  I am always looking for new people. I subscribe to this idea:

“Opportunities do not float like clouds in the sky. They’re attached to people. If you’re looking for an opportunity, you’re really looking for a person.”

― Reid Hoffman, Co-Founder of LinkedIn

Now what?

Once you have assessed your network and figured out the gaps, here are some ideas on how to fix it:

1) Go out and meet more people. Here are 100 ideas to get you thinking about where you can go.

2) Think about the missing opportunities around you right now. 

3) Ask yourself, are there “up-and-coming professionals” in your field, or “young leaders of tomorrow” who you don’t know? Imagine your career ten years from now…would you want these exciting people in your network?

4) Once you have worked on developing new contacts, keep connected! See our weekly Positive Networking® tip: 3 Excellent ways to keep your network warm

5) Book the time in your calendar every week to work on building a healthier, more robust and exciting network. It is worth the effort.

If you are committed to improving the health of your network you might enjoy our comprehensive online course the Power of Positive Networking. Very helpful. Here is a 3-minute overview of what is in the course. 

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Gayle Hallgren and Judy Thomson

Image at top: Immo Wegmann on Unsplash

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