You may have noticed that I rarely speak of board networking in my articles. Instead, I advise you to develop personal connections. It is not semantics. I do so deliberately, for several reasons.
When people hear me speak about the need to develop personal connections in order to gain a board appointment, many assume I am referring to networking or attending networking events. I can assure you that I am not. Networking is something that few people want to do, and a select few are actually good at it.
In this article, I will demonstrate the distinction between networking and developing personal connections, and explain why I believe one approach is superior to the other. In doing so, I also hope to give you greater confidence to start developing personal connections, through which you can expect to unlock some of the 80%+ of board roles that are filled informally each year.
What do I mean by personal connections?
Developing a personal connection, in the context of connecting with someone who might be able to help you gain a board role, is about deliberately connecting with an individual with whom you have something in common. As opposed to stumbling into conversations with people you know little about – often at networking events or similar group environments. Of course, personal connections can be created at networking events. You might get lucky, but it happens rarely, and rarer still is if this connection is maintained. Personal connections, on the other hand, are more deliberately chosen, and there is often a more generous mindset attached to these meetings or conversations. They almost always begin outside of a group environment (see my article on using LinkedIn) and are instigated because of something in common.
Taking this approach to developing these sorts of connections has five benefits:
#1 – You feel more comfortable 1:1
I suspect that you are similar to me. When attending networking events, I am the person in the corner of the room who just doesn’t want to be there. Breaking into groups to introduce myself just seems weird, uncomfortable, and forced. As such, I stay on the outskirts, hoping for a chance encounter… which may or may not happen. However, if you put me 1:1 with someone with whom I have something in common, I am at ease and an authentic conversation flows. I am at ease because I feel a connection.
#2 – Creating more personalised connections is easier
Personal connections are easy to establish, particularly when you share something in common. It is about connecting with individuals. Individuals you want to connect with, who, if you take my advice in my next article, are also interested in speaking with you.
#3 – Networking events are labour-intensive
How long does it take to attend a networking event? An hour to get ready, an hour to get there, 30 minutes to wait until the event officially gets going, a couple of hours of formal proceedings, an hour to get home, and an hour to decompress and reflect on why you attended in the first place. Let’s call it a 5 hour commitment. And, what do you have to show for it? On a good day, a couple of promising conversations and some useful insights or motivations from the guest speakers.
#4 – Networking events are only as good as those who show up
Networking events are only as good as the people that turn up (which you have no control over) and the people you have the opportunity to speak with. Let’s say you have committed to attending a networking event with the sole purpose of developing a relationship that will open up a board opportunity. You are ready. You are in the right frame of mind, determined to speak with everyone you can. You start to mingle, only to find that those you do talk with are not your target audience. They are charming, and you have a good chat, but they really couldn’t help you with your board search. It isn’t uncommon and doesn’t yield a very good return on your valuable time.
#5 – Networking can feel inauthentic
Formal networking events can feel transactional for many, and as such, they can be inauthentic. Conversations often rely on your ability to operate effectively in a structured social environment, something that most of us struggle with or dislike. Personal connections, on the other hand, should be just that – personal. Furthermore, having a ‘connecting’ perspective also means that when you do speak with them, you view them as human beings rather than potential business opportunities or a sale that needs to be closed. This makes conversations easier to start and more valuable.
How will you spend your time?
For the reasons above, networking events typically result in a very poor return on the investment of your valuable time – even for people who are comfortable in this environment. That is not to say they have no value, but unless you love conversing and can operate professionally in this high-stakes social environment, I recommend replacing them with a more personal, authentic, and legitimate approach. In my next article, I will show how to do this to create personal connections, in particular weak ties, which are responsible for ~50%+ of all board appointments.
Related Articles
The 4 Ways Board Appointments are Made
How to use LinkedIn to develop Weak Ties
The relationship study that can get you a board appointment?
About the Author
David Schwarz is CEO & Founder of Board Direction – Australia’s leading board advertising and non-executive career support firm. He has over a decade of experience of putting people on boards as an international headhunter and a non-executive recruiter and has interviewed over one thousand non-executives and placed hundreds into some of the most significant public, private and NFP roles in the world.
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