Say Yes to Strong Say Yes to Strong

An essential lesson I wish I had understood earlier in my career is the importance of cultivating a diverse network of professionals within one’s industry. Not only should young professionals start building that network early on, but more importantly, they need to understand that maintaining a robust professional network involves much more than staying in touch with others in the industry. They need to provide value to others in the network, which can be accomplished in many ways, including sending articles their peers might be interested in, making them aware of job opportunities, or connecting them with others in your peer network. If you provide value to your peers, they will not think twice when you reach out for a favor.

Throughout one’s professional journey, situations will undoubtedly arise where reliance on this network will be necessary to achieve your goals. Consequently, it is critically important to maintain these relationships, although this requires a considerable amount of effort. I strongly advocate that individuals starting their careers make a conscious effort to establish networks by attending conferences and industry events and devising an effective system for staying connected. At the end of the day, most people like it when others reach out.

Peter Sherman, PhD Dean of the College of Business, Analytics & communication Minnesota State University Moorhead Moorhead, Minn.