Ignite Your LinkedIn Networking by Borrowing Brilliance
Could Your Next Big Opportunity Hiding in Someone Else’s Network?
As a driven Australian professional do you feel you are ticking boxes and updating your LinkedIn headline “just because.” or you are not realising your potential or leveraging tools like LinkedIn to create connection and build relationships with meaning, opportunity and impact?
If you’re ready to shake up the way you think about your career or business and try something new, this one’s for you.
Professional Networking: Is It Really Who You Know?
If you are receiving irrelevant LinkedIn requests followed by spammy offers and requests, or are not sure where to start, how to build your plan, you’re not alone. It’s about smart, targeted, authentic relationship building, which starts with strategic connection and looking beyond the individual to who they know.
Why Borrowing Someone Else’s Network Isn’t “Cheating”
The idea of “borrowing” a network through individuals who have them allows you to leverage the essense of how LinkedIn works. Find those who already have trust, influence, and people who engage when they contribute. This isn’t stealing, it is the “borrowed network” approach to growing with purpose. It’s about playing the long game, with respect curiosity, and a sense of adventure.
Strategic Connection
Every connection is part of the network effect. Through them you have access to people up to 3 degrees away. This works in reverse when others are searching for the right contacts and solution providers. It makes sense to leverage what’s already there.
Each connection plays a different role, but have you intentionally thought about the categories of people and reasons why a person fits your network?
Not everyone is a lead, a prospect or potential employer, but they may help connect you to someone that is. Consider people across places you interact such as parents, business connectors, industry leaders, community members, or that ex-colleague who knows everybody.
When you connect genuinely with the right people, you’re not just shortcutting the process, you’re opening yourself up to more reach and exposure.
How To Play The Networking Game
Step 1: Follow Curiosity with Courage
Forget obsessing over titles. Lean into genuine interest, discover people who appear active and reach out. Go beyond the ‘how can I sell to them’ whether you have a product, service, solution or want to sell yourself as a candidate, and stop making assumptions about them and what they may think about you. Be authentically curious.
Step 2: Be Intentional and Interested
Who are the networkers, the connectors and influencers in your communities that people trust? Choose an industry, a community, a location, and identify people who are well connected and appear to be respected and engaged with.
Notice who’s already connected or following them. Think about how can you add value to their network, too.
Step 3: Borrow Bravely – Feel The Fear, Do It Anyway
Mindset and intention are key. We all feel that anxiety: “Am I being pushy?” “Will I look desperate?” Real authenticity and courage is moving through that discomfort, respectfully. Don’t try to be someone else. Show up as you, quirks and all. It’s the only way people buy into you (not your mask).
Step 4: Create and Implement your System
Create a process and systemise how you can manage the process.
- Identify useful tools that you already use.
- Determine timeframes and frequency.
- Build searches with words, phrases and filters
- Implement your action plan and monitor progress.
- Adjust and determine the next steps.
Why This Approach Works
- Networks have compound interest: They grow and pay off faster when shared.
- It’s fun and adventurous: You never know who you’ll meet through someone else’s circle.
- Less pressure: No need to be in “sales” mode all the time. Let your authentic self do the heavy lifting.
What Will You Dare To Do Next?
If the thought of “networking” makes you break out in hives, this might be the kick start needed.
Your dream connection or next big client or opportunity is probably just one borrowed connection away.
Have fun with it. Life’s too short for boring networks, obligation and keeping up. Aim to create a useful network and engage with them rather than ignore, talk at or try to sell to them.
Borrow a bit of brilliance, you might just find your next adventure waiting in someone else’s network.
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