While I am not that young but networking is relevant to a wallflower. Thanks taking the efforts for sharing some of the principles, something that never ever get mentioned. I have a gut feeling that things will be different now on.
Jun 13, 2022·edited Jun 13, 2022Liked by Navin Kabra
Beautifully written. As your roommate, I knew you were super knowledgeable. Relatively you were more an extrovert ... you and others recruited me in as the 4th room mate on one (rare) sunny afternoon in Madison.
That said, I agree with all the things you wrote here. Very good inputs for a lot of engineers, who tend to postpone "networking" :-)
Mar 12, 2022·edited Mar 12, 2022Liked by Navin Kabra
Great post! As a fellow introvert who is just starting wi, I couldn't help but chuckle reading through the actions (or lack thereof!) and thoughts that I myself have faced a lot.
Really glad that you mentioned some principles - I have read over and over again that networking is important, but very few people actually take time out to explain why and how as well as you have done!
Interesting journey.. I can completely relate to being the "Wallflower", have long been part of a small circle of wallflowers in Pune who share this common syndrome.
Also I am curious, How much do you think is a wallflower leadership responsible for pushing their vulnerable teams into this syndrome?
If anyone is able to break free of this syndrome earlier on in their career they could surely leverage the longer duration of time to move/grow faster in their career. If the leadership is itself "extrovert" or pushes/encourages them to pursue networking would it help ?
Note: no intention to shift blame to others, but figuring out if my "wallflower"-ness has impacted my team to catch the syndrome or is it that "like poles" attract in this case. :P
Lovely post, it was a revelation, really to learn that you were an introvert! I always saw you as an intellectual and a US returned seasoned networker who loved to connect people and learn about interesting stuff across org and team boundaries. I had worked in US too and experienced Indian non-promoting mindset vs Western comfort in marketing, firsthand. So I assumed you were good at it already. At ATG, people loved your networking skills and looked up to you, especially your zest to get Tech forum set up. It is very nice and courageous of you to share these insights. Thank you.
Also, coming from a Marathi medium school, I was shy and an introvert when I went to IIMA. I think the institute gave me opportunities to discover myself and be good at presentations.
Excellent piece Navin! Lot of people mistake networking for being present at various events and hobnobbing. I think if one does, as you profess, try to see how one can help, networking happens. Just like networking, another aspect people find difficult is Presentations. A group in the US had asked me to talk about how to do presentations but I also ended up talking to them about 3 phases in my life when I worked on those skills and finally found that if anything is done in a Storytelling fashion, it works the best.
I can entirely relate to the piece where you expect your work/knowledge to do the talk for you. But it doesn't really happen that way unless you have an audience already eyeing on you. GenZs look way more transactional in nature then they actually intend to be which can be a hurdle in making smooth conversations.
Ps: Navin, If you can add a short summary to your articles at the end, it would be a great reiteration given the length. Great topic, cheers!
Would like to comment on this from the not-so-smart and not-so-intelligent perspective.
1. The karmanyevaadhikaraste logic works very well.
2. You should work/network with multiple communities. You never know what will click. This is the most important factor - pick communities to work with.
3. Consistency is the key. Think of this as self-branding. You need to be seen/heard consistently - else you might be forgotten.
4. If you cannot contribute intellectually, offer for participating in organizing events for the community. Community events are a great way where you can offer logistics and implementation skills, and get to know people in the process. If you are good at planning too, that's an added bonus.
4.1 Contribute in small quantities, but take things to completion.
4.2 The community members quickly recognize whom they can depend on to take things to completion - and not sticking to your commitment dents your image.
4.3 Initially don't target large events - go with smaller ones.
5. Join a network of people who are +10 intellectually smarter than you. It changes your perspective, and you automatically become smarter. Note the +10. If you join a network which is a +100 level, things might go over your head. It's a hit or miss. Keep moving communities till you find your fit.
6. Working to network builds a certain level of trust and credibility. It takes up a lot of time commitment, which needs to be carved out from the work/family/school/sleep/workout schedules. This is challenging to say the least, as you have to put in a lot many hours at work because, well - because you are not-so-smart and not-so-intelligent.
7. Eventually, you are seen as a common face around, and people start recognizing you. It acts as an ice breaker, which is that foot in the door which you need.
8. Write articles about your experiences in working for the community.
It is never too late to start. Don't plan on running a marathon on the first day - start with 5K walks and then progress.
Nicely written and very relatable. Curious to know, if you think that the change in your behaviour has something to do with the fact that you had returned from US after spending few years there. I feel the introvert quality is sometimes due to insecurity/lack of confidence, typically in folks like us from small towns(not tier-1, tier-2 cities). But when you returned from US, it was like a 10th grader visiting a 5th grade class (I am not referring to the false sense of superiority, but confidence that comes with by staying in 1st world country and experience that comes with it). In short, tip for introverts to improve networking (in addition to your suggestions) is by shedding false sense of insecurity, build confidence, treat everyone as peer and not be afraid of failure or being wrong.
Very well written, Navin! Thank you for sharing your personal journey. So much I could relate to myself.
A great post!
While I am not that young but networking is relevant to a wallflower. Thanks taking the efforts for sharing some of the principles, something that never ever get mentioned. I have a gut feeling that things will be different now on.
Beautifully written. As your roommate, I knew you were super knowledgeable. Relatively you were more an extrovert ... you and others recruited me in as the 4th room mate on one (rare) sunny afternoon in Madison.
That said, I agree with all the things you wrote here. Very good inputs for a lot of engineers, who tend to postpone "networking" :-)
Great post! As a fellow introvert who is just starting wi, I couldn't help but chuckle reading through the actions (or lack thereof!) and thoughts that I myself have faced a lot.
Really glad that you mentioned some principles - I have read over and over again that networking is important, but very few people actually take time out to explain why and how as well as you have done!
Thank you for sharing..
Interesting journey.. I can completely relate to being the "Wallflower", have long been part of a small circle of wallflowers in Pune who share this common syndrome.
Also I am curious, How much do you think is a wallflower leadership responsible for pushing their vulnerable teams into this syndrome?
If anyone is able to break free of this syndrome earlier on in their career they could surely leverage the longer duration of time to move/grow faster in their career. If the leadership is itself "extrovert" or pushes/encourages them to pursue networking would it help ?
Note: no intention to shift blame to others, but figuring out if my "wallflower"-ness has impacted my team to catch the syndrome or is it that "like poles" attract in this case. :P
Lovely post, it was a revelation, really to learn that you were an introvert! I always saw you as an intellectual and a US returned seasoned networker who loved to connect people and learn about interesting stuff across org and team boundaries. I had worked in US too and experienced Indian non-promoting mindset vs Western comfort in marketing, firsthand. So I assumed you were good at it already. At ATG, people loved your networking skills and looked up to you, especially your zest to get Tech forum set up. It is very nice and courageous of you to share these insights. Thank you.
This is just exactly me. I hope this article changes a part of my future (or at least I hope so!)
Also, coming from a Marathi medium school, I was shy and an introvert when I went to IIMA. I think the institute gave me opportunities to discover myself and be good at presentations.
Excellent piece Navin! Lot of people mistake networking for being present at various events and hobnobbing. I think if one does, as you profess, try to see how one can help, networking happens. Just like networking, another aspect people find difficult is Presentations. A group in the US had asked me to talk about how to do presentations but I also ended up talking to them about 3 phases in my life when I worked on those skills and finally found that if anything is done in a Storytelling fashion, it works the best.
I can entirely relate to the piece where you expect your work/knowledge to do the talk for you. But it doesn't really happen that way unless you have an audience already eyeing on you. GenZs look way more transactional in nature then they actually intend to be which can be a hurdle in making smooth conversations.
Ps: Navin, If you can add a short summary to your articles at the end, it would be a great reiteration given the length. Great topic, cheers!
love the article, i am a reflection of you and those intro thoughts, changed the perspectve now, thanks for putting out this article.
Great article.
Would like to comment on this from the not-so-smart and not-so-intelligent perspective.
1. The karmanyevaadhikaraste logic works very well.
2. You should work/network with multiple communities. You never know what will click. This is the most important factor - pick communities to work with.
3. Consistency is the key. Think of this as self-branding. You need to be seen/heard consistently - else you might be forgotten.
4. If you cannot contribute intellectually, offer for participating in organizing events for the community. Community events are a great way where you can offer logistics and implementation skills, and get to know people in the process. If you are good at planning too, that's an added bonus.
4.1 Contribute in small quantities, but take things to completion.
4.2 The community members quickly recognize whom they can depend on to take things to completion - and not sticking to your commitment dents your image.
4.3 Initially don't target large events - go with smaller ones.
5. Join a network of people who are +10 intellectually smarter than you. It changes your perspective, and you automatically become smarter. Note the +10. If you join a network which is a +100 level, things might go over your head. It's a hit or miss. Keep moving communities till you find your fit.
6. Working to network builds a certain level of trust and credibility. It takes up a lot of time commitment, which needs to be carved out from the work/family/school/sleep/workout schedules. This is challenging to say the least, as you have to put in a lot many hours at work because, well - because you are not-so-smart and not-so-intelligent.
7. Eventually, you are seen as a common face around, and people start recognizing you. It acts as an ice breaker, which is that foot in the door which you need.
8. Write articles about your experiences in working for the community.
It is never too late to start. Don't plan on running a marathon on the first day - start with 5K walks and then progress.
Nicely written and very relatable. Curious to know, if you think that the change in your behaviour has something to do with the fact that you had returned from US after spending few years there. I feel the introvert quality is sometimes due to insecurity/lack of confidence, typically in folks like us from small towns(not tier-1, tier-2 cities). But when you returned from US, it was like a 10th grader visiting a 5th grade class (I am not referring to the false sense of superiority, but confidence that comes with by staying in 1st world country and experience that comes with it). In short, tip for introverts to improve networking (in addition to your suggestions) is by shedding false sense of insecurity, build confidence, treat everyone as peer and not be afraid of failure or being wrong.