Discover Your Blueprint

When you think of networking, what is the first thought that comes to mind? I’ve done some subjective research on the topic of networking and I am considered to be a master networker (MN) myself. Most people consider networking as a way to meet new people and build a network of individuals that work at the same company in the same industry or at a different company in a different or in the same industry. Business professionals attend networking events hoping to land their next opportunity. While I think that networking is extremely important, especially with social media playing a major role in how we network today, (i.e. Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter) I think it’s on a lower scale compared to traditional networking.

During my time as a Wealth Manager at a major financial services firm, I had an opportunity to see how true networking works and it begins with the legacy that your family has left behind. Traditionally, networking was based on who your father knew or who he could connect you to and his reputation was on the line for referring an individual, but this is how people make it to the next level and beyond middle management. Let me give you a couple of examples: Jamie Dimon is the CEO of JP Morgan Chase, but it was due to his father’s (Theodore Dimon) influence and his reputation that propelled Jamie to the next level. Jamie has been very successful at JP Morgan and managed the risk of the one the nation’s premier financial services firms. Jamie graduated from Harvard Business School, and because of his father’s reputation and his relationship with Sandy Weill, he had some success and created a series of mergers that helped Citi become one of the premier financial services organizations in the world. Eventually he moved onto Bank One, where he was CEO and after a series of mergers and acquisitions he became the CEO of JP Morgan. He was well positioned to succeed, not because he went to hundreds of networking events and collected hundreds of business cards, he was positioned like a company marketing a product. His father helped elevate him, by helping him get over the hurdles and around the red tape.

Have you ever heard the phrase, “what’s in a name?” Your name means everything. People associate everything that you do by name and if your name goes back generations and has a good reputation, you are generally in a position to reap a good harvest. This makes so much sense to me in the natural and spiritually. Let me give you another example: Do you recognize the name Trump? You and everyone else, but people in New York City have recognized the name for years. His father (Fred Trump) was heavily involved real estate for years and his reputation was great among his peers and the banks the he had business relationships with. It was an easy transition to bring Donald into the mix. Donald Trump took the real estate business to the next level.

Are both of these individuals extremely successful without the help of their fathers? Yes they are without a doubt, but what if they didn’t have fathers that created the legacy for them? Would they have been at this level? It’s possible, but the power of traditional networking allowed them to leverage the use of their name to position them higher.

How does this affect your blueprint or your definition of “networking?” It’s more than collecting business cards, sending emails, and sending networking profiles to people at the company you desire to work at. Networking is so much more; it’s about creating a legacy and opportunities that will have a positive impact on you and your family for generations.

The examples that I used are on a large scale, but situations like this happen every day. One more example, I am sure that Chelsea Clinton was an exceptional student, but the with the influence of her parents and the name that she carries, she continued her graduate studies at Oxford and received a six figure job with a major consultant firm after graduating. How many people do you know that make the transition from college to a six figure role?

Learn how make your name stand out and experience how true networking impacts you for generations.