Connect the dots

Just think about all that happens in your average workday. You found a way to make that deadline—barely. You somehow managed to save a nice little sum on that vendor deal. Or, maybe you just spent hours trying to figure out how you could pull off either of those feats. Now, imagine the possibilities if you could leverage your friends, peers and colleagues to mutually explore those undertakings. You’d share knowledge, solve issues faster and probably pull ahead of the pack.

Whether it’s online or in person, networking comes with all sorts of benefits.

“The cleverest single individual is not as clever as two clever individuals who exchange ideas,” says Jim De Piante, PMP, executive project manager in IBM Italy’s sales and distribution unit based in Rome. “Every good idea spawns several more good ideas. Once I began [networking with] other project managers, the possibilities and opportunities … simply mushroomed.”

It’s Not All About You

Project managers should approach networking as a means of creating possibilities, not just for themselves, but for everyone they meet, says Mr. De Piante. “If you grow the network, then you grow the possibilities all the way around.”

Even the most time-pressed of project managers should take the time to reach out. “Don’t think you’re too busy to network,” he says. “Don’t wait until you’ve lost your job before you start.”

Networking both inside and outside of a project manager’s peer group is “vitally important if you want to gain a wider perspective of what your role actually is,” says Saul D. Rosenberg, PMP, a project manager and principal technologist for Planphoria, a solutions provider based in Washington, D.C., USA. “Getting an understanding of how other people tackle particular issues is an invaluable learning experience.” And there’s a definite career advantage, too. “Learning from other people’s mistakes is a lot better than learning from your own.”

But remember, it’s not all about you. Part of mastering the fine art of networking is learning to listen empathetically. “Be genuinely interested in every person you meet,” says Mr. De Piante. “Seek to know them, to understand them.”

And go in with a game plan, says Phongsak Thongratana, PMP, assistant director for graduate admissions at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, USA.

“If I was going to a networking event and I wanted to line up possible employers, I would try to meet at least six to seven representatives from other companies that evening and follow that up with an e-mail or phone call the next day, even just to thank them for chatting with me,” he says.

To take full advantage of the opportunities that networking can bring, project managers must invest time and thought. You’ll get back what you put in.

“[In my experience], most project managers don’t take the opportunity to attend local, regional or global conferences or professional development events, and so they are missing out entirely on some great networking opportunities,” Mr. De Piante says. “Others attend such events, but don’t network enough or don’t network effectively.”

Some may be hesitant to actively engage in networking because it seems self-involved.

“Each of us has a lot to give in terms of ideas, knowledge and help,” Mr. De Piante says. “By participating actively in the great human network, we create wealth, possibilities and opportunities, not just for ourselves but for everyone else, too.”

Virtual Face Time

Face-to-face contact is preferable when networking. But with project teams spread around the world, this can become prohibitively expensive. The internet’s numerous professional networking sites create low-cost alternatives. Social networking sites such as Ecademy, LinkedIn and Facebook provide possibilities to encounter, meet and get to know people you would otherwise never see. Furthermore, the internet knows no national boundaries, and there are plenty of sites offering to translate communications.

Mr. Thongratana manages a Facebook group that now has more than 4,000 members.“ My goal is to open up the discipline of project management to a younger audience,” he says. “My hope is that they can use this group to network with others, collaborate and share information.”

By building such connections, Mr. Thongratana says, project managers can discuss work-related issues to help them tackle problems within their own workplace. Or, they can even talk about job prospects at other organizations.

And relationships forged online can often lead to face-to-face connections for project managers. “I have met a lot of people through LinkedIn who live in Rome. Since I am now living in Rome, I have tried to meet many of these people face-to-face,” says Mr. De Piante.

Global Community

Networking isn’t just good for individual or team development. It can also be beneficial for the entire project management profession, especially in developing countries, says Larry A. Adeyemi, Ph.D., PMP, project manager of major capital projects and asset management at the Department of Natural Resources, King County, Washington, USA, and president and CEO of the not-for-profit Africa Centre for Excellence in Project Management.

In countries with emerging economies, overall awareness of project management best practices is low, making it difficult for professionals to make inroads, says Dr. Adeyemi.

“A s a trainer and consultant in rapidly growing economies of Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern European nations, I can say project management practitioners yearn for networking opportunities,” he says. “Project management, as a distinctive field, is still relatively new in these regions. Therefore, there is a strong need to build awareness about the beneficial aspects of project management and how the profession can improve both the personal competencies of professionals, as well as improve the effectiveness of those organizations charged with project delivery.”

In addition, the expanding economies of countries such as India, China, Nigeria, South Korea and Vietnam are facing a critical need for project management expertise to help plan, design and construct their infrastructures. And that can translate to greater opportunities for promotion or professional development for those locally based project managers who network more intensely with experienced project managers from abroad. Consequently, “better opportunities to network … in these various regions, especially in Africa, would be very valuable,” Dr. Adeyemi says.

Cultural Connections

Unquestionably, there are cultural differences project managers need to keep in mind when networking. For example, “in Italy, people tend to be more social than people in some other countries, so I think that they place a higher value on face-to-face interaction,” says Mr. De Piante.

The economic and cultural climate in other locations also lends itself nicely to networking.

Hong Kong, for example, is an ideal location for networking, especially in the construction sector, says Mark Lomas, director of project management at Hong Kong-based Meinhardt, a project management and engineering consultancy.

“Networking has been a very important tool in the past for those working in the construction industry, as the standards and ways of working that a lot of construction firms use—particularly those set up in Hong Kong—are maybe 10 years behind those in the United Kingdom, for example,” he says. “So meeting people with more experience, especially those who have worked outside the region, can be very useful.”

However, Mr. Lomas says there are several cultural issues that may affect networking. “People like to see who they are dealing with here, and so face-to-face meetings are very important,” he says. “There is a concept of‘giving face’ that is very important [in Hong Kong and across] China, which means that you must show respect to those who have a more senior role than you. As a consequence, it is often considered polite to allow them to speak first and not to crowd them too much.”

But such customs do not bar those with less experience from standing with or talking to these people. “In Hong Kong, we are very good at arranging personal introductions to key people we want to meet,” he says. “If someone wants to talk to someone and get his [or her] help, they’ll find a way.”

For some project managers, face-to-face networking is the only option. Dr. Adeyemi points out that throughout Africa, in-person contact is the best way to network because of low internet connectivity, underdeveloped IT infrastructure and systems, and other problems such as power failures, common throughout the continent.

No matter what type of networking opportunity project managers find themselves in, perhaps the most important thing, adds Mr. Thongratana, is to value the people they meet, both in person and online.

“Networking is all about people and, at the end of the day,” he says, “I know that I will learn how to deal with meeting new people, which is a key skill for any project manager.”

To take full advantage of the opportunities that networking can bring, project managers must invest time and thought. You'll get back what you put in.

Neil Hodge is a freelance business journalist based in Nottingham, England. He has written for many publications, including The Observer and The Financial Times.

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