# Inauthentic Networking Dynamics By:: [[Brian Heath]] 2023-03-17 Everyone talks about the power of networking in building your career or business. There are two common ways people approach networking. The first is about meeting and connecting with as many people as possible. This networking strategy is wide and shallow. You are playing the odds by buying many $1 lottery tickets. You'll have more "friends" on social networking sites than most, but the strength of those connections will be weak. Here you are betting on just one of those "friends" to know someone who knows someone who can help you out. The other approach to networking is building deeper connections with people you assess will most likely benefit you in the future. Here you work your way into getting the CEO to be your mentor and keep close to that high-performing colleague. This networking strategy is narrow and deep. You are hoping that these few deeper connections are the ones that will unlock that break you've been looking for. Note that both of these networking strategies can happen naturally, as it reflects the general ways that humans build connections. However, networking often becomes something else when doing it to benefit yourself. It transforms authentic human behavior into something completely inauthentic. The reason most networking strategies fail to work for most people is the lack of authenticity. Humans are excellent at detecting inauthentic behavior, but it's become such commonplace in our daily interactions that we've grown accustomed to our inner repulsion when we encounter inauthenticity. However, it's one thing for customer service to present you with a fake smile, and it's another for someone to ask you for a favor who seems to be using you. If you are inauthentic in your networking attempts, you'll find that it doesn't work beyond customer service like favors. No one will go out of their way for you. While the systemic principles of the network are real, it's the application that matters. This gap between understanding the surface mechanics of the thing and its authentic application explains much of what is wrong in organizations and self-help books. So, if you decide to be intentional about networking, be sure to do it in an authentic way and in solidarity with others. However, also know that successful networking is also about being at the right place at the right time. So, best of luck with the next dice roll. #### Related Items [[Work]] [[Relationships]] [[Authenticity]] [[Organizational Analytics]] [[Randomness]] [[Networking]]