Once you realize that networking
builds value in your life, the natural reaction is, “How much value do I have?”
Certainly, this is not as
simple as counting change or tallying hours worked. And while there are
complicated formulas for assessing one’s social capital, there are three rather
simplistic means of making a thumbnail measurement. Let’s touch on each of
these.
Assessment #1 is Connectivity. Answer this, “Who do I
know?” Stop and think about it. Take an inventory of the people you know. High
School. College. Neighbors. Community. Church. The gym. And the list goes on.
You likely know lots of people, and as you meet more your social capital grows.
Assessment #2 is Density. Think about it. If you knew
ten people and those ten people all knew each other, your network is so dense
(or interconnected) that the social capital is nowhere near as great as if you
knew ten people and none of those people knew each other. So it is not just how
many people you know that is important, but how many of those people know each
other. Certainly, it is not reasonable to think that no one in your network
knows anyone else, but you do want to have a broad, diverse network where you
know lots of people and they are relatively disconnected from one another.
Assessment #3 is Potential. It is important how many
people you know. And it is important how many of those people you know, know
each other. But another means of assessing your network is to look through the
people you know and see the people they know that you do not currently know. If
you know ten people and they have relatively poor networks themselves, you are
worse off than if you know only five people, but those five are extremely well
connected.
Take a moment now and
then to assess the value of your network. In these moments, ask yourself, “How
can I increase my network Connectivity,
lessen its Density, as well as enhance
its Potential?”
