Why Build a Network?

As I have highlighted in the past, my career is full of things I wish I had and had not done. Over the last few years, when people ask me what they can do that I didn’t do, it has become apparent that I didn’t do enough to build my professional network during my time in the Army. You would think, after moving seven times in the last ten years, that my Rolodex (that’s old people speak for a contact list) would be much more extensive than it currently is, but you’d be wrong.

You might be thinking that building a work network has nothing to do with how well you do as a leader, but I would challenge you on this. Many of us that have been around for over a decade can attest to how small the Army is. You get to know one person, and they happen to know a group of people you have worked with in the past, which immediately builds rapport.

Maybe those people have the same specialty as you and your subordinates, or maybe not. I’ve learned of educational opportunities for enlisted medical Soldiers primarily through talking to other medical people. People outside of my specialty have offered insight into different units, schools, and locations that have broadened my knowledge and got me where I am today.

So why is this important? Well, like many of you, I don’t know everything, and I don’t have all the information. Neither does anyone else, no matter how much they claim to know. However, collectively, there is a lot of knowledge and experience that you don’t even know you’re missing out on. Because being a leader isn’t a selfish endeavor, by networking, we give our subordinates the best chance to build off the knowledge of so many great people’s experiences.

But it goes further than that. As I prepare myself for retirement within the next couple of years, I have started looking outside of the military to try to figure out what my next move in life is going to be. I’m genuinely excited about starting anew. As I look at job prospects outside of the military, I have an idea of what I want to do, but I can’t be 100% sure because I don’t know many people in those professions. 

This is where LinkedIn has made a massive difference for me. A retired Sergeant Major named Michael Quinn, whom I have the fortune of having in my network, constantly speaks of building your network because you don’t know anything about what you think you want. Meeting other people will give us perspective and help us grow. More importantly, we will share this knowledge with other people moving on from the military profession.

Being a leader, as I will keep harping, is not about me. It’s about the people around me and finding places where I can have a positive impact. Also, as I have learned from Mr. Quinn, don’t network for the sake of trying to get what you want. Go out there and add value to people’s lives as a leader should! Don’t be late for the game like I was; go out there and network!

~Rey