Is it possible to network to the glory of God, or is all professional networking just an attempt to manipulate people into doing favors for you?
For many Christians, networking is a professional necessity. So how can we approach it from a Christian perspective?
A friend of mine, who spends roughly fifty percent of her working hours cultivating strategic relationships, was a panelist at a recent event on professional networking. The audience was primarily a group of young interns and job seekers in Washington, DC.
Networking has also been a core duty in my job, and because of this common connection, I asked my friend what she told the audience at the networking event.
Her answer:
Other people are awesome.
That’s the motivation and the key to success in networking. She elaborates on her blog where she says,
Make it your mission to find out what amazing stories people are hiding. Forget networking, this is just plain fun.
My friend’s answers remind me of two Christian principles in particular that are relevant for thinking about how we can network to the glory of God.
Humans Are Valuable and Unique
We are valuable in that we are each “created in the image of God.”
And at the risk of over-quotation (but it’s just too perfect) C.S. Lewis says in his famous essay, “The Weight of Glory,”
There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal…But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit—immortal horrors or everlasting splendours.
Not that anything needs to be added to this fundamental truth, just that we each have unique experiences. Reflect on the unique story and interests that you have:
- The places you’ve lived.
- The friends you’ve had.
- The people you’ve met.
- The jobs you’ve had.
Each person you meet while at a networking event has been imbued with worth by God and has brought a near universe of cares and stories with them.
There should be a sense of wonder and awe in those realizations. Like Christ did for us on the earth, we can enter into their story and seek to learn more about it.
We Should Love Others as We Love Ourselves
Too often my own attitude in a networking situation is to do the “eyebrow stare,” looking over someone’s head as I talk to them for someone else “more important” or easier to talk to.
Most of us love telling our own stories, sharing our own perspectives. If we love doing that, then others probably do too, right? Loving them as we love ourselves then means we should let them talk about themselves, to share their story.
Not only will you not have to worry about saying the right things—because you’ll be doing a lot of listening—you may be remembered for being the one person who cared.
Find the thing that lights their fire and you’re sure to make a connection. In the context of professional networking, that “thing” will help you to both remember each other and may spark further collaboration and opportunity.
This is not by nature backhanded manipulation, lulling someone into comfort so they’ll like you. I believe it to be a manifestation of how Christians should behave. That’s why it’s important to have a God-centered, healthy love of self. That’s another topic and a prayer worth making.
Practically speaking, as you enter a room to network with other professionals or even distant family members, keep in mind that other people are awesome.
Keep in mind that God made every one of them unique with a story and that loving them means treating them like you’d want to be treated.
Editor’s note: Read this article in Spanish below. This article is an excerpt from Art Lindsley’s new booklet, Be Transformed: Essential Principles for Personal and Public Life, now available in Spanish (Cómo Ser Transformado: Principios Para Conectar La Vida Personal y Pública).
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On “Flashback Friday,” we take a look at some of IFWE’s former posts that are worth revisiting. This article was previously published on Apr. 11, 2014.
