It is possible to be a committed worker, yet not budding or learning something new. Regardless of how knowledgeable or experienced you’re, you need people to push you to fulfill your career dreams. Reaching one’s goals may require the support of others, such as your colleagues, mentors, counselors, friends and family. A support network refers to the people in your life that help you attain both your personal and professional goals. Such people offer advice, guidance and help that can assist you learn to be a better leader and employee. They are valuable for developing business, increasing knowledge, escalating self-capacity to innovate, and opening marketing opportunities. Networking can be defined as an act or process of communication to exchange information and ideas among people with similar profession or particular interest in seminars, conferences, or expos. Daniel Muhozi, a Human Resource practitioner says that learning is a continuous process, once one realises they desire to add on their expertise, and knowledge, they can reach out to professionals or experienced leaders that are better than them. For him, many experts are willing to share their career journey and tips on how to move forward as a business person, manager or employee, but all you need to do is to ask them. “Reach out to people who are skilled in something that you desire, sometimes they could even be your work colleagues, request to meet them over coffee and inquire what it took them to be at their current level,” he states. Muhozi stresses that you should take part in gatherings for entrepreneurs and make new links, if possible, you can also organise events and invite business people to connect, as that way you can meet new people who can be beneficial. Also, be willing to offer help and support to others but not just gaining or on the receiving side always. The Human Resource practitioner carries on that have the enthusiasm to change your mindset to be positive, grow, advance, and reach new accomplishments. He also notes that using online platforms is particularly premeditated to connect professionals like LinkedIn, as that way, you can connect with people in your career, show your triumphs, and open up career opportunities. Experts further encourage having more people on your support network so you don’t over-rely on one person or two as they may be exhausted. Maureen Umuringa, a Human Resource expert points out that you can join organisations in your domain, that way, you will meet experts in your field, and there is a possibility of learning from each other. She notes that taking part in conferences or panels could connect you to new friends and expand your professional network. For her, exchanging business cards will lead to scheduling professional meetings, and sharing proficient conversations and mentorship. Sometimes all it takes is inviting someone you want to learn from for dinner or coffee, and cementing the friendship from there. Umuringa states that asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, but strength to identify that you need to be guided or learn from others. She says that don’t give up on old friends that you studied with as they could provide moral or any other kind of support. Umuringa is against emailing people to mentor you, but rather, requests to meet them in person and discuss in length. “You should build your profile as a knowledgeable, dependable and helpful member of your profession by offering useful information or tips to people who need it. This will assist you share your skills with others, but also, it will assist you to stand out to recruiters,” she says. Experts say that every work activity can be more motivating if you can relate it to a higher purpose, for instance, people who focus on the collective benefits of building connections tend to show more effective results. Networking can also improve the company’s service quality to boost customer satisfaction.
