If you turned up at the park on a Sunday morning to play football you wouldn’t put yourself forward as a superstar striker when you’re a just rock solid defender. Seems obvious, but why do so many people turn up at networking events pretending to be something they’re not? Possibly it’s fear; a self-imposed image of what a ‘successful’ business person should be; or an attempt to come across as expert at everything.
There’s no point in pretending to be something you are not. This is different from being prepared and putting your best foot forward, which are valid strategies. Pretence just wastes so much time, effort and energy; perhaps more importantly it slowly erodes the soul. It wastes time because it’s a flawed strategy, as sooner or later you’ll be found out. Things will start to unravel, all the work and effort up to that point will be wasted and your reputation will erode with it.
So what’s the answer? Use networking to do away with the need for pretence by working with others who perhaps have the strengths and skills that you lack. Running even a micro business is more complex than most people realise. In good old corporate times you got a pre-packed chop from the fridge and put it under the grill; in other words there were other people doing all the stuff that allowed you to shine at what you did. Running your own business is a whole new ballgame. To get that lamb chop on the plate now requires finding a field with woolly creatures in it, stalking one, killing it, and preparing the meat before lighting your own fire to cook it. So don’t try to disguise your weaknesses or gaps; work with others who are good at some of those other things, allowing you to be good at what you do. In this way, building a team through networking lets you scale your business on a low fixed overhead and develop a profitable partnership mentality. Then you don’t need to pretend to be every member of that football team, just play in the position you’re good at.
