Sustainable Networking, what's in a name
Whenever I need to write a blog post, on whichever topic, at times I find it quite hard to put into words what I am actually trying to get across. I’m not exactly a copywriter… But since the message is rather important, I’m more often than not up for the challenge!
And this time, I’d like to talk (or better said write) about the Sustainable Networking events I organise in collaboration with Canary Green. I could just simply mention how these events aim to create new synergies in the professional world that will hopefully then result in helping the Canary Islands (and the rest of the world for that matter) to become more sustainable. Not that they aren’t yet, there are lots of amazing things happening when it comes to sustainable projects and I keep on finding out about new ones almost every week. But I feel we still have a long way to go. I say we, because I consider myself part of the solution, as I feel absolutely everyone should.
Why Sustainable Networking?
As said, I could write a lot more about that, but I felt like talking about why these networking events are called Sustainable Networking. My guess is that many of you think we named them that way since we focus on a sustainable topic every single month. And just to be clear, so far, I’ve been extremely happy and grateful for the collaboration of the brands we’ve invited as speakers and their interesting topics, from Elsa Rodriguez from Futural Tourism who spoke about the importance of creating synergies to obtain a more sustainable tourism, to Jo Hendrickx from Travel Without Plastic and her inspiring talk on how to reduce plastics in your business during times of Covid-19. And as I write this, we’re only hours away from today’s session with Alejandro Hernández Gorrín from Talkale who will explain to us how to help change the world by means of your business’ marketing!
THINK OF SUPPORT AS A RESOURCE
So back to the name. It’s not just about the topic. It’s about the way networking, in my humble opinion, delivers the best results. After all, done in the right way, networking can help you create new collaborations, get advice, increase your knowledge on certain topics and even solve challenges you face in your professional life. The key to doing networking the ‘right’ way for me is that you do so in a sustainable manner. Many definitions exist on what sustainability means, but all of them have one thing in common, they talk ‘long haul’. So the same can be applied to networking. If you try to network but do so with a ‘short term’ mindset, you’ll definitely miss out without ever reaching the full potential of what networking can do for you. Because developing quality relationships is something that is done over a period of time and that takes a certain effort. Consider it an investment, an investment in your professional future. And as with so many types of investment, it takes time. Done well, I feel sustainable networking will help both you and the network you create over the years.
Besides it being an ongoing process, there’s the matter of how much you are willing to give before you take. If you think of help and support as finite resources, and you take more of them than you actually create, then your actions are unsustainable since the resource will run out at a certain point. If you treat networking as a quick tool to get your professional needs taken care of, always remember that the reputation you will develop will open or close doors for you, depending on how you treat your peers.
So in conclusion, when networking, please remember the principle of sustainability. Think of your network as your very own community, and your support as a resource. And always give more than you take!
In short
Sustainable Networking:
• Is organised every month
• Every other in English and Spanish
•Has a different sustainable topic & speaker each month
• Is about giving more than you take