06/01/2022

Weaving a Network of Relationships

An excerpt from The New Reason to Work

The New Reason to Work aims to help people enter and build meaningful careers in social impact. Based on a decade of work as cofounders of Amani Institute, an award-winning social enterprise that has, to date, helped more than 10,000 people from more than 65 countries accelerate their careers in social impact, the authors also draw on their previous professional lives and careers at Ashoka and working with hundreds of social entrepreneurs around the world.

The excerpt below comes from a chapter on how to build authentic networks, one of our most valuable professional assets in the 21^st century. While primarily a nonfiction book, The New Reason to Work is set up as a conversation between the authors and two fictional characters. In the excerpt below, you will meet Farah—a mid-career graphic designer who yearns to see her work have more value than the corporate bottom line—and Kim, a recent college graduate who is just coming to terms with the fact that breaking into a climate change career is not quite as easy as it seemed in university. We pick up the narrative after a discussion about what networking both is and isn’t. The authors encourage us to see networking as something even introverts can excel at through a focus on intentional relationship building, being authentically true to oneself, and seeking to add value to others just as much as you seek help from them.—Roshan Paul & Ilaina Rabbat

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We left the house and started walking down deserted streets illuminated by vintage lanterns that created the perfect aid to self-reflection. Add a little background jazz music and we’d be in a Woody Allen movie.

Please select this link to read the complete article from SSIR.