Networking

Some of the best business advice I've ever received came from a former military and very successful executive at a Fortune 50 company. When I asked him where former military personnel could most improve, he said first and foremost: Networking.

In retrospect, this is not surprising. As a junior military officer, our perceived abilities and reputation is almost entirely based on the tangible performance of our team. Our jobs are not determined by who we know, or who we don't know. Our path is largely already set, and if there is any flexibility, our merit and performance speaks for itself. That is almost certainly not the case for General Officers, and that is also not the complete picture when it comes to business.

Dee Leopold, the HBS Admissions Director, joked with our class that back in her days, she didn't have "networks," she had "friends." Call it making friends or building a network, it is an important asset to grow as one's career progresses. Having a network doesn't just mean having people that you can ask for investment money or a job. Rather, it's about finding mentors, advisers, connecting the right people together, helping friends, and building relationships that benefit everyone you are connected to. Building a successful network does not mean one is cutting corners, it means you bring value to those in your network, and just maybe, the karma will come back to you.

There is no right time to "start" active networking, and I suggest starting immediately. I avoided doing anything online until I began to leave the military. It felt awkward and unnatural. In retrospect, I wish I would have started a long time ago. Online networking has revolutionized the way business is done and connections are made. If you're planning to go into business, and certainly if you plan to go to a major business school, you might as well start as early as possible. The average student at HBS probably has over 500 Facebook friends. I'm not saying this to spur some popularity contest, or imply that having more Facebook friends means much. But it is a sign of the times of how heavily social networking is used. Some people may resist it because it isn't personal enough, but I recall that some people also resisted e-mail in the late 1990s for the same reason, and you see where that got them.

There are many books and articles one can read about the benefits of networking, but one doesn't have to do any academic research to see the evidence. Many of my fellow students who express the greatest amount of job satisfaction received their internship and job offers through "independent job searching" - which is another way of leveraging your network. The benefits really speak for themselves.

If you're looking for a quick first step example of what to do, I recommend using LinkedIn to its full advantage. It is a professional networking site (it's not like Facebook), with extremely powerful tools and 50 million rapidly growing business members. If you are not in the military, chances are many in your company already uses it. Perhaps you do as well but not actively. Make sure to "connect" with those you wish to keep contact with before you transition. Maximize your network. Reach out to college friends you trust, connect with people you respect. Your value to a corporation is not only you as an individual, but the network you bring.

I've received many emails from both military and non-military readers of this blog, and I've offered help where I could. If you would like to connect, please don't hesitate to email me and introduce yourself. I will do my best to reply to everyone. MilitaryToBusiness@gmail.com