Come out of your shell, brand your mark and sell
By Akere Maimo
If you are used to attending seminars, you would certainly agree with me that the word ‘networking’ has fast become a catchword employed by many facilitators to coach participants to work on a common platform so as to attain the goal for which they usually come together. On a working visit to Cameroon in late 2005, the Malian-born Chiek Modibo Diarra, the NASA interplanetary navigator, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and Head of the African Virtual University was quick to say over the national media that what took him up the ladder of such a highly selective organisation such as NASA and made him to occupy close to four posts in just fourteen years,... "is thanks to the fact that I’ve always learn to be a network man in my life.”
In the computer world, network simply refers to a set of computers connected to each other and that can be used as a means of sending and sharing information or messages. With the upsurge of the new Information Technology, the world has virtually been reduced to what Marshall McLuhan (1911-80), a Communication theorist, rightly portrayed as the ‘global village’. And millions of people are now connected to the World Wide Web (WWW).
In Cameroon, it is not strange to hear people say “I have the connections…j’ai la connaissance” and why not in casual pidgin “I get the studs” when referring to a reliable ‘godfather’ somewhere who is the bridge on which they can easily walk into success or the ‘golden key’ to open the door that the desperate lot cannot open. Whether we take ‘godfatherism’ for favouritism, nepotism or whatsoever as the case may be in Cameroon, the underlying fact is that a human mechanism of interaction and interreaction is involved. This therefore leads us to the intricacies of what it takes to ‘become a network man’ in a world in which we encounter new faces every day and are bound to make friends with every changing cloud of events.
So, what is hidden in the power of ‘networking’ with people we know and do not know and making good use of the ‘network’ we share with them? Drawing inspiration from the following geographical concepts, we can therefore have a deeper understanding of the subject matter.
Degree of connectivity
It is often said that the limits of one’s language are the limits of his wealth, just like we can say, “The limits of one’s connectivity are the limits of his wealth.” Connectivity has to do with the extent to which people are connected to each other or the degree of human interaction and interreaction within in a social circuit. For instance, if A is connected to B and B is connected to C, by implication A and C are connected and that is how the chain of connection keeps growing until it becomes a complex web. Man as a social being interacts and interreacts with fellow men on a daily basis in a spirit of social cohesion and cultural exchange.
In fact, the more man interacts, the more he gathers force. The more he gathers force, the more he gains influence. The more he gains influence, the more he imposes himself. The more he imposes himself, the more he can conquer and rule the world. Every good rhythm of connectivity or interconnectedness is orchestrated by a yearning for ‘networking’ and the will to “keep the network working”.
Sphere of Influence and Circle of friends
It clearly defines our area of command or the territory on which we have full control. It indicates our circle of friends, a viable framework of camaraderie. That is, the quality of people we associate with. Although we tend to be highly selective in the kind of people we include in our circles, we must not necessarily dissociate our friends from our ‘enemies’ or what I may prefer to call ‘non-friends’. As fledging entrepreneurs, we must learn to create ‘circles’ of our own and always be ready to expand the radii and circumferences of our ‘circles’.
Any association be it political, non-governmental, faith-based, socio-cultural or business-inclined wield greater force than any member of these associations can do singly. Thus, the idea of a synergy is hailed supreme. A proliferations of NGOs, business groups, political parties, pressure groups, youth movements, Christian associations, ‘njangis’, ‘tontines’ and trade unions amongst others are glaring examples that can be identified in Cameroon. With such groupings, the members can easily speak with one voice, bring up new concepts and techniques to change their society, act together and create a greater impact.
Our degree of connectivity greatly determines our sphere of influence. That is, the higher the connectivity the higher our sphere of influence and the lower the connectivity the lower our sphere of influence. In fact, our sphere of influence increases with our level of connectivity.
Our sphere of influence equally determines our scope of knowledge. The more we ‘network’, the more we gain knowledge. As the saying goes “knowledge shared is knowledge gained”. So, with every sharing and meeting, we are sure to learn something enriching and rewarding.
Besides, the more we travel and explore the world, the more we increase our sphere of influence. Whenever we travel, we meet people from all walks of life with whom we make friends and share ideas. And given that language is a major tool or medium of communication, it helps to ease such a stream of ideas. Thus, multilingualism is an incentive for a bigger and stronger sphere of influence. Hence, the need for Language Proficiency and skills in Public Speaking in our search for job opportunities and ‘becoming a network man’. It is not just a matter of ‘talking’ but communicating in a proper manner and effectively too.
Complementarity
This is an exchange between two persons or areas wherein the needs of one must complement those of the other. In fact, in life nobody is an island. So, there is bound to be that cohesion between us human beings, which can either be conscious or unconscious. And this is a fundamental element of the kind of society we live in. If God created man and woman, it is because He saw the need for the two to be complementary.
In economic terms, most developing countries have for decades been demand points, while the developed countries have occupied the seemingly unchallenged position of the supply points. Reason being that both function in a close-knit of business exchange that is inseparable. If you like you can call it an “unholy matrimony” of a North-South or West-East alliance. Well, it also depends on which side the pendulum swings more. No matter the twist of things, the truth still holds that we live in a world of limitations and differences.
So, we need each other’s resources in terms of raw materials, capital, technology and most importantly manpower to create a much more greater pool of resources so as to satisfy our general needs. In order for us to be efficient and effective in the marketplace of ideas and talents, we ought to accept others for who they are and be ready to learn from them. And it is thanks to this that we can build on each other’s ideas and work on a common platform. So, to ‘become a network man’, we must be ready to match our ideas and talents with those of others.
Intervening Opportunities
These are the gains or benefits we reap from networking within several nodes of connectivity. In between each node is an intervening opportunity. Taking the ABC example, A and B, B and C as well as A and C have intervening opportunities or advantages that none of these individuals can ever enjoy standing alone. The intervening opportunities can be employment, winning a business contract, gaining promotion, selling your idea and winning people on your side, just to name a few. Therefore, we have to come out of our shell, brand our mark and sell. We should be ready to network at all time, be open-minded and enterprising. We must belong somewhere and hold tight to a dream. We must learn to talk ideas and not people!
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