Networking is a leap of faith
By Paul Udoto Nyongesa
When the biblical Noah build the ark, it wasn’t raining. So, when the global flood came much later after torrential rains, he and his household were saved. Some people have ridiculed the Flood story. But this story has abiding lessons for modern professional networking. Like networking, it’s an investment for the future; a leap of faith.
My recent attendance of the week-long Global Leadership Conference organized by the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship in Washington DC serves as a good example of such networking in practice. The occasion sponsored by the US Department of State not only provided me with an opportunity to meet with Fellows from 13 other American university campuses and 97 countries in a single room. It reminded all of us who attended the all-important get-together that we came to these shores as Humphrey Fellows, thanks to the American taxpayer, because we have a shared global destiny. oIt was an opportunity to reflect Humphrey’s life-long work and commitment to public service, to social justice, to expanding basic human and civil rights to all people and to expanding global understanding and cooperation.
The conference brought together change agents from different parts of the world – with varied customs, cultures and religion and strengthened bonds of unity among diverse people.
Moment of reflection
The interaction with other Fellows helped me to reflect on some of my deepest held assumptions and strongly held values. It also served to foster mutual understanding about issues of concern to sub-Saharan Africa, particularly when Fellows from the region were grouped together to deliberate on this. The presentations by Humphrey Fellowship alumni in how their career trajectory had been impacted by the program were inspirational.
One abiding lesson for me is that networking doesn’t have to be like instant coffee, with immediate results. Neither should it be perceived as a forum for ‘Do You Know Anybody?’, a 1994 short story by journalism lecturer Magayu Kiarie Magayu taught in Kenyan secondary schools as an example of corruption through whom you know, rather than what you know counts. The value of networking is not about using others for career growth. Rather, it’s about bonding and connecting with others with shared goals and aspirations.
Extended interactions
Later, I used my free time to interact with professionals from the US National Park Service, the Smithsonian Institution and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. My engagements focused on exploring ways of enriching my leadership development goals, multilateral collaboration, shadowing experiences, and international cooperation on shared global challenges.
Looking back at the whole experience of the Global Leadership Conference, it served was an excellent served basis for establishing long-lasting productive partnerships and relationships I would not have imagined would ever come my way. Like Noah’s ark, the contacts I made will come in handy in days to come.
