Why a smart approach to networking matters
COLLECTION IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LEEDS DIGITAL
Rob Powell, Co-founder of Digital Sport North and Director of Spike, explains how your approach to networking makes a huge difference.
Photograph of people networking at one of Digital Sport North’s events.
At Digital Sport North, we’re firm believers that networking and building a community will add huge value to you, your career, and your business.
Throughout the year, we run a series of insightful panel talks and relaxed socials to bring sports, tech, and digital people together.
We started the network three years ago to encourage industry to thrive in the North by tapping into the incredible pool of experts we have right here on our doorstep, with an industry-leading event that didn’t require the travel down to London.
Digital Sport North aims to build connections, drive business potential, and develop careers, all by getting the right people in a room together, exchanging knowledge, and enjoying some relaxed conversation over drinks,
But while networking is important, you’ve got to do it for the right reasons.
Do it to learn something
Initiate conversations with an open mind, see what you can learn, and be ready to share your own knowledge. Focus on exchanging ideas and experiences, rather than what you can get out of each chat.
Andy Roberts, my Co-founder on Digital Sport North and Chief Marketing Officer of Planet Sport Group, strongly believes that : “People genuinely want to share insights, learnings and help each other out. It’s one of the many reasons that so many leading sports and tech businesses are drawn to the city,”
“There’s a fantastic culture here that encourages knowledge-sharing across the city, from collaborative spaces to a jam-packed calendar of events and leading business networks. This sense of coming together plays a central part in driving innovation and the market-leading SportsTech work that comes out of Leeds”.
Do it to add value to others
Approach conversations to exchange knowledge and add value to others rather than for personal gain or with the goal of ‘selling’.
Networking is about building relationships, helping others and doing something good. Do it because it’s the right thing to do, rather than because you want something out of it. While this doesn't always pay back straight away, rewards will come in the long term, and you’ll end up with a genuine pool of connections.
Do it to build relationships
When you approach networking in the right way, you’ll find that you naturally build more meaningful relationships.
The best things don’t come overnight or from one networking event. Take the time to get to know someone, introduce them to other like-minded people, and see what happens.
And it’s not just about your immediate network. Building genuine relationships can open doors to a much wider pool of connections and opportunities.
Spending time with people you like and respect, you’ll find that you start enjoying networking a lot more.
Do it to push yourself out of your comfort zone
Walking into a room where you don't know anyone can be daunting, and you will have awkward conversations at times. But don't let that put you off. For every slightly awkward chat, there will be three times as many good ones.
So many people don't appreciate the value of networking, or just couldn't think of anything worse, which I do understand.
It took me a while to truly grasp it myself, but since we started Digital Sport North, my appreciation of just how important it is has grown tenfold. You'll progress your career, business and life by surrounding yourself with good people.
Check out our feature on the Leeds Digital site here.
