The internet has taken social networking to a whole new level.  Today there are websites devoted to nothing else.  Social-networking has become the catch-phrase of the new millenium.  While most networking seems to be done in a spirit of furthering your career, I think there’s an aspect to networking far more valuable than that which is often overlooked: networking with mentors.

No matter who you are, no matter how good you are at what you do, no matter how much experience you have, no matter how impressive your education and credentials are, at some point you’re going to hit the wall.  The time is going to come when you don’t have a clue what to do, how to do it, or who to do it with.  I submit to you that it is in that moment your “social network” will be of the most value (only, of course, if you’ve developed it properly.)

If you have developed a strong network of mentors and trusted advisors, you’ll know exactly what to do when tragedy strikes.  You fire up the internet and ask your associates for help.  If your network is strong with skilled and experienced people, your inbox will be filled with all the help you could possibly ask for before the day is out.  Undoubtedly, you’ll even get some calls from those who’ve had a similar experience and want to share.  You’ll leave your office at the day’s end with a safe, secure track to run on.

Compare and contrast that to sitting, stewing, wondering what to do next — no ideas, no inspiration, nothing but four walls closing in on you.  I believe that social networks can help you move your career forward, but not in the empty way portrayed by those who randomly swing from branch to branch hoping “use” each of those branches just enough to gain a little altitude.  

No.  From my vantage point, your network will help you move forward in your career by helping you be a better manager and a better leader.  Your mentors and advisors will help you learn things very quickly that might otherwise take hundreds of days and thousands (or millions) of dollars.  Because of those things, your career will skyrocket.  Not from flimsy, “smoke and mirrors” recommendations, but from real-world triumphs, forged in the fire of adversity and difficulty.

Make sure your network is filled with people you can help, and people who can help you — not just in a power or influence way, but in a mentoring way.  If you’ll do that, you’ll never have to ask, “What value networking?”