IS YOUR NETWORK, WORTH YOUR SOCIAL CAPITAL NETWORTH?

“As the saying goes your Network is your Networth,” but how do you know if it is the right network? Are you, for instance, gaining Social Capital and achieving the outcomes you set out before you joined?

According to Porter Gale, Huffpost Contributor, building and strengthening your network will help you improve your happiness, productivity, and true net worth. She encourages people to focus on their passions, to surround yourself with people that share your values and don’t let your social capital lie dormant. Reinvest it! 

Things to consider before jumping straight into a new Network:

1. What is your Vision and Life Purpose and does the network you are considering joining core values align with yours?

2. How much time and energy will you need to invest as part of being part of that network? Will it worthwhile for your Social Capital and eventual Financial Gains?

3. What benefits will actualise, according to your life vision? Will you still be able to fulfil your own Lifestyle and Business Goals?

4. What is the reputation of the Network? Is there any feedback you can assess to determine if it is the right fit for you before joining?

Often some people who are starting out on their entrepreneurship venture get excited about joining network groups without giving it a second thought. You may, for instance, have become drawn in, out of excitement during or after attending an event. Or as a result of following a well-known person (“influencer”) you have followed on Social Media platforms.

Some people get so involved they end up depleting their energy and self-esteem without actually being able to achieve their own personal goals. Or they fall into this deep false sense of reality that they are contributing to a greater cause. 

While on the surface, they unknowingly end up becoming a Voluntary Assistant for the Founder/ Leader of the group. 

By the time they awaken to their reality its almost too late as they either become disillusioned by the industry, drop out, or feel burnt out energy-wise. As a result of investing all their free time in raising another person’s profile.

This is the reason why it is essential to be mindful of the reasons, you are deciding to join a group (offline or online). It is important to be aware of your self-worth, value and the free things you are willing to volunteer your free time on knowingly. There is nothing wrong with contributing to a greater cause or being part of a community.

The risk factors come in when being of a network starts to impact your emotional and physical well-being negatively. It is essential to prioritize your well-being and learn to say no to things which don’t serve your best interest.

You also have to have some space to grow into your own person and as a specialist in your chosen Niche Market. It is beneficial to trust that your skills are sufficient to venture off alone and to give things a go without the full dependency of being part of a group. This is especially if your goal is to create your own brand personality and to become a knowledge authority/specialist in your industry.

There comes a time when the student has to stop learning, watching and being a bystander and to start implementing what they have been taught.

OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER:

1. How much is your emotional well-being worth, is the network increasing your happiness and sense of self-worth or depleting it slowly?

2. Will the strength of the network be of equitable balance, where everyone is given the opportunity to shine and grow as individuals in their own rights?

3. Is the network build on trusting and honest relationships? Or it is competitive to the point that you find it overwhelming to keep up?

4. Is your network adding Social Value and contributing to greater causes which impact others positively? Or it is focused only on unhealthy vanity matrix?

5. Are you the smarter person in the room? Is that sufficient for you, or do you need to jump ship and be in an environment where you are challenged more? A new environment where you are given the opportunity to grow, step-up and shine? To be a leader in your own right. 

Lastly, I’ll leave with you the importance of building your network before you need it. This is especially if you are looking to build your own network/group. Time and time again, I have witnessed people who have developed networks for the sake of their own sale pitch and to only promote themselves. Nowadays, people are savvy and will notice your intentions from miles away and could be switched off. It could also ruin your business reputation. People have to get to know like and trust you first. To end being part of the right collaborative network with people who share common values can be beneficial not only for your Financial Value but also for your Social Capital.  It can empower you to actualise your greatest potential, at a faster rate than you would independently.

Your network can truly add beneficially social capital net worth.

 “There is something that happens in groups that can catapult people in their lives in a way that was not happening before. People have lost weight and gained confidence, shed poor relationships, changed their eating habits, and even become more social. Many studies show that social connections and friendships do something for our bodies. There is even research demonstrating that people who are isolated fare more poorly with regard to disease, poverty, and illness than people who are socially integrated. If you get connected, you can live more healthfully and longer. It doesn’t have to be about CrossFit; it can be any program or endeavour that fosters community or a shared experience with commitment, discipline, or sacrifice and makes us need each other and learn in a different way. - Dr. Allison Belger, a psychologist, co-owner of a gym and the author of The Power of Community: CrossFit and the Force of Human Confection”

…consider that connecting with others with similar values and passions can also increase your feelings of happiness in most cases. An article in Scientific American titled “Your Brain on Facebook: Bigger Social Networks Expand the Size of Neural Networks” by Gary Stix noted,

“Lots of ‘friends’ drive the growth of gray matter in areas linked to processing social information.”Source Huffpost