What Kids Know About Networking
May 23, 2008 by Jennifer Gniadecki
Filed under Jobs
Is it that networking is so easy a kid can do it? No…kid on kid hate is too common in the school system for networking to be a salvation. Don’t get me wrong, I think networking skills can be very helpful for kids, but what we’re talking about today is kids and adults and how children break down barriers.
When I take my kids to the store they may notice the toys, the towels, or whatever else we’re passing as they hang out in the cart…but what really gets their attention is the other people. Everyone we pass they say hello to. If the person politely ignores them my daughters will say hello a little louder and smile a little bigger. A huge, friendly invitation to share.
There have been several occasions when people say hello back and look deeply embarrassed while they do. That’s where I pop in (quintessential Networking Buddy to my children already *grin*) and say, “It’s okay, for now, they can be as friendly to strangers as they want to be.” This usually garners the look that shows they’re thinking I’m crazy. So I explain, “I want them to be safe, but not at the price of being paranoid of every human being in the store! There has to be a balance, don’t you think?”
I get a variety of replies, from “Absolutely!” to “No, they’re going to be snatched and then you will wish they had been paranoid!” Really, I just say that to give them an out for the conversation and the last word (because everyone loves the last word) but it amazes me how, no matter what the response is, there’s always that exclamation point on the end of it.
Back to the kids.
They say hello to everyone. That is everyday networking. The kids don’t judge the people in the store based on clothes or what’s being browsed. They believe everyone is worth saying hello to. While I’m not as 100% on saying hello to everyone as the kids are, it’s still a valuable lesson.
People are worth connecting with. My kids know it, and the only reason they won’t later in life is if I teach them it’s bad to connect with other human beings. Then they will be forced to re-learn the skills they were born with in order to succeed if they decide to be freelancers or business owners later in life.
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Great post, Jennifer! And so true.
My daughters, too, say hello to everyone. So long as they’re next to me, I think it’s wonderful.
There is bad in our society but there’s a lot of good, too. It would be a shame to miss out on all of the good because you’re frightened of the bad – and I mean that in the most simplistic of ways. I think that most folks don’t say hello because they’re scared of the worst response of all: being ignored. And kids don’t have that fear. That’s why they talk a little louder the next time.
I think we need to remember that in business. We shouldn’t be afraid to put ourselves *out there* (wherever that is) because we’re scared of rejection. And if we are ignored? Maybe that’s a sign to do something a little different next time (my daughters would wink, but I don’t recommend that at networking events!).