Strengthen your personal brand by networking authentically

I came across a Harvard Business Review article article that recommends taking stock of your personal brand by looking at these three areas:

Credentials: your education, awards, and achievements
Cultural capital: emotional intelligence and expertise you have gained through life experience
Social capital: the quantity and quality of your personal and professional relationships

When I read it, my heart went pitter-patter!

Many of us only think career or business success = credentials and skip #2 and 3.

If you're wired like me, it may be because you believe things should be fair and that who you know should not matter as much as what you can do.

But the idea of the Old Boys Club exists for a reason.

Relationships matter. A lot.

So why do so few people actively invest in building social capital for their careers?

My guess is that many of us are afraid of looking self-promotional or insincere.

Also, posting on LinkedIn is bleh.

I get it. I am shy by nature. And I'm a Scorpio moon.

I do not wish to be perceived.

But becoming an entrepreneur has forced me to take connection more seriously, and to figure out how to do it in a way that feels genuine and sustainable.

Alison, in a colorful dress between two book shelves — *Me, getting social capital at a public library gala.*

Here are a few ways of growing your social capital that work for me (a busy mom-homebody-shy girl):

Send LinkedIn connection requests to people I do not know yet, especially ideal clients, people who work at companies I admire, and other communications professionals. I do not include a note. When someone accepts, I thank them and try to start a real conversation. Every person I email gets tracked in a Google Sheet, or else I forget.
Write this newsletter and invite replies. It is a delightful way to stay in touch and stay top of mind. Think a newsletter is cringe? I have one friend who sends an annual update email that I love receiving.
Post on LinkedIn in ways that feel useful and honest to me. That might mean sharing a project I am proud of, thanking people or teams who helped, or giving someone public praise.
Send emails to connect cool people who should know each other. I aim for about three a month.
Share job postings with people I know are looking, and sometimes even with people who are not actively looking.
Network through volunteering or educational events. Lately, I have been trying to say yes more than I feel comfortable with. I cannot "work a room," and cold networking makes my butt cheeks tight, but I will happily talk with your coworkers at a gala or help pack canned goods for your food pantry.
Ask fellow freelancers to spend 30 minutes on Zoom getting to know each other and seeing how we can help one another. No pitch. No agenda.
Meet regularly with my Breakfast Club, which is just me and two former coworkers yapping in a diner booth and cheering each other on.

If and when an opportunity comes along that I am genuinely a good fit for, I want to be someone people think of.

And if I ever need help, an introduction or maybe a kidney, I want those relationships to exist already, built on mutual respect and real connection.

Two bonus tips:

Say what you want. Be specific about what you are looking for, whether that is a new role, more clients, collaborations, or introductions. People want to help, but they cannot read your mind.
Be yourself. If people cannot remember you or understand what you are looking for because you have made yourself beige and diluted, much of this social capital does little good.

Know a leader or company who could use some support building their brand?

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