We’ve said it before, and I’m going to keep saying it: You’ve got to stay active in a downturn. David Rhodes and Daniel Stelter wrote a great article in the February issue of Harvard Business Review titled Seize Advantage in a Downturn. It’s about developing a corporate assessment and action plan for dealing with the recession.
The article is not about networking, power lunching, or other things Social Capital. However, the introduction could easily be referring to these things.
Inaction is the riskiest response to the uncertainties of an economic crisis. But rash or scattershot action can be nearly as damaging. Rising anxiety (how much worse are things likely to get? how long is this going to last?) and the growing pressure to do something often produces a variety of uncoordinated moves that target the wrong problem or overshoot the right one. A disorganized response can also generate a sense of panic in an organization.
Two things that I want you to take away from this:
- Inaction will hurt you
- You need a plan now more than ever
Let’s say you agree that inaction is bad and you’re going to go to as many networking events as you can. That’s good. Better than staying home.
Why do you need a plan now more than ever? Because you’re making an investment of time and you need to maximize that investment.
Plans that we’ve laid out for you so far:
- Avoid the Chopping Block: Internal Networking. In our current times of regular layoff announcements, internal networking is just as important as external networking. Internal networking is one of the most powerful things you can do when it comes to developing the Social Capital necessary to keep your job…
- How to Network - A Networking Event Process. Want success at your next networking event? This process will help you do your homework, conduct yourself well, and follow up the right way.
- Power Lunch - A Modern Approach to the Business Lunch. Conduct a business lunch more confidently and successfully than ever before.
We’ll lay out more plans. Subscribe below and you’ll get the posts as we write them.
25. March 2009 by Craig Peters
Uncategorized