Maximizing Your Current Networks

Last Saturday, I was privileged to be part of the inaugural KCE Mentors ‘Meet and Greet’ forum. The event was hosted by the American Corner/Space courtesy of the US Embassy in Kenya’s continued effort to support youth led initiatives in the country. To my new readers, KCE Mentors is a mentoring program I co-founded in 2013 as a way to give back after the opportunity to listen to the incredible work that Dr. Kakenya Ntaiya – a former CNN nominee and award-winning champion for the education and transformation of young vulnerable girls in Maasai’s Enoosaen community through Kakenya’s Dream Organization.

Over the years that I have served as the program coordinator for the KCE Mentors, it has been an honor reviewing applications from hundreds of ambitious young women across Kenya’s Universities and Colleges. I am therefore very proud to work with these Young African Women Leaders who together comprise the KCE Mentors Network. Coincidentally, most of our mentors have also been part of the Young African Leaders initiative program like me! YALI was President’s Obama’s flagship program to train and support young African leaders. 

Njeri Kihang'ah-Chege speaks to the audience on networks

To mark 5 years of mentoring teenage girls at KCE, we settled on the theme ‘maximizing your current networks’ because we felt that as an expanding mentor network of at least 200 young women, we had so much to share, learn from or tap on from each other. There was no better speaker to tackle this topic than Njeri Kihang’ah-Chege, communication expert and team leader of the Mentor Me Project in Kenya. She delivered the topic exceedingly! I therefore feel obliged to share some of her insights with you. 

Ever heard of the saying your network is your net worth? When we think about networks, we tend to imagine older more accomplished people who exist within our circle of friends or colleagues. We also look at them as people who are able to open ‘big doors’ for us. Most people fail to recognize that everyone in this world has a degree of influence. Our networks could be anyone; young or old, rich or poor; educated or illiterate…it cuts across everyone!  

Below are some of my take-away points from Njeri’s thought provoking session on the need to redefine what we think of us our networks.

• Networks are human, do not abuse them. Many are the times we expect our networks to open doors that we very well know they cannot do. For example, just because a friend is a senior manager at a reputable company doesn’t necessarily mean s/he can easily ‘fix’ you into a non-existent job opening or, push for your proposal to be awarded a work contract. There are things networks can and cannot do and we need to put ourselves in their shoes to understand the plausible.

• Your Network has a network. This is applies to those of us who shy from asking our connections about existing opportunities which are of interest of us. In my everyday mentoring, I always advise that just because a connection is not in your field of interest should not imply that s/he does not know somebody or somebody who knows somebody who could address your query. Njeri gave us an example from her early career life where an incredible door opened for her simply because she asked for a network’s help to get through to an institution she would never have imagined she would ever capture its attention.  In a world where social media Linked-In has made it easier to know how we are connected to people we don’t through the people we know, do take time to do your homework and make use of your network’s networks.  

KCE mentors listen on as the speaker challenges them

• Maximize your own potential by adding value to yourself so that you are more valuable to your networks. This is particularly useful when it comes to our professional growth. Seek to acquire new skills and expertise which add value that you can share with your networks; let them find value in you.

• Work your networks! This simply reminds us that we should endeavor to protect the reputation of our networks. I will use an example from my field in renewable energy. I occasionally receive requests from friends to advise them or recommend contractors for their home energy solutions. I am always careful to recommend practitioners who I know in person or has had good working experience with in the past through my associates. This way, I safeguard my own reputation and that of my affiliates.  And as you work your networks, always endeavor to carry yourself with dignity and patience.

So, have you been making good use of your networks? If not, it’s never too late to start. As we prepare to celebrate the International Day of the African Child this coming Saturday the 16^th June, I hope you will find time to add value to network!