A professor explains why networking is a waste of time

A hochschulprofessor explains why networking is a welcheste of timeA professor explains why networking is a waste of timeCollege freshmen are lectured about it on their first day of class. Young professionals race to one more boring party so they can be binnenseen and shake hands with someone that might be able to help them - just like the geschftlicher umgang books and podcasts have instructed. Young musicians are chronically obsessed and depressed with their number of likes, views, and followers on their social media.Today, for almost any definition of success we might identify, there is one common path to achieve it that is being shoved down our throats. That road to success is called networking. Networking is defined as the cultivation of relationships that can help us advance or move to a higher position. The message gained from this is that anything valuable in life which involves relationships - be it business, marriage, charity work or entertainment is only attainable by n etworking.There are serious problems with this single path to success. Of course, we do need others - real relationships and collaboration are so important. So how can we cultivate those, and bypass all the ineffective networking garbage?The answer is serving.Martin Luther King, Jr. said Anybody can be great because anybody can serve. Even music business super-manager, Scooter Braun (Justin Bieber) says Dont live for yourself. That is too easy. You will gain nothing from that endeavor. Live for othersThat is where you will find true riches in life.See, the heart of networking is rooted in selfishness, taking and using while the great leaders all teach us that true success comes through serving - giving generously and loving others without reservation.So what happens when you focus on serving instead of networking? Here are five key things1. Serving erases conflictWhen your work is done with care, compassion, and humility - conflict evaporates. As a music business attorney, I some times find myself in tough negotiations with some pretty arrogant attorneys who cause our dealings to turn heated and get personal. Many of them tower over me with wealth, intellect and recognition- so it can be easy to get intimidated. But I have learned over the years to respond to them by serving, not by throwing more heat on the fire or putting on my boxing gloves. Humility, genuine interest, and compassion for my opponent are the mighty equalizers. With those, my heart changes toward them - their heart changes toward me - and the logjam is supernaturally removed - often immediately.2. Serving creates purposeWhen you work is centered on others - purpose is found. When my son Harrison turned 16, we handed down to him my Black 1989 Range Rover that we affectionately call The Beast - and he and I started talking about potential summer jobs that would help him pay for his gas and other costs. I began naming a few distributions-mixs he could apply Chic-fil-A? Boring. How about that new Publix? That would be really boring. How about the Juice Bar. Nah, kind of boring. Finally, I stopped him. OK, enough with the boring. I want to help you get a fresh vision and purpose for your first job. You must see this first job (and every job) as a place to serve others - not as a place for you to get your emotional needs met. If you ask the question, where is a place that is filled with people that need me and need my gifts - then step into that place desiring to bring life and joy to customers and co-workers - then you will have true purpose that enables you to get through the tough days at any job. Its important to remember There is no dream job, but serving can create purpose and contentment that can make the most difficult job feel like a dream. Oh, by the way, he nailed a job at Starbucks3. Serving creates value for you and for othersWe live in a world where you can be famous for being famous. The popularity of social media faces like the Kardashians is mislea ding us. What have they created? What value have they brought to the world? So, its easy to buy into the promise that If you want to attract new clients, or build something, you have to make yourself visible. A few years ago I booked a flight to Austin to spend a week at the South By Southwest music festival - hundreds of bands - with my sole purpose of finding new band clients. I spent loads of money, handed out lots of business cards, shook hands and met so many people. I came back to Nashville and never received one single new client from that trip. What happened? On reflection, I realized I missed so many opportunities to love and serve others that week, because my focus was only on me, my needs, my business, not on the needs, brokenness, and businesses of those with whom I was rubbing shoulders. You see I was trying to make myself visible, SERVING is about making ourselves available. Giving Value Lasts.4. Serving creates provision for you and for othersServing gives and attra cts while Networking takes and repels. The Best absatzwirtschaft Plan for your product or business comes through genuine love, generosity, and care for others. When you build relationships on those themes - without strings attached - you open up a stream of provision that flows both ways. I have given free legal work to a client who could not afford to pay and then watched him become my highest billing client a few years later. This is a spiritual principle on which you can stake your business, your relationships, your life. It never fails. The world calls it karma, but God calls it planting and harvesting.5. Serving changes the world because it changes othersWe all want to leave a mark. But sometimes our dreams seem so out of reach - they are beyond our education, beyond our age, abilities, resources and our networks. What is the key? Start small. When I start getting frustrated with my impact on the college unigelnde where I teach, my wife Carol always reminds me Its one studen t at a time. Find someone who is lonely - someone hurting - shine a light on that person. Just change one. Then do it again. You dont need a license to change someone, you just need to care.In a world filled with hate and disconnection, SERVING astounds the world. A few months ago, the comedian Sarah Silverman did just that. She had a Twitter troll lash out at her with a strong hate remark. Instead of ignoring his bait or fighting back, she publicly tweeted back with compassion and concern for his emotional needs and back pain. Their conflict evaporated. And thanks to Sarahs response, in short order, there were doctors lined up to help treat this mans back disease.Life moves pretty fast. We must make every conversation count.Be real. Be truthful. Be sensitive to the needs of others Our days are limited.Mark H. Maxwell is the author of the new book Networking Kills Success Through Serving. He is also an entertainment attorney, music business veteran and college professor. As a lawy er, Maxwell represents a diverse roster of recording artists, celebrities, record labels, music publishers, authors, songwriters, and producers. As a professor in Belmont Universitys prestigious entertainment business and songwriting program, he created their popular course on Bob Dylan and teaches courses on music business, faith and culture, and copyright law. Maxwell is passionate about serving as a mentor to the next generation of creatives and entertainment business professionals. He lives in Nashville with his wife and children.A professor explains why networking is a waste of timeCollege freshmen are lectured about it on their first day of class. Young professionals race to one more boring party so they can be seen and shake hands with someone that might be able to help them - just like the business books and podcasts have instructed. Young musicians are chronically obsessed and depressed with their number of likes, views, and followers on their social media.Today, for almos t any definition of success we might identify, there is one common path to achieve it that is being shoved down our throats. That road to success is called networking. Networking is defined as the cultivation of relationships that can help us advance or move to a higher position. The message gained from this is that anything valuable in life which involves relationships - be it business, marriage, charity work or entertainment is only attainable by networking.There are serious problems with this single path to success. Of course, we do need others - real relationships and collaboration are so important. So how can we cultivate those, and bypass all the ineffective networking garbage?The answer is serving.Martin Luther King, Jr. said Anybody can be great because anybody can serve. Even music business super-manager, Scooter Braun (Justin Bieber) says Dont live for yourself. That is too easy. You will gain nothing from that endeavor. Live for othersThat is where you will find true r iches in life.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreSee, the heart of networking is rooted in selfishness, taking and using while the great leaders all teach us that true success comes through serving - giving generously and loving others without reservation.So what happens when you focus on serving instead of networking? Here are five key things1. Serving erases conflictWhen your work is done with care, compassion, and humility - conflict evaporates. As a music business attorney, I sometimes find myself in tough negotiations with some pretty arrogant attorneys who cause our dealings to turn heated and get personal. Many of them tower over me with wealth, intellect and recognition- so it can be easy to get intimidated. But I have learned over the years to respond to them by serving, not by throwing more heat on the fire or putting on my boxing gloves. Humility, genuine interest, a nd compassion for my opponent are the mighty equalizers. With those, my heart changes toward them - their heart changes toward me - and the logjam is supernaturally removed - often immediately.2. Serving creates purposeWhen you work is centered on others - purpose is found. When my son Harrison turned 16, we handed down to him my Black 1989 Range Rover that we affectionately call The Beast - and he and I started talking about potential summer jobs that would help him pay for his gas and other costs. I began naming a few places he could apply Chic-fil-A? Boring. How about that new Publix? That would be really boring. How about the Juice Bar. Nah, kind of boring. Finally, I stopped him. OK, enough with the boring. I want to help you get a fresh vision and purpose for your first job. You must see this first job (and every job) as a place to serve others - not as a place for you to get your emotional needs met. If you ask the question, where is a place that is filled with people t hat need me and need my gifts - then step into that place desiring to bring life and joy to customers and co-workers - then you will have true purpose that enables you to get through the tough days at any job. Its important to remember There is no dream job, but serving can create purpose and contentment that can make the most difficult job feel like a dream. Oh, by the way, he nailed a job at Starbucks3. Serving creates value for you and for othersWe live in a world where you can be famous for being famous. The popularity of social media faces like the Kardashians is misleading us. What have they created? What value have they brought to the world? So, its easy to buy into the promise that If you want to attract new clients, or build something, you have to make yourself visible. A few years ago I booked a flight to Austin to spend a week at the South By Southwest music festival - hundreds of bands - with my sole purpose of finding new band clients. I spent loads of money, handed out lots of business cards, shook hands and met so many people. I came back to Nashville and never received one single new client from that trip. What happened? On reflection, I realized I missed so many opportunities to love and serve others that week, because my focus was only on me, my needs, my business, not on the needs, brokenness, and businesses of those with whom I was rubbing shoulders. You see I was trying to make myself visible, SERVING is about making ourselves available. Giving Value Lasts.4. Serving creates provision for you and for othersServing gives and attracts while Networking takes and repels. The Best Marketing Plan for your product or business comes through genuine love, generosity, and care for others. When you build relationships on those themes - without strings attached - you open up a stream of provision that flows both ways. I have given free legal work to a client who could not afford to pay and then watched him become my highest billing client a few years later. This is a spiritual principle on which you can stake your business, your relationships, your life. It never fails. The world calls it karma, but God calls it planting and harvesting.5. Serving changes the world because it changes othersWe all want to leave a mark. But sometimes our dreams seem so out of reach - they are beyond our education, beyond our age, abilities, resources and our networks. What is the key? Start small. When I start getting frustrated with my impact on the college campus where I teach, my wife Carol always reminds me Its one student at a time. Find someone who is lonely - someone hurting - shine a light on that person. Just change one. Then do it again. You dont need a license to change someone, you just need to care.In a world filled with hate and disconnection, SERVING astounds the world. A few months ago, the comedian Sarah Silverman did just that. She had a Twitter troll lash out at her with a strong hate remark. Instead of ignoring his bait or fighting back, she publicly tweeted back with compassion and concern for his emotional needs and back pain. Their conflict evaporated. And thanks to Sarahs response, in short order, there were doctors lined up to help treat this mans back disease.Life moves pretty fast. We must make every conversation count.Be real. Be truthful. Be sensitive to the needs of others Our days are limited.Mark H. Maxwell is the author of the new book Networking Kills Success Through Serving. He is also an entertainment attorney, music business veteran and college professor. As a lawyer, Maxwell represents a diverse roster of recording artists, celebrities, record labels, music publishers, authors, songwriters, and producers. As a professor in Belmont Universitys prestigious entertainment business and songwriting program, he created their popular course on Bob Dylan and teaches courses on music business, faith and culture, and copyright law. Maxwell is passionate about serving as a mentor to the next generation of creatives and entertainment business professionals. He lives in Nashville with his wife and children.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people