In the New Normal we live in a world where companies are cash rich but are slow to hire and banks are more liquid than they have ever been in decades but don’t lend money.

Companies want loyal and motivated employees but will fire people at the drop of a hat.

Employees want security but readily leave companies for the next best opportunity because they know that today there is no such thing as security.

Many companies today have also cut back on their internal training programs during the recession.

So what’s the one mutual beneficial skill that companies should invest in?  Networking training.

Networking is simultaneously helpful for both parties.  It helps employees become more marketable but at the same time better marketers of their company and that’s the corporate win.

It leads to improved productivity, efficiency, quicker response times, better solutions and makes people smarter which is beneficial for all organizations.  Smart companies win.

I know many companies that have implemented sales training but networking training is very rare in my experience.

I grew up in the advertising business. Networking and relationship building were vital to gaining and maintaining clients.  I received no formal training on networking and really didn’t know what it was.  Standing around a bar at events talking to people you know is not networking.

Today’s workplace is vastly different than a decade ago.  Technology is changing at uber speed and most people are challenged to keep up.  Workforces have been diminished at many companies while work demands have increased.  Smart phones have made work almost a 24/7 endeavor.

Companies that will succeed in this environment will embrace that networking is good for their company and their employees.  They will advocate it, teach it and encourage it.

The most valuable employees in an organization will be the best networked.  The companies that will prosper will be the ones with the best networked employees.  The smartest companies will invest in training their employees on networking because they know it will pay off.

To be able to survive and prosper in today’s quick paced workplace everyone has to be well resourced and networking is a very efficient way to develop a broad solution base that makes you an added value resource center for your clients and a revenue center for your company.  Employees with deep and broad networks will be more valuable that other employees because they can find solutions inside and outside their companies and bring those to the table.  If they leave their company they will be able to find new positions faster because of their networks.

Networking will increase productivity as effective networking makes your smarter and saves you time because you can reach out to experienced talent with the speed of a text. In today’s workplace time efficiency is the new currency of success.  The new paradigm is completing projects quickly but to the highest standards.  Being well networked is one of the most efficient ways to achieve that.  It is the way that companies can keep costs low but performance high.

Smart companies will increasingly believe social media is good for the company and the careers of their employees.  I have blogged in the past that it can hurt your career it your company doesn’t practice social media.  Today most companies social media activities and their employees social media activities are largely in different silos. Finding ways to integrate both will have mutual benefits for their employees. Encouraging employees in every department to be Linkedin with their client counterparts makes great sense.  Having 50 touch points within your client is much better than 3 in today’s transitional world.

So how do you teach your employees to be great networkers?  That is coming soon.

You can connect with Hank on Linkedin

http://www.linkedin.com/in/hankblankcom

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Here is a video called How to Rise Above the Crowd.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkO7efleWX4&list=UUEigDTyDiFGXVfyg7sRErOg&index=5&feature=plcp