The Power of Networking


He quotes Peter Drucker, the American author and management consultant, who said “to create the future you need to be the enemy of today” when contemplating the concept of change in the modern world. The current pace, trajectory and momentum of change is unprecedented. Quoting Charles Darwin, Aikins says that professionals need to stay ahead of the curve: “It is not the strongest of the species that survives or the most intelligent, but those most able to handle change”.


“What we are witnessing is the emergence of a new form of capitalism,” says Kingsley, a Trinity College Dublin economics and politics graduate. “These days, the networked power of the individual is significantly helped by social media. This is more critical than in the past because in the old days we made things and sold them - nowadays 80% of work is in the service industry where there is a premium on relationships.”


Joe Finegan


Kingsley Aikins pares back success in the corporate world to stress that successful Networking is all about giving, not getting, and one well-timed interaction can change a person’s life.


Business is largely about the power of connections and without a network, success can be capped. Networks are built upon basic human, interpersonal interaction and enjoying socialising with other people. In business a strong and diverse network is a necessity, not a luxury.


Great networking does not occur naturally. It may happen while seated at your desk, but it will take a lot of hard work. Networking is most effective when in motion and meeting people face-to-face and one well-timed interaction can change a person’s life.


In this dynamic world where technology and globalisation are transforming industries, Kingsley Aikins has travelled the globe bringing business executives back to first principles of talking, listening, and looking people directly in the eye. He has learned his trade by observing, doing, and studying people.


“I am a believer in the notion that ‘you are the average of the people you mix with’,” he says. “Throughout my career I have made sure to spend a lot of time with people who were good networkers.”


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Kingsley’s work is based the premise that networking is crucial in the modern world but he acknowledges there are some hefty challenges involved.


“Firstly, networking tends to get negative press,” he says. “It conjures up images of inauthentic, smarmy individuals flicking out business cards at a ferocious pace and constantly glancing past your face and over your shoulder to find somebody else more useful to talk to. It is sometimes seen as an inelegant way of using people and is regarded as both insincere and manipulative.”


He continues: “We tend to mix up networking and sociability and assume that the most sociable person is the best networker. In fact, it can be the exact opposite. Shy, introvert types can be better at networking because they do it with decency and authenticity and integrity, they ask questions and are better listeners. Networking is not taught at school or college and companies don’t have strategies for it, yet everybody says it is really important. Also, people often don’t realise that as their career progresses the skills and qualifications that enabled them to get their job in the first instance become less important and relationships become more important.”


This leads to Kingsley asking clients if their professional network is strong enough to help advance their career in the distant future?


“It’s crucial to future proof your network but first you must realise that there is a process to networking,” explains Kingsley. “It is a learned process which, if followed and implemented, will give you a better chance of success. The bedrock of this is to accept a key foundational concept which, at first glance, might appear counter intuitive – networking is about giving, not getting. You must think first how you can help other people, which leads on to the very simple premise about life – the more you give, the more you get. When you give consistently to individuals it comes back from the network.”


Kingsley has seen enough of the world to know that professionals must network their way to success. He has


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