For the Good of Humanity – Why Business Networking Needs to Be Thought of on a Bigger Scale

When I put together the 44 reasons for strong networking, there was one category that perhaps surprised some people and was received very positively by others:

“For the good of humanity.”

Yes, within an overall business-driven context, this category may seem unusual. But it is there very deliberately.

Why business networking always has a societal impact

Business is often viewed as a separate sphere – detached from society, ethics or responsibility. In reality, that separation is an illusion.

Companies are made up of people. Markets are made up of relationships. Decisions emerge through conversations – often informal, often within networks.

Anyone who knows me or has attended my networking trainings knows that I like to draw parallels with the music industry. And it fits perfectly here as well: in the music world, artists may stand in the spotlight, but cultural impact is almost never created alone.

Behind successful projects are networks of producers, songwriters, labels, promoters, publishers, media partners and, of course, fans. When these actors work alongside one another instead of together, impact remains limited – even with great talent.

This industry illustrates very clearly that only through functioning networks does individual performance turn into societal relevance. Networks shape how we connect, how we communicate and how culture evolves.

Networks are social infrastructures

We invest enormous amounts of energy in processes, systems and strategies. At the same time, we often underestimate the power of relationships.

Yet networks are nothing less than social infrastructures:

• they carry knowledge

• they provide orientation

• they offer stability in times of change

Especially in times of uncertainty, transformation and accelerating change, functioning networks determine whether systems remain resilient or begin to fracture. They create spaces for exchange, mutual support and a constructive mindset.

The uncomfortable side of networking: responsibility

This is where it becomes intentionally a little provocative.

Those who are well connected have influence. And influence is never neutral. It raises the question of whether it is used for personal gain alone or for the greater good.

Where networks take responsibility for people, content and long-term development, stability emerges. Not always maximum commercial success – but sustainable impact.

This applies equally to companies, markets and societies.

Why this category deserves its place

The category “For the good of humanity” is not pathos. It is a conscious reminder that networks always have a greater impact than we initially assume.

Those who build networks also shape:

• collaboration

• culture

• future viability

This mindset is a core driver of why I train business networking in organisations and why I work full-time as a networker for the digital cluster DiWiSH.

My conclusion

Business networking is more than a tool for achieving goals. It is an amplifier of what we bring into the world as people.

If we practise openness, open systems emerge.If we give trust, trust grows.If we enable connection, stability follows.

Perhaps this is the true contribution of networking to the good of humanity: not as a grand vision, but as a conscious, everyday choice in how we interact with one another.