How Networking accompanies my professional development for more than 20 years

Exactly 13 years ago today, I was awarded my doctorate in England.

I had spent four years working on my doctoral thesis on identity-driven artist brand development. In terms of content, I explored how artists can develop a brand that is not artificially constructed, but is built on their actual identity.

Many of the insights from that time still guide me today.

They shape my view of personal brands and brand development. They inform my work today. And they also play a role in my networking training courses. After all, both brands and business relationships are all about perception, credibility, trust and long-term consistency.

Looking back on my PhD, however, I realise something else:

Without networking, I probably wouldn’t have been able to follow this path at all.

The crucial encounters took place years earlier

Before I began my academic work, I was involved in music production and worked for Universal Music, amongst other things.

It was in this context that I attended Popkomm in 2007 and 2008. There, through my work at the time and my existing network, I got to know the key figures at the university and within its wider community. These encounters later led to the opportunity to study at the university on a scholarship and to complete my PhD.

This is a good example of how networking often works:

We do not necessarily recognise the decisive impact of an encounter at the very moment it takes place.

A conversation at an event is, at first, just a conversation. Whether it later leads to a professional exchange, a recommendation, a collaboration or even a new career path sometimes only becomes apparent years later.

Research also needs relationships

Networking wasn’t just important for gaining access to the university.

For my PhD thesis, I conducted qualitative interviews with experts. To do this, I needed people who not only possessed relevant knowledge but were also willing to take the time to share their experiences openly with me.

The fact that these conversations took place was not down solely to my topic or a professionally worded request.

The relationships I had built up beforehand were also crucial.

People were willing to support me, put me in touch with others or take part in the interviews themselves because a bond of trust already existed.

This is particularly important in qualitative research. Good answers rarely emerge when people are simply working their way through a list of questions. They emerge when interviewees speak openly, explain contexts and also share personal insights.

Networking is more than just gaining access to new contacts

When people talk about networking, many initially think of meeting new people.

However, my own experience shows that building a network is only the beginning.

What happens afterwards is crucial:

• Do you stay in touch with one another?

• Do you show an interest in each other’s development?

• Do you share knowledge and experiences?

• Do you support one another when a suitable opportunity arises?

• Is there already a foundation of trust when a specific request comes up?

The value of a network does not lie solely in the number of contacts you have saved. It lies in the quality of the relationships and in the willingness to nurture these relationships over the long term.

Relationships do not automatically open doors

For me, networking does not mean building relationships with the aim of gaining a personal advantage as quickly as possible.

A relationship is not an entitlement to a scholarship, an interview, a recommendation or a commission. However, it can lay the foundations.

People are more likely to recommend individuals whose work and attitude they can assess. They are more likely to make time for a conversation if there is already mutual interest and trust. And they are more likely to open doors if they are convinced that the connection is beneficial to both parties.

This is precisely why effective networking begins long before a specific request is made.

A common thread running through my professional development

Even around 20 years ago, networking was a central part of my professional development, although at the time I didn’t view it as systematically as I do today.

The contacts and relationships I built in the music industry opened up new perspectives for my PhD thesis. The insights gained from my thesis now shape my work on personal branding and brand development.

And the experiences gained from all these stages, in turn, feed into my current networking training sessions. Sometimes these include exciting, insightful or amusing anecdotes.

Looking back, a clear common thread has emerged:

Professional expertise is important. Commitment and perseverance are essential. But many career opportunities only become possible because people place their trust in others, share knowledge, make recommendations or forge connections.

Networking often has a long-term impact

One of the most important characteristics of a sustainable network is that its impact cannot always be predicted.

Not every relationship leads to a specific opportunity. Not every conversation has a discernible professional outcome. And not every contact needs to be used strategically.

Nevertheless, encounters can take on a significance that we only come to understand years later.

For me, this is one of the reasons why networking shouldn’t just take place when we happen to need something.

Those who only engage with relationships when there’s a specific reason often start too late. Those who, on the other hand, show continuous interest, act reliably and stay in touch with others build a resilient network over time.

It’s now been 13 years since I completed my PhD.

I still draw on the insights from that research today. And the relationships that made this journey possible in the first place remind me of how long-lasting the effects of networking can be.

Many thanks to Paul, Darren, Gill and Rachel for your trust and our close collaboration back then!