Is your networking strategy proactive or reactive? 

Unfortunately, not a couple weeks go by when I don’t get an email from a friend or acquaintance that they are heading toward transition and need some help with networking. The professional in me is always accommodating, offering guidance and connections, but there is often a moment where I want to shake them by the shoulders and remind them that building a network is not an instantaneous activity.

There’s no time like the present to implement strategies to help secure your current position—while keeping an eye on the future.

Economic uncertainty has grown stronger, leaving many fearful about their jobs, career, future. As evidenced by ExecuNet’s January survey of 238 executive recruiters, fewer than half (47 percent) are confident in the executive employment market through the first half of the year, down from 59 percent at the close of 2007.

Economy-watchers have responded to the worries, and a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, How to Recession-Proof Your Career, points to preparation as the key to professional survival, advising workers to update their résumés and stay connected to their networks.

We’ve gone out to the wider web to bring you the most relevant news and information.

The Value Of Being A “Generalist”
from Collaborative Thinking by Mike Gotta


What does it take to be “good at everything but nothing in particular”? The article below does a great job at describing traits necessary for people to excel in a variety of jobs and professions. Well articulated and worth reading:

Nothing can substitute for depth of analysis, and there’s proven value in specialization – it’s what education, career paths, scientific research, and technological innovation are built on – but generalism is a secret talent. With so much complex information, fragmented in so many ways and developing faster and faster, it is increasingly important to have generalists around to make sense of it all, of the big picture. People who appreciate diversity, who are in the know about the wider world and who understand how things interact are invaluable observers, matchmakers, and pioneers of the intersectional ideas so vital for success in today’s knowledge economy, conceptual age, and global community.

But what exactly do generalists do? That’s the question most often asked of me and it’s not an easy one to answer. By definition, generalists tend not to focus (actually, they do focus but just not to the extent that specialists do), they don’t often travel in groups (lacking common associations, designations, and unions), and their shape-shifting versatility changes them frequently. But they are definable and there most certainly are essential traits and skills inherent to them.

I’ve identified five core areas at which Creative Generalists excel. They are:

1. Wander & Wonder - finding possibility


2. Synthesize & Summarize - presenting information


3. Link & Leap - generating ideas


4. Mix & Match - connecting people


5. Experience & Empathize - understanding worldview