How To Build a Network Rich in Social Capital

Strong networks are not built through networking. They're built using social capital.

We need to raise and invest our social capital with the same care as raising financial capital. How do we do that? By making deposits of kindness and goodwill. In today’s article, we discuss specific ways to achieve that.

Sneak peek: they all revolve around the same principles.

• Be generous with your time, knowledge, and assistance

• Keep in mind that this is not about you

• Connect on a human level

• Go above and beyond

A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle. - James Keller

In the previous article, we discussed what building social capital means and how it’s guaranteed to make you a more influential person. If you want to learn more, first check that article out here.

Note: the advice in this article references software engineering teams, but can be applied in any field. Let’s dive in!

Image by pch.vector on Freepik

Make yourself available / be approachable

There is a big difference between being available and making yourself available. The latter means you intentionally commit time to someone’s needs. It’s a great opportunity to set the stage for making the social capital goodwill deposits.

Some simple approaches to making yourself available are: