The 3 Bones of Networking for Student Success | Isaac Serwanga | TEDxCSUS
Summary
TLDRIn this inspiring talk, the speaker reflects on the importance of networking, inspired by the book 'Never Eat Alone' by Keith Ferrazzi. After experiencing the power of relationships in securing job opportunities, the speaker founded 'Profound Ivy' to teach networking to students, resulting in over 90% securing their dream jobs or internships. The speaker simplifies networking into three 'bones': the 'wishbone' for clarity of goals, the 'jawbone' for competency with humility, and the 'backbone' for persistence. The message is to instill networking as a fundamental skill and mindset for young people, akin to math or reading, emphasizing its value in the 21st century.
Takeaways
- đ The speaker graduated from a top academic institution but faced the reality of unemployment, which sparked a quest for solutions.
- đ A book by Keith Ferrazzi, 'Never Eat Alone,' shifted the speaker's perspective on using networking for personal and professional growth.
- đ Implementing networking principles led to job opportunities approaching the speaker rather than the other way around.
- đ€ The speaker questioned why academic institutions do not teach networking skills, which are crucial for success in the job market.
- đ« The creation of the 'Profound Ivy' program aimed to teach networking principles to fellow students to mitigate post-graduation uncertainty.
- đ Over three years, the 'Profound Ivy' program showed a high success rate, with over 90% of students securing their dream jobs or internships.
- đ§đŠ The speaker extended the teaching of networking to younger students, even elementary school children, recognizing the importance of early learning.
- đ€ The challenge of teaching complex networking concepts to young minds was met with the idea of simplifying the principles into 'three bones to networking'.
- đŻ The 'Wishbone' principle emphasizes the importance of knowing what you want and who can help you achieve it.
- 𩮠The 'Jawbone' principle combines competency and humility, stressing the need for knowledge and the ability to connect with others respectfully.
- đȘ The 'Backbone' principle is about persistence, highlighting the need to keep trying even when faced with rejection or failure.
- đ Networking is presented not just as a skill set but also as a mindset, suggesting that it is a fundamental part of success in the 21st century.
Q & A
What significant event occurred on June 4th, 2013 for the speaker?
-The speaker graduated from the number one academic institution in the country.
What was the emotional conflict the speaker experienced after graduation?
-The speaker felt elated about graduating but was also troubled by the prospect of being a college graduate and potentially unemployed.
Which book did the speaker's friend give them, and how did it influence their perspective?
-The book was 'Never Eat Alone' by Keith Ferrazzi. It changed the speaker's perspective on networking and its importance for personal and professional growth.
What was the outcome of the speaker applying the principles from 'Never Eat Alone' in their life?
-The speaker found that instead of searching for jobs, opportunities from companies like JP Morgan, NCAA, and Princeton University started coming to them.
What program did the speaker initiate after being inspired by their own experiences with networking?
-The speaker initiated a program called 'Profound Ivy' to teach networking principles to young people.
What was the success rate of the students who participated in the Profound Ivy program?
-Over ninety percent of the students in the Profound Ivy program landed their dream internship or job.
Why did the speaker feel compelled to teach networking to younger students, including elementary school children?
-The speaker believed that networking is an essential skill that should be taught from a young age, similar to math, reading, and writing.
What are the 'three bones to networking' as mentioned by the speaker?
-The three bones to networking are the wishbone (knowing what you want and who can help), the jawbone (competency and humility), and the backbone (persisting).
What is the significance of the 'jawbone' in the context of networking?
-The jawbone represents the dual components of competency (knowing what you're talking about and doing your research) and humility (being likable and willing to give more than you take).
Can you explain the 'backbone' concept in networking as described by the speaker?
-The backbone in networking refers to persistence. It's about continuing to network and reach out even when faced with rejection or no response.
What personal anecdote did the speaker share to illustrate the power of networking?
-The speaker shared how they wanted to become an author and reached out to ten authors in their desired field. Only one responded positively, offering guidance and support that helped the speaker achieve their goal.
Why does the speaker believe that networking is not just a skill set but also a mindset?
-The speaker believes that networking is a mindset because it involves recognizing the potential for mutual assistance and progress with the people around you, which can lead to unimaginable support and opportunities.
Outlines
đ Graduation Reflections and the Power of Networking
The speaker reflects on their graduation day, June 4th, 2013, where they experienced mixed emotions of elation and concern over unemployment among new graduates. A book by Keith Ferrazzi, 'Never Eat Alone,' inspired the speaker to leverage networking for personal and professional growth. The speaker's six-month networking experiment yielded remarkable results, attracting job offers from prestigious institutions. This success led to a deeper question about the lack of networking education in academic institutions and sparked the creation of the 'Profound Ivy' program, aimed at teaching networking principles to students to avoid post-graduation despair. The program's success, with over 90% of participants securing dream internships or jobs, highlights the importance of networking skills in the job market.
đ€ The Fundamentals of Networking for Young Minds
The speaker discusses the importance of teaching networking skills to young people, drawing from their experience teaching at an elementary school in Compton, California. The speaker introduces 'three bones to networking': the 'wishbone' which is about identifying one's aspirations and the people who can assist in achieving them; the 'jawbone' which encompasses competency and humility, emphasizing the need for thorough research and a humble approach when reaching out; and the 'backbone' which is about persistence in networking efforts. The speaker shares a personal anecdote about becoming an author through networking, illustrating the power of persistence and the impact of building meaningful connections. The speaker concludes by advocating for the integration of networking as a fundamental skill, akin to math and reading, in the educational curriculum, as it is a vital currency in the 21st century.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄGraduation
đĄNetworking
đĄNever Eat Alone
đĄProfound Ivy
đĄDream
đĄWishbone
đĄJawbone
đĄBackbone
đĄCompetency
đĄHumility
đĄPersistence
Highlights
Graduation from the top academic institution brought mixed emotions of elation and the pain of unemployment.
The book 'Never Eat Alone' by Keith Ferrazzi inspired the speaker to leverage networking for personal and professional growth.
Networking led to job offers from prestigious institutions like JP Morgan, NCAA, and Princeton University.
The speaker questioned why academic institutions do not teach networking skills to students.
Profound Ivy was initiated as a program to teach networking principles to young people.
Over 90% of Profound Ivy students secured their dream internships or jobs within a year.
The speaker's mission is to make networking a fundamental skill taught alongside math, reading, and writing.
Networking is presented as the currency of the 21st century, essential for making connections and progressing.
Three bones to networking were introduced: the wishbone, jawbone, and backbone.
The wishbone represents knowing what you want and who can help you achieve it.
The jawbone emphasizes competency and humility in networking, ensuring you know your subject and approach with respect.
The backbone symbolizes persistence, a key to success in networking.
The speaker shared a personal story of becoming an author through networking.
Networking is not just a skill set but also a mindset that can unlock opportunities.
The speaker envisions a future where networking is as fundamental as other core subjects.
The importance of teaching young people to network, as it can significantly impact their future opportunities.
The speaker's passion for networking and its transformative power in personal and professional life.
Transcripts
[Music]
June 4th 2013 it was graduation for me
and it was mixed emotions on one side I
was elated to graduate from the number
one academic institution in the country
I was excited on the other end and we
have some college graduates here to
graduate unemployed kind of hurts her
gut a little bit but it raised some
questions and I could remember one of my
good friends giving me a book in the
book changed my perspective the book was
never eat alone by Keith Ferrazzi it
talked about his journey his
professional journey as he used
networking and building relationships to
not only grow professionally but
personally so I thought to myself if it
could work for him maybe I should try it
so the next six months I did in the
results were amazing instead of looking
for jobs instead of reaching out jobs
were coming to me
JP Morgan NCAA Princeton University I
was amazed I was excited for myself but
more so it raised the question in my
mind how was I getting these results and
number two why aren't our academic
institutions why aren't our colleges in
our high schools teaching young people
this very important skill set this
inspired me so I went back to my alma
mater and I wanted to tell my friends
profound Ivy was a program that was a
passion project but it grew to so much
more and over the course of three years
I wanted to teach these principles of
networking to young people just like me
so that when graduation comes they
wouldn't experience that same feeling
over the course of three years results
were great over ninety percent of the
students that were in profound Ivy
landed their dream internship or their
dream job at the end of the year college
graduates
College undergraduates rather they
understand the principles of networking
but how can we take this ever so
important this ever so important detail
and apply it to young people I thought
long and hard
a year goes by and I go to Compton
California and I'm asked to teach
networking to students of course I say
it's great catch now they're elementary
students you guys left because you
understand there's a little bit of a
different pace there I remember the
first time I walked in the classroom and
I'm thinking to myself how do you teach
this complex topic but ever so important
to young people so I asked the crowd and
I say does anybody have a dream and a
young man by the name of Alejandro he's
about 4 feet tall but his arm shot to
the sky he said I have a dream I have a
dream
Alejandro and he stood up and he said my
dream is to be at a cross coach like my
lacrosse coaches and I said ok he has a
dream and I thought to myself this is
important here he knew something there
was some conviction there so I want to
share with you what I believe can be
incredibly important for young people
how do we teach young people the
principles of networking 3 bones to
networking three simple bones and you
guys all know this we all know this it's
common sense but sometimes common sense
is not common practice so the first bone
of networking wishbone whether you're a
college graduate or you're an elementary
school what do you want and who can help
you attain that alejandro had it he
wanted to be a lacrosse coach and he
knew that he had to reach out to a La
Crosse community to take that very next
step phone number two jawbone now
there's two components to a jawbone
competency and humility competency and
humility competency do you know what
you're talking about
have you done your research one of the
reasons I believe profound Ivy was so
good at what it at producing results was
because before students would reach out
we made sure that they did research on
their industry and in their company and
then the department and then the
position and then the individual so
before they began to network they had so
much extensive knowledge but by the time
they opened their mouths people were
intrigued to hear what they wanted had
to say the other part of that jaw bone
humility you could know everything in
the world but if people don't like you
if people don't like you they will not
help you
one simple part of humility is this and
I'm wearing his shoes these of garyvee
shoes and he has this his principle that
he says and it's 5149 whenever we make a
relationship and we're trying to connect
with someone it's usually 50/50 but in
networking if we can learn how to be the
51 if we can learn how to give more if
every time we reach out to someone we
could look and say what is it that
they're looking for and how can I help
it puts us in a position to succeed and
last but not least my favorite the last
bone that we need to network is the
backbone persist persist persist the
most common word and networking is the
word know you'll hear it over and over
again I like to tell students this story
and I'll tell it to you the same way I
wanted to become an author I had no idea
how to begin very simple formula and I
wanted to follow my own advice I wanted
to reach out to ten authors who wrote in
the particular area that I wanted to
ride him I read ten of their books at
the end of their book I saw their email
I reached out to the ten authors of the
ten authors I reached out to to reply to
me of the two that got back to me one
respondent and he was a best-selling
author and I'm so excited and I opened
the email it says good luck
but there was one guy a guy by the name
of Adam someone who I still talk to to
this day Adam called me Adam spoke to me
on the phone for three hours Adam taught
me how to market a book how to publish a
book how to write chapter by chapter and
at the end of our call Adam told me call
me when you finish chapter one powerful
powerful through networking through
networking that was my passion to become
an author and networking got me there
the reason why I believe these three
bones to networking is so crucial in
today's world is because young people
have to understand this is a skill set I
envision a time where networking is
taught just like math just like reading
just like writing because in the 21st
century I truly truly believe truly
believe that networking is the currency
of our age today an individual who has
the ability to make connections with one
another you'll always be in a place we
can progress where you can go forward
skill sets are okay right most people
think of networking as a skill set but I
hope with today and I hope going forward
that we can start to teach younger
people that networking is also a skill
set but it's also a mindset the people
to your left and your right can help you
in ways you couldn't possibly imagine so
if any of you know young people and
you're saying what do you want to teach
them three bones to networking wishbone
state what you want
jawbone ask with competency and humility
and last but not least backbone persist
persistent persist thank you guys
you
Voir Plus de Vidéos Connexes
How to get an Internship in 1st Year of College?
The Power of Meaningful Networking | Andrew Griffiths | TEDxPCL
Is Computer Science still worth it?
HOW INDIAN STUDENTS FIND Job After COMPLETING A Degree ABROAD
How This Tier 3 Student Got a 33 LPA Remote Job in Fourth Year | #106 The Sanskar Show
Best VISA Country for Pakistani | Country to Move Abroad for Pakistani Students | Study in Europe
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)