Behavioral Scale Deep Dive: Low Networking

Networking: The ability to collect and maintain many personal and professional relationships among a diversity of people. 

Are you someone who gets uncomfortable at big parties and would rather have a tight knit group of friends? If so, you may be a low scorer in networking. Let’s take a look at the behavioral traits of someone with a low score in networking and what you can do to best encourage their growth. 

Low Networking

Meet Tim. Tim likes to hang out with his two best friends that he’s had for 10 years and doesn’t like to go to new meet and greet events. The idea of speed dating horrifies him and he’d rather get to know someone privately and for a long time before committing to a relationship. At work events, he never introduces himself to new people and would rather just hang out in the background with the people he already knows. Although he deeply values his long-established friendships, sometimes Tim can come off as a bit rude to people he doesn’t know due to his discomfort with meeting new people.

Tim is a good example of someone who likely has a low networking score. He:

Prefers fewer friends and is not as comfortable in social settings

Is careful with who he trusts

Values long term relationships and knows who his friends are. 

Is more cautious and reserved in his relationships

Prefers intimate settings and is not as comfortable in large groups of strangers

Tends to over- complicate relationships and at times agonizes over the “meaning” behind behavior

Tends to be less trusting and awards true friendship slowly

 

Tips for Managing Low Scorers

Although low scorers in networking can be very loyal friends to their inner circle, sometimes their discomfort in social settings and meeting new people can hold them back personally and professionally.

Here are some tips for managing someone with a low networking score: 

They would benefit from making an extra effort to reach out to those outside of their inner-circle. A warm smile and daily greetings go a long way towards establishing positive regard to people in general.

Encourage them to understand the value of staying in touch with their more peripheral relationships.

At times they may appear standoffish and rude. This is unlikely the intention, but needs to be pointed out. One’s impact on others is the issue here.

One-on-one interactions and being with people they know well motivates low scorers in Networking. Encourage them to balance time with those they know and introduce themself to people they don’t know. 

Encourage them to seek help with tasks, even from people they don’t know well.