Networking can improve your business and your bowling game.

Okay, so I'm at this conference in San Diego: 15 contemporary furniture stores, all members of the Contemporary Design Group, spending 5 days in a room talking about how we advertise, what we buy, our vendor relationships, our staffs, our rent structures, etc., etc., etc. Naturally, it got me thinking about networking (at 5am California time, because I am still struggling with that 3 hour time difference after 5 days).

I woke up wondering where the expression arose.
Works like 'network' were once as foreign or 'new' to people as 'tweet' is now.

So, I looked it up.

According to ask.com:
network (n)"net-like arrangement of threads, wires, etc.," 1560, from net (n.) + work (n.). Extended sense of "any complex, interlocking system" is from 1839 (orig. in ref. to transport by rivers, canals, and railways). Meaning "broadcasting system of multiple transmitters" is from 1914; sense of "interconnected group of people" is from 1947. The verb, in ref. to computers, is from 1972; in ref. to persons, it is attested from 1980s.

We go back to the first half of the 19th century and find that the word was used, naturally, to describe interlocking transportation systems. Well, that makes sense.

Fast forward to the early 20th century when it was adopted by the very young broadcasting industry to describe their interconnected systems, and the adoptions continued by the computer industry, telecommunications, and, finally, people!

Systems and networks were established to achieve a goal faster: get you from the Atlantic to the Mississippi without leaving water, let Albany hear the news report coming from New York City, allow my computer in San Diego talk to my computer back home.

How does this apply to PEOPLE who network then?

Well...I had a much funnier image of the word origin in my head when I woke up (too early).

I kept thinking about tennis: and, literally, "working the net." There you are, away from that base line comfort zone, approaching your competition - who may also be your friend - face to face. You're trying to get to the ball earlier, before you have to think too much. In a way, this is the benefit of real life person-to-person networking, too!

When we try to figure out solutions all by ourselves, we have to start from scratch. Sure, we can do some educated research, and we certainly rely on, and hopefully trust, our own brain power to be resourceful. Still, in the end, the proof comes back and we've forgotten to include the end date on the sale, or we've neglected to learn that the event is the same weekend as a local college graduation, or we haven't taken into account that two sales people will be on vacation.

I'm a fan of Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point and Outliers. In the former, he talks about how the first person to invent or achieve is often - no, make that usually - NOT the one who is the most successful with the idea. Was it Mr. McDonald or Ray Croc who became a multi-billionaire taking the 'fast food' concept around the world? The iPod was not the first mp3 player on the market, yet it is the best known, best selling of its device category by leaps and bounds.

Why? For several reasons, many of which Gladwell expands upon in his books. For me, one very obvious reason for the 'success of the second attempt' is because they were able to learn from the ones that came before: correct the mistakes and celebrate and expound on the successes!

That is a HUGE benefit of networking when open IDEA SHARING is involved.

The real beauty is that this kind of networking CAN come in the most unusual places. You don't have to network (note the now acceptable verb form) only at cocktail parties and breakfast meetings. You can network and share ideas anywhere you meet someone new. The more relaxed the atmosphere, the more open you - and they - are going to be about sharing, listening, and learning.

And last night, when our group of 15 stores hit the East Village Tavern and Bowl in downtown San Diego, there was a LOT of sharing. First, our team came in second (I was dubbed the WOOHOO girl... hmmm): led by the inspiring Bruce Selik of Hillside Furniture in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, who coached powerhouse Jerry Nowell of Nowells Furniture in Cary, NC, to aim for those white pins in the center with his 15pound ball. Bruce also encouraged Lora Sigesmund of Perlora in Pittsburgh, PA, to come from behind and beat us all with her game ending strikes! Needless to say there was a LOT of laughter, from when Carol Bell and Tamara Scott-Anderson of Content Interiors in Tucson, AZ, showed up dressed as Laverne & Shirley to the antics of team #1 who shall remain nameless (but included my husband) because of their unusual and tactile 'twisting' after a team member's spare or strike.

Last night, we were not worrying about the economy, our employees, or our advertising budgets. We were having fun. As we watched Jeff Burt of Suburban Furniture do his high scorer happy dance, we knew that the next day (today!) in the boardroom was going to be much lighter, more relaxed, and even more open and flowing with great ideas.

Yes, yes, yes, all that other 'network' stuff about creating a great system for idea-sharing and breeding success in our industry is the main goal of our conference and meetings, but I like the image that was in my head at 5am too: We ran to the net, met our opponent face to face, became their friend, and played the game not to win, but to improve each other's skills too.

Knowing and working with these amazing people with member stores in the Contemporary Design Group only makes LaDifference stronger and better. Thank you, Howard, Sandie, and everyone who attended the conference for making this year's event informative, helpful, and FUN!

Can't wait to do some more 'networking' NEXT year!