Reaching Out Is Growth

Reaching out can be a daunting task, especially when we reach out to someone out of our immediate network and social circle. As social creatures, we are used to mingling and socializing with people we are familiar with. Reaching out will require us to step out of our comfort zones. Be it with industry professionals on LinkedIn, connecting with mutual friends or reaching out to seniors in university, it can be quite an intimidating experience for some of us.

Quoting an article which describes a 1973 landmark study called, 'The Strength of Weak Ties', where Mark Granovette of John Hopkins University found that the best leads for job opportunities are more likely to come from your distant acquaintances (weak ties) rather than your close friends (strong ties). And the reason is this.

Weak ties are the people we have met and do not currently know well. This can be through casual acquaintances with mutual friends, hi-bye friends we see in school, or former schoolmates and workmates. Weak ties can also include people you have connected with on LinkedIn or had a coffee chat with recently. On the other hand, strong ties are people we are closest with, our family and best friends, our immediate social circle and people who got our backs. Yet, the weakness of strong ties is that they can hold us back by providing feelings of comfort and familiarity, and other than support, they may have little to offer. After all, these are people whom we vibe with and have numerous similarities in many aspects.

On the contrary, people of weak ties can give us access to fresh ideas and perspectives through conversations and the exchange of ideas. Communicating with people with weak ties requires us to be more thorough and reflective as we speak. We articulate more clearly, be more purposeful in our choice of words to convey a message across and as such, we can grow out of our comfort zones.

Referencing Carol Dweck’s book “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success”, she differentiates a Fixed and Growth mindset. Reaching out allows us to be in the growth mindset, where we get out of our comfort zones and seek to grow and learn new things. Know this - Discomfort is where growth lies.

I used to be fearful of reaching out, especially with industry professionals on LinkedIn. It is hard to imagine an industry professional, be it an Associate, Manager or Director, responding back to my messages when I’m just a Freshman. In fact, when I first created my LinkedIn account back in my Freshman year, I had nothing to show for and had nothing to give back to the people I wanted to reach out to. This plagued me for months, in fact, for my entire Freshman year.

Reaching Out Is Daunting

(Photo by Danielle MacInnes on Unsplash)

Reaching out can really be daunting. I know how it feels!

Just when you think the worst part is finding someone whom you want to reach out to and hopefully to connect with and know more about, there are other things to worry about as well.

“How should I craft my message?”

“Will this come off too awkward? Or too formal?”

“Should I put in an emoji to make it more friendly and less formal?”

And when you finally hit the ‘Send’ button, the sigh of relief is short-lived and met with more thoughts.

“Would she/he reply to my message?”

“What if I come across too formal/informal?”

“It has already been a few days since I sent the message. Why hasn’t the person replied to me yet? Could it be the way I sent the message, or was it due to my profile bio?"

Been there, felt that.

But trust me, once you have successfully reached out to someone and connected with them on a personal level - whether it’s on Zoom, Google Meet, or in person for a coffee chat (to grab a “Cuppa”) or over a meal - it’s totally worth it.

Been there, felt that too.

Truth be told, even after being successful in reaching out to people ever since I started on this journey, I still feel dejected when my messages get cold or when people leave me on ‘Read’. I’m human, after all, and it’s perfectly normal to feel this way.

However, it’s times like this where you have to pick yourself up and continue to reach out to people.

Stepping Out Of Your Comfort Zone

Reaching out is a numbers game.

The only way for it to feel less daunting is to step out of your comfort zone and just do it. All you have to do is make an effort and start reaching out to professionals you wish to connect with on LinkedIn or other social platforms. It doesn’t always have to be daunting as long as you’re strategic in the way you craft your messages and having a growth mindset that you are gaining experience as you step out of your comfort zone.

Trust me, it gets easier and a lot of fun as it goes.

If you need a little help to be strategic when you reach out to industry professionals on LinkedIn, you can check us out here at Just A Cuppa. Connections are yours to make. Enjoy yourself, have fun and go grab a cuppa!

(Cover Image - Photo by Fernando Hernandez on Unsplash)