Networking at Work

Anyone who works in a public organization emphasizes the importance of networking. In fact, I got an impression that part of having a successful career with local government is having good connections i.e. it matters who you know. For some reason, I have never been comfortable connecting with people simply because they could potentially help in my career progression.

While interning with the City of Phoenix I developed my own approach to networking. I would like to connect with people who are passionate about what they do regardless of their position in the organization. Further, I would like network with people who’s social and public policy and outlook I support. For example, I really admire the social and political stance of council women Thelda Williams and therefore, I am making an effort to network with her office. I think as future public administrators we should stop and introspect what we stand for and network people who share our values and passion as opposed to rising up the ranks in the organization.