The art of the favor: the connection between networking and personal influence within a college.

The art of the favor: the connection between networking and personal influence within a college. This article discusses various strategies for utilizing favors as ameans for developing a personal powerbase and influencing individualswithin a college setting. Building a personal network of influencecenters upon effectively utilizing various strategies including;learning how to control the budget, how to empower others, when tocompromise and be a team player, the importance of sharing success, andknowing when to call in favors. The author demonstrates that through theuse of personal favors an individual can create a network of individualswho can be counted on for favors in turn. In the end, favors translateinto individual obligations and future opportunities for reciprocity. Favors Building favors is essential to creating a network of individualsthat can be counted on for favors in turn. Favors translate into futureobligations. There are several ways to build these favors. Primary amongthese include the strategic use of budgetary funds and the empowering ofpeople and their ideas. Budget The effective use of a budget is one of the important ways to grantfavors. When individuals control the budget, they are in position tocontrol resources that can provide key individuals with what they needand want. These can range from small practical everyday office orpersonal items to larger program building equipment. The budget canprovide both the practical and the grand. The key is knowing when, towhom, and where to distribute the funds. Empower Others Successfully building favors also rests on the idea of learning howto empower co-workers and colleagues. This is best accomplished byestablishing the reputation of being an individual who believes inothers' ideas. As such an individual it is important to work to tryto bring these ideas to reality. Attempts to do so can be through eitherthe formal bureaucratic system or through networking with otherindividuals. Advocating for others and their ideas means being willing to speakup on their behalf. Attitude is crucial here. It is good to be seen asthe person who is willing to take risks and one who is willing to moveforward the new ideas of others. The difference between saying,"let's see if we can find a way to make this happen, if notnow then sometime down the road for sure" or saying "Idon't know if this will work" is immeasurable. Being seen asthe "can do" person is a major asset. Even if the answer iseventually no, the effort will still be perceived as noble. Speaking on the behalf of others also means that at certain timesan individual must be willing to fight for the "underdog."This can prove to be very beneficial to one's career. Backing thelong shot instantly bestows on the individual the mark of a champion ofthe people. Sometimes a cause manifests itself in the fight for "theprinciple" instead of for a specific individual. Others are quickto praise colleagues who are willing to fight for the ideal. Theyunderstand that the principle is worth preserving because they may needit one day for their own cause. Believing in the ideas of others or fighting for the greater causecan at times mean taking an unpopular stance. Doing so occasionally willactually work to the benefit of the individual taking the stance. Thatperson will be viewed as someone who is not a lackey of theadministration and someone who upholds standards even in difficulttimes. All of these strategies portray the individual as an advocate forothers and their ideas. Advocates are popular, admired, and powerfulpeople who inspire loyalty in others. Loyalty is very important. Loyaltybegets loyalty and in turn generates favors and protection. Since perception is key, it is important to be seen as a selflessindividual. Rule one in this strategy is to never advocate for oneself.As stated, it is better to advocate for others and for popular causesinstead. Helping others who face the same problems will reap benefitsfor all, including the individual. You Win Some, You Lose Some It is important to realize that an individual cannot always win.The key is, as the old adage states to, "know which battles tofight." There is a time to let go and move on. Persistence isimportant, but continuing to fight for a lost cause will eventuallyresult in an individual being labeled as stubborn. Once this belief isinstitutionalize the individual will be seen as someone who" is nota team player and someone with whom others cannot work. If others shyaway from working with an individual then opportunities to implementpolicies or make changes are minimized, as is the possibility ofbuilding personal influence. The key to deciding which battles to wage rests with understandingboth the internal politics within a college and the major players whoare active in these politics. Starting a war with the wrong person canbe deadly. Share The Credit Another important method of empowerment is to always share thecredit that success brings. This credit must be shared with anyone whohad even the slightest part in it. Deflecting personal praise into teampride is a successful strategy that will bring big rewards later downthe road. Unsolicited praise, both privately and in public, for thosewho helped make a project successful will make people feel good and takepride in what they have accomplished. In turn, these individuals will bewilling to work even harder for their leader on the next project. Conversely, it is just as crucial for a leader to acceptresponsibility for failure, providing it does not seriously impact orjeopardize a person's career in the long run. A well timed"mea culpa" can do wonders. People like to see others admitmistakes and apologize. It makes the person look human. A willingness toaccept the responsibility for failure and then apologizing is very oftenseen as a strength, not a weakness. Empowerment also comes from information. Whenever possible sharebits of information with co-workers. People like to be in the know andin the loop. This includes sharing bits of information from the collegegrapevine. It even means sharing the local gossip or "dishing thedirt" at times as long as no real harmful personal information isdivulged. People love to get the inside scoop about what is happening inother people's lives. A work of caution here is important. It iscrucial not to share any secrets one has promised to keep. It isdetrimental to be viewed as a gossip monger or worse, someone who cannotbe trusted. It is a reality that individuals like to share what they know. Itdemonstrates that they too have important information to share. As aresult, very often even the smallest bit of shared information willbring back important information that can be very useful. Calling In Favors It is essential to know when to call in favors that you have builtup over time. In order to do so it is important to keep an accuraterecord of when and for whom those favors were performed. People tend toforget obligations over time. Worse yet, they tend to believe that thefavors they have performed for someone else outweigh the ones theyreceived. An accurate reminder of just how well the "books arebalanced" is often critical. It is important to periodically gentlypoint out favors that have been performed. This reminder can come fromthe individual who provided the favor or from others who tell of thefavors that were performed. This works to an individual's advantagewhen the favor eventually comes due. Favors have a shelf life. They should be called in when they can bemost effective. These include for example, times when crucial policyvotes are coming to the floor, or opportunities present themselves tomake needed changes, or when individuals have the opportunity to enhancetheir careers. Another example of when to call in a favor is whensomeone decides to move on and leave the college. It is usually notworth the effort to continue the obligation over a long distance or anextended period of time. It is more prudent to "cash in" thefavor for immediate results before the person leaves. Conclusions Personal networking is crucial in developing a powerful sphere ofinfluence within any organization including colleges. In the endinfluence is based as much upon "who you know" as what youknow. Favors lay the foundation for developing close personal networkingties. These ties in turn are instrumental in building successfulcareers. Dr. Joseph Simplicio, Dean of Academic Affairs and Operations,South University. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Dr.Joseph Simplicio at jsimplicio@southuniversity.edu.