Socially Responsible Magic: Networking as Social Responsibility

Last updated on: March 26, 2015 at 8:28 pm by Taylor Ellwood

Socially Responsible Magic: Networking as Social Responsibility 2015-03-26T20:28:58+00:00 Taylor Ellwood

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

In my day business, I do a lot of networking, which means that I attend various events, meet people, learn about what they do, and figure out how I can help them, either directly or by referring them on to someone else. Learning how to network has taught me a lot about how to connect with people and become more involved in the communities that I am part of. In fact, I’d have to say that it’s because of networking that I’ve come to recognize my connection to the community, and as a result I have felt a sense of responsibility beyond taking care of my own needs. This isn’t all that surprising when you understand that networking is more than just passing business cards around.

When you think of networking, what first comes to mind? Do you imagine a bunch of people in business clothes exchanging cards and trying to sell something to each other? If so, you aren’t alone in thinking that way about networking. Many people associate networking with sales or tend to think of it as strictly a business activity that has no associated service component. However, I find that if anything, what networking can do is teach people how to become more aware of each other and the needs that all of us have. It can also, when done right, create an opportunity for equity in the community.

One of the organizations I belong to is the Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs (OAME). The founder, Sam Brooks, states at each meeting that everyone is included and that the only people not welcome are those who discriminate against others. The organization is set up to provide opportunities for people of color and women-owned businesses, and it has an annual youth conference, where it teaches teenagers about what it takes to become a business owner. OAME also offers microloans to start-ups and small businesses and provides some consulting. There are other organizations who have similar focuses, such as Mercy Corp. All of these integrate networking into their activities as a way of helping people connect with the resources they need.

Networking is a state of mind that initially starts out with a desire to get business. People attend networking events in the hopes that they’ll meet people who need their services. But eventually, that state of mind matures to a recognition that such meetings are really opportunities to discover what someone needs in order to help that person. The networker starts their day out with the question, “Who can I help today?” and this question isn’t restricted to networking meetings, but instead spills over into everyday life. The networker starts paying closer attention to other people and discovers what they need, and then connects them to the resources and people who can help meet those needs.

Networking also teaches you to recognize that you have a community of people you can connect with. When you are part of a network, you are connected to a variety of people who offer a variety of services, but you are also connected to them as allies and friends. You learn how to share what you need with them as well as discover what they need. These are skills that many people don’t have because of the increasing disconnection of our culture. Nonetheless, these skills can be learned, and you don’t necessarily need to be in a sales profession or self-employed to learn them. All you really need is to feel a sense of curiosity about other people and a desire to help in whatever way you can.

I feel that networking teaches people a sense of social responsibility for the community they are a part of. You learn how to connect with people you don’t know, and in that process you learn how to acknowledge where they come from as well as their cultural and ethnic backgrounds. You also develop relationships that become stronger over time, because all of you recognize that you want to help each other succeed. You feel a sense of responsibility, an awareness that you need to think about more than yourself and your own needs. Networking needn’t be limited to business to be effective. It can start with the simple desire to reach out to people around you and get to know them better.

The first skill of networking is listening. Listening involves learning to still your own thoughts while you listen so that you can hold presence and really hear what the other person is saying. As you learn to listen to people, you also learn how to recognize what they need in what they say. Much of the time, what people are communicating about is what they need.

The second skill of networking is asking questions. You need to be curious and open-minded and also able to listen to the answers to your questions. I like to ask people what they need, but I also like to ask about who they are and what they do. These questions allow me to discover the person in the answers that are provided.

The third skill of networking is the desire to help. You aren’t connecting to people for no reason at all. Ideally, you want to be of genuine service to your community. This means that as you get to know someone, you try to think of ways to help the person, provided they actually want your help. If they want the help, you might help them directly or you might refer them to know someone you know who is qualified to do so.

Socially Responsible Magic is published on alternate Wednesdays. Subscribe via RSS or e-mail!

Columns

Community

Socially Responsible Magic

networking

social responsibility

Taylor Ellwood

Previous Post

August 19, 2014

The Busy Witch: Coming Home

Next Post

August 21, 2014 Wyrd Words: GENOCIDE - Whose Tool is it?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category A Lakeside Hearth Adventures in Wortcunning Alone In Her Presence Arts, Crafts & Cooking Birthing Hereditary Witchcraft Book of Blackbirds Book Reviews Born-Again Witch Cauldron, Sword, Spear, & Stone Cermony and Liturgy Columns Community Dandelion Seeds Dear Jasmine Druid Thoughts Editor's Picks Everyday Pagan Family & Household Practice Family Traditions Full Frontal Magic Gateway Goddess Guest Articles Happily Heathen Health and Wellness Hearth of Hellenism Heathen Woman Hills of the Horizon History Holidays Horse Goddesses Interfaith Interviews Irish-American Witchcraft Jewish Witch Lamp & Labyrinth Letters from Midgard Literature, Media, Film, Music Loop of Brighid Love, Sex & Relationships Magic or Magick Making Light Naturalistic Traditions Nature News Outside The Circle Pantheisticon Politics Prayers, Poems, Blessings & Stories Queer Femme Mystic Queer of Swords Recipes Ritual and Practice Science and Research Seekers and Guides Seeking the Grail Socially Responsible Magic Spear of Athena Star Made Witch Syncretic Electric Technology The Blooming Staff The Busy Witch The Cartomancer The Crow's Nest The Dance of Pagan Recovery The Hearth of Hellenism The Lady's Quill The Other Side of the Hedge The Path of She The Rantin' Raven The Witches Next Door The Zen Pagan Theology, Ethics, Philosophy Tree City Witch Urban Earthwitch Wayfaring Woman Witch on Fire Wyrd Words

Select a Month January 2026 March 2025 December 2024 June 2024 April 2024 March 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 August 2023 July 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

In Hebrews, what was the veil in the temple?

Select your answer to see how you score.

The law of Moses The old covenant Christ's flesh The separation from God