Association professionals are very social people. It makes sense. We work for organizations that invite people to gather with annual meetings, regional conferences, virtual discussions, receptions, and happy hours.

I find myself at many of these events, but as an ambivert who is not immediately outgoing and has anxiety, it is still overwhelming. Yet — despite working remote/hybrid for five out of the eight years at my organization — I find myself with a supportive network of colleagues in my organization and across the association community. At first, I thought, “Wow. I’m really lucky to have this social network.” But luck didn’t have much to do with it at all. I had this network because I invested time and effort to seek out genuine social connections that built my social capital. (I do need to say, though, that I am fortunate to work for an organization that encouraged this.)

The Value of Social Capital

The concept of social capital has been around for decades. Although there are different ways to think about social capital, it is essentially the concept that social relationships built on trust, connection, and positive regard, are crucial to personal and professional outcomes. You can learn more about it at the Institute for Social Capital.

Social capital lays the foundation of goodwill and connection with the people around you. I grew my social capital through professional volunteer opportunities with groups that I was passionate about and finding ways to expand my leadership skills. With each volunteer opportunity, I was intentional about getting to know the people in the virtual or physical room. I focused on who they are rather than what they do. Building these relationships and credibility led to the social capital needed for professional sponsors and letters of recommendation.

Social Capital Goes Beyond Networking Events

Like financial capital, social capital is something that you invest in; and like financial investments, there is higher yield when you diversify your portfolio. It is more than in-person networking events. I invest in my social capital by supporting my colleagues, making sure that my colleagues feel seen and heard, and being a volunteer leader.

Build goodwill and a culture of collaboration. Find out how you can support a teammate on a project when you can. Create a space that acknowledges everyone’s perspectives, especially when they’re not the most outspoken. Whenever I work on a team, I acknowledge my colleagues’ efforts and contributions. It always feels good to be recognized for your good work.

Be intentional about bringing colleagues together. Be curious about who your colleagues are. If you’re leading a meeting, take time in the beginning to find out who they are with a question such as, “What was the biggest success this week (personal or professional)?” It’s a common notion now that you don’t need to get to know your coworkers; but taking a few minutes each time to get to know your colleagues increases empathy, trust, open communication, and psychological safety.

Find volunteer leadership opportunities. Being a leader requires a combination of skills that need to be practiced. Sometimes, you need to branch out to meet people and practice skills that you don’t usually encounter in your day-to-day. When I was in a role that rarely collaborated with other teams, I joined an employee resource group with colleagues in different parts of our organization. I volunteered with ASAE because I wanted to connect with association professionals outside of my organization. With those groups, I stepped up to lead initiatives and gain experience with things that I wouldn’t have in my job role.

Building Social Capital as an Introvert

We all have different limits on how much social interaction we can handle. Remember to take breaks to recharge if you need it. Focus on what you need rather than what you “should” do. When it’s time to share about yourself, you don’t have to be best friends with everyone or trauma dump, either. What you’re willing to share about yourself is different for everyone. In graduate school, I took a class on counseling and experienced an activity to self-reflect on my boundaries that I still use today:

1. On separate pieces of paper, write down the things that you would want in the hypothetical biography of your life — personal and professional. Think about things like where you grew up, how many family members you have, if you have pets, your biggest fear, your greatest successes, the scariest thing you went through, and where you went to school.
2. Decide what goes inside and outside of the bag. The outside of the bag are all the things that you could talk about with someone you just met or an acquaintance. The inside of the bag are all the things that you would be more willing to share with a close friend, family, or significant other.

Investing in your social capital as a young association professional increases your visibility, credibility, and sense of belonging.