Because Your Connections Shouldn’t All Be Just Like You, you need to diversify your connection base.

Be honest: Do all of your professional contacts look and sound the same? Did your boss and all your work friends go to the same kind of school as you? Did everyone in your network take similar paths to get where they are?

“One of the most important things you should do for yourself personally and professionally is to have a diverse network, a robust network that’s full of different people with various backgrounds at varying levels with assorted life and career experiences,” says Rahdiah Barnes,

Maybe you’d never given it much thought before, but recent protests against racial injustice have made you take a hard look at what you could be doing to address inequities in the world and at work. Or maybe you’ve wanted to connect with different people but you’re not sure how to go about it. Either way, there are so many reasons to make the effort to expand and diversify your network.

When you get to know and build relationships with a more diverse group of people, you can help everyone come by the opportunities they deserve by referring and recommending them. You can support efforts to diversify your company and industry. And by connecting with people from all different backgrounds and perspectives, you can gain valuable insight that will make you better at your job, no matter what you do.

If you’re looking to build a more diverse network—so you can be a part of the anti-racist solution and grow as a professional—here are some steps you can take.

1. Start With Your “Why”

Before you start, make sure you’re diversifying your network for the right reasons. How do you get to the bottom of your motives? Ask yourself: “Why am I doing this?” And try to be honest with yourself as you reflect on what your intentions and goals really are.

2. Focus on Building Relationships

You wouldn’t go up to someone you don’t know and say, “Hey, I’m an ally looking for some new friends, preferably Black.” (Of course not!) So don’t do that in professional settings either. Approach new people from a perspective of interest and wanting to learn more about them and their careers.

3. Step Out of Your Comfort Zone

Even if you’re confident that you’re moving forward for the right reasons, you may still feel awkward actually doing it. Admittingly, connecting meaningfully with people from different demographics and backgrounds may be out of your comfort zone, especially if you haven’t done so in the past.

Ask for Introductions

You can even start by turning to your current not-so-diverse network and asking for introductions to people they may know.

Reach Out to Colleagues and New Hires With Intention

Another place to start expanding your network is within your own organization. Regardless of your role, there are many ways you can be more intentional about reaching out to colleagues and new hires, whether they’re peers or in roles more senior or junior than yours.

Get Involved With a Company ERG

You can also look to existing communities within your organization. “Engaging with different groups at work is a great way to meet people that you are not exactly alike but have much in common. This is an easy way to make new connections,” Barnes says.

Follow Minority and Multicultural Nonprofit and Professional Organizations

Building a diverse network doesn’t have to stop at your own company. Another way to find and meet new people is by following multicultural organizations online, attending events, and otherwise getting involved. For example, Barnes’s organization, NAMIC, is for professionals at all levels in the media and communications industry. Her chapter runs regular events that are geared toward career topics that are timely and helpful.

Read more here
https://orientalcareer.com/how-to-diversify-your-professional-network/