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In this day and age of social media and networking, the word social capital is thrown around a lot. In a general sense, this means the perceived value of a person is through his or her social or professional contacts. A person with a high social capital value is usually a person who is good at synergy, teamwork, and cooperation with other people. They're capable of building rapport with others and bring value to their connections by networking the right people with each other for maximum efficiency and effectiveness. This is also an essential trait for today's leaders as high social capital is an absolute must to lead others successfully. So you might be wondering about how to increase your social capital and be in the middle of the spotlight? Here are some crucial tips on exactly how to do that. Connect with People Connection with people is significant when it comes to building social capital. People who have the innate ability to connect with different types of people readily are known as connectors.
A suitable connector doesn't just stick to his or her comfort zones. They move in different circles and get to know many kinds of people. As a result, when anyone needs big favour like a job or help to move to a new city, the connectors are the first person they reach out to. This puts the connectors in a unique position to create opportunities for different people in their circles while increasing their reputation. Volunteering This might sound very basic, but volunteering is also a significant way to build social capital. While participating in professional and educational events increases the social value of a person from a professional perspective, volunteering for different causes wins you brownie points for social value on a personal level. Many charity and NGO organisations entirely operate on the value of the personal social capital of a connector as opposed to professional social capital. If you can't personally give time for hands-on activities for charity, you can offer your expert help to them which is also always welcome. Mentoring Mentoring is a vital part of today's corporate and professional culture. Similar to individual apprenticeship which was very popular in different trades during the last decade, mentoring is more like a mass apprenticeship with fewer bells and whistles. Mentors do not directly involve themselves in the mentees work; instead, they act as a guiding hand for them. A successful connector is often looked up to for mentorship and motivation. Mentors often are responsible for a massive turn-around in people's lives, which increases their social capital exponentially. Filtering Your Connections When moving around as a connector, you will come to meet lots of different types of people. As you might guess, a lot of these people will not turn out to be useful contacts or connections. So it's not very wise to invest your social time and energy around these kinds of people, as associating with the wrong connections can decrease social capital instead of increasing it. Try to build a good sense of judgment by observing a person's real life and social media behaviour. As you continue to invest in growing your social capital, your ability to separate the strong connections from the weak will become more efficient. Before you know it, you'll already have a valuable list of social relationships built over a period.