http://www.businessinsider.com/the-6-people-you-need-in-your-network-2014-7

I recently attended a professional leadership forum conference with my company focusing on networking and skill building. My biggest take away from the conference was me thinking about how do I keep my network right sized and diversified within my company. I knew that certain skills, whether soft or technical, needed to always get sharpened, but I had never really reflected on how well rounded my network is until after the conference.

This article describes  6 key players that everyone should have in their professional network. This network really applies to a network beyond your workplace. For us, this certainly means our classmates. Here are the 6 key players the article describes:

The Finance Guru 

This is someone who has greater financial literacy than you. They are someone who will encourages you to be savvy with your finances and make good financial decisions.

The Connector

This is the social butterfly. The one who is always interconnected and can introduce you to other people. He/she is the relationship developer.

The Mentor

The article describes this best with a quote from Christine Hassler “It’s important to choose a mentor who is living a life you respect and want to model — not just someone who has a job or career path you would want,”

The Innovator

This is someone that is always up to date with your industry trends and forward thinking

The Leader

This is someone who you look up to the most professionally. They are people that should be picked very selectively and are utilized for the infrequent major work situations you need consultation on.

The Frenemy

This is someone who has the same career path as you. Its good to have that because competition forces use to be better. In this case your antagonist is your helper.

Check out the article and see who is and who isn’t in your network and try to fill those gaps.