Have you ever been laid off or wanted to change jobs, and then suddenly realized you didn't have the network you needed to get a new job? It happens all the time. You get caught up in your day-to-day routine; you keep your head down, and you don't look around. Yet possibly the worst time to establish or build your professional network is when you are in the midst of a career change and feel desperate for support!

One of the six resiliency strategies in our upcoming book, Shift Into Thrive: Six Strategies for Women to Unlock the Power of Resiliency, is to strengthen support networks. This strategy helps you increase the depth and breadth of your support networks to help you maintain or regain balance in the midst of adversity.

For example, Maria’s company reorganized, and she was placed in a different job working for a new manager. Maria wasn't getting along with her new manager, and she wasn't happy with the responsibilities of her new job. She had no idea what to do about this dilemma; it was affecting her well-being, and she wasn't sleeping well. She reached out to a previous mentor and explained the situation. The mentor suggested she examine her current network, identify the gaps in her network, and make a concerted effort to close the gaps. Maria's mentor advised her that building networks takes time, so she had better get started.

Even if you think you are good at strengthening your networks, have you taken the time to analyze your networks to make sure you are focusing your energy on making the right connections? Is your safety net ready to support you if you hit tough times? Your time is precious, which is why you may not spend much time networking. But if you take the time to analyze the kind of support you need and assess the quality of your support networks, you can create a plan to spend your time wisely while you network.

Your network needs to have both depth and breadth. What does that mean? Resilient people have varying levels of depth in their network of relationships. When you have depth in your relationships, it means that you have close confidants you can tap for emotional support. People who unexpectedly lose their jobs often struggle because most of the people in their network work for the same organization. So when the job is gone, often the network is gone. Resilient people also have breath in their networks. If your network has breadth, it includes people from various industries and professions that interest you. These relationships may not be deep, but you can reach out to these people and discuss work-related topics.

Once you have determined the kind of support you need and the quality of your current networks, you can identify ways to broaden, engage, and deepen your support networks. Set specific and actionable goals to improve your support networks and implement these goals. Networking is an intentional activity. Don't take it for granted.

So what did Maria do? She analyzed her networking strategy and created specific goals to help her move her career forward. She joined one internal and one external professional organization. She went to networking events and built relationships. She updated her LinkedIn profile and reached out to people on social networks. It took time, but her networking resulted in her making the connections she needed to learn about a great job opportunity. She got a new job and continued networking to build relationships.

So what do you need to do to increase the depth and breadth of your support networks? Create a list of actions now and implement them. It's never too soon, and it's often too late. Build your resilience and shift into thrive today!

Lynn Schmidt and Kevin Nourse have more than 20 years of experience helping people achieve career success. They are experts in the field of leadership development and provide leadership strategies to individuals, teams, and organizations. Their passion for women’s issues led them to co-author Shift Into Thrive: Six Strategies for Women to Unlock the Power of Resiliency, which will be published in summer 2016. Kevin and Lynn will be facilitating a webcast for ATD on August 25, 2016, based on their upcoming book.