by Amy Hou | Mar 5, 2016 | Mentoring, Networking, Professional Growth, Starting Out, Women in the Workplace
I belong to a group of women leaders who meet once a year with the goal of providing mutual personal and professional support and advice. In this post, I want to talk about how this group functions and how important and meaningful it has been for me.
There are two rules to this club: 1) What gets said in the group stays within the group, and 2) If a member gets in touch with you during the year, you must respond within 24 hours, even if just to say, “I’m away but will get back to you on this date.”
The group was established around thirty years ago by women leaders in the pharma industry. They saw their male counterparts going on golf outings and fly fishing trips with each other and decided to start a personal/professional support tradition of their own.
At the annual meeting, usually held at a resort, each person gets time in front of the rest of the group to make a presentation about what is happening in her life professionally and personally (because these are so often interconnected). After the presentation, discussion is opened up to the group, who may provide insight and advice on either topic. There are also some impromptu regional meetings, in addition to the regular annual one.
What has struck me every year with these remarkable women is that everyone has a personal journey, and it can be incredibly powerful for us as professionals to support that journey. This is the true purpose of affinity and networking groups — they’re not just forums for shrewdly angling for a better position or a higher salary. They’re for generating understanding, for thinking of new ways to approach challenges, and for listening to advice from like minded people.
If you don’t have an affinity or networking group within your organization, see if you can develop one. It’s not hard! Focus on activities that engender professional and personal support and mentoring. Address the idea of confidentiality. Put a little bit of structure around it. In my group, nominations for new members must come from three existing members. This means that anyone entering the group most likely relates well to its goals and culture; they’re well-accomplished and have reached a certain level in order to be there. Be aware of and seek out diverse backgrounds in your members. Elect leadership to the group; consider collecting dues and hiring an event organizer for big meetings.
Lisa Suennen over at Venture Valkyrie has written an excellent article about this group and some of the quotable quotes that came out of our meeting.
by Madeline Bell | Jan 14, 2016 | Networking, Professional Growth, Starting Out
Let’s face it: networking isn’t always at the top of our priority list. It can be awkward, time consuming, and after a long work week, it’s often much less appealing than the couch. However, it is an essential part of advancing your career. I often tell my own children, “you will likely get a job through who you know rather than through your education or your work experience.” These days, it is not enough to keep your head down and produce A+ work. You need to connect with others, be vocal about your interests and career goals, and build relationships with people you might not otherwise have met.
I will share with you a prime example of why networking is important. A few months ago, I was invited by a friend to attend a women corporate directors event. While I serve on many non-profit boards, it has long been a career goal of mine to sit on a corporate board. I mentioned this to my friend, and she thought this event would be a great opportunity. As I prepared to pack up and leave the office, I felt exhausted and tempted to drive right home. Not wanting to let my friend down, I forced myself to head downtown and attend the event.
It turned out that she had to cancel at the last minute. So there I was, entering a room full of people whom I did not know. I peered over at the elevator and thought, “this is my chance to make an exit and go home to relax.” However, I again forced myself to be disciplined and headed into the event. There were many groups of two and three, but I finally spotted someone alone and walked up to them. I introduced myself and over the course of the evening, she introduced me to a number of interesting women that I have since added to my network of contacts. Now, what if I had driven home instead, or let discomfort or fear of not knowing anyone dissuade me from walking in? It would have been an opportunity missed.
This was not the first time I’ve walked into a room without knowing anyone, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. Over the years, I developed a few tips for how to make the most of your networking. I hope my approach will help you enter these encounters with your best foot forward:
Networking should always be done with an intention and not just to collect business cards and be seen. Approach networking like you approach your work—set a goal for yourself and find a networking opportunity that meets that goal. In my situation above, it was as simple as, “I want to learn more about corporate boards.”
It can be tough to walk up to a stranger and start conversation, no matter how confident you are. But having a line ready to go in order to generate conversation is crucial. I have found much success with a simple, “What brings you here to this event?” It works every time—it goes straight to the point and builds on your first common interest: that fact that you’re both there for a reason!
- Be Open About Your Career Goals
Had I not felt comfortable in speaking about my intention for the corporate networking event I discussed, it’s likely I never would have achieved my goal in attending the event, nor taken anything away from the event besides a few business cards . Often times, we don’t want to come off as pushy or disingenuous, so we tiptoe around our goals in networking. But I encourage you to speak up about your goals, so that you can connect with people who can actually help you take steps towards achieving them.
If you have a great conversation with someone at a networking event and exchange contact information, send a note to him or her and remark on your interaction. Tell the person something specific you enjoyed about speaking with them. If you offered to connect them with someone else, follow through. Networking isn’t over when you walk out of the event!
