"Know this: your success will depend directly on the success of your staff. No one gets there alone. No one." ~ Bonnie Low-Kramen, Staff Matters As a 40-year veteran of the U.S. corporate workplace that spanned four industries (broadcasting, publishing, public relations and financial services), and was employed by Fortune 500 companies and mid-size businesses, … Continue reading DO YOU THINK YOUR “STAFF MATTERS”?
One look at an email can rob you of 15 minutes of focus. One call on your cell phone, one tweet, one instant message can destroy your schedule, forcing you to move meetings, or blow off really important things, like love, and friendship. ~ Jacqueline Leo A newish word has crept into our social media … Continue reading “Phubbing” Can Lead to “Phlubbing”
"Fashions fade, style is eternal." —Yves Saint Laurent With the trend toward dressing down at work continuing, it is important for women to remember that the power suit is still a thing. The Suit - The Great Equalizer The struggle for equality in the workplace is ongoing; but to make progress in all fields women … Continue reading The Power Suit – It’s Still A Thing
“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.” ~ Dale Carnegie, Author of How to Win Friends and Influence People There's an old saying that there's safety in numbers. Well, there's also success in numbers. Various … Continue reading The Importance Of Building Relationships
Do the best you can, and don't take life too serious." ~ Will Rogers Will Rogers (1879-1935) was considered one of the wisest men of his time and one of the greatest wits. He once said, "I never met a man I didn't like." That might seem like a bit of a stretch for most humans, but a twist on … Continue reading A Sense of Humor is Good For Your Health and Good For Business
Rookie Error: a mistake made due to inexperience ~ macmillandictionary.com Recently House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called out President Trump for committing "a rookie’s error” in his attempt to repeal the Affordable Healthcare Act on the seventh anniversary of its being signed into law. And former Prime Minister of Australia Julia Gillard said of her campaign tactics several … Continue reading Rookie Errors: The Job Search
After the Event
There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less
than the long range risks of comfortable inaction. ~ John F. Kennedy.
Your networking event is over, and now your real work begins! It’s time for action on your part. I’ve included a checklist below to help get you going:
Conversing and Connecting
“It occurs to me that our survival may depend
upon our talking to one another.”
~ Dan Simmons, Hyperion
I agree with author Simmons’s pithy observation. Of course, there are many types of survival. Learning how to turn strangers into strong relationships will make you a survivor of the networking circuit!
This week I’d like to focus on getting in and out of groups and conversations gracefully.
Balancing Mingling with Food & Drink
"Sometimes, idealistic people are put off the whole business of
networking as something tainted by flattery and
the pursuit of selfish advantage. But virtue in obscurity
is rewarded only in Heaven. To succeed in this world
you have to be known to people" ~ Sonia Sotomayor
A networking event should be approached in the same manner that you would a job interview. Prepare, dress and behave as though you will meet your future boss, because that could very well happen.
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ~ Maya Angelou
Attributing data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics as well as from other sources such as the 2011 study conducted by Right Management, which is part of Manpower Group (Forbes, June, 7, 2011), career and employment professionals have generally concluded that the percentage of jobs that are attained through networking range anywhere between 40%-80%. The truth is probably closer to 40%, but that is still a huge number and indicates that at least half of one’s time and energies should be devoted to networking.
Jeanne Nelson 