Podcast Episode 4 – Creating a Powerful Network

Podcast Episode 4 – Creating a Powerful Network

Today, we are speaking about the targeted networking and looking at the way of mastery of networking effectively, and how to do networking to actually master a skill. Ever been frustrated with networking? Feel like you invite others and constantly give to others but no one gives in return?Have you had a situation where you go to an event and feel like you don’t know anyone and can’t relate? Maybe this feels like high school all over again? Or a the situation of searching for a new job?

Websites Mentioned:

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Full Show Notes:

Situation: I sometimes think as humans we forget how important it is to make an impact and connect with others. When I moved to Paris, France, I left my normal life in Seattle. I did not know anyone. I was alone except with my husband, but still we had our lives so I could not depend on just his French skills to make friends. I had to step out of my comfort zone and learn quickly. How do you even get someone to hire you when you don’t even speak the language? It was not easy that first year, I had to get comfortable being uncomfortable and learning to build a network. I started by doing the activities I liked. Then on LinkedIn and other similar networks asked for lunch or coffee meetings to try to solve problems and offer value. It took a while to build momentum and learn what I could offer and courage to ask for those meetings. Yes I got rejected many times and many times but I kept refining that message and my strategy to where I could truly offer value. Building a truly valuable network takes time. We need many networks in our life to go towards our next goal.

What questions we plan to answer:

  • How to make a targeted network?
  • How to network both internal and external to your company?
  • How to build yourself as an influencer or subject matter expertise?

Mary – Creating a Life Network

Ever been job searching internally or externally? Ever need advice or help to get to that next level in your career? Do you constantly help people? Are you connecting them? Are you asking the right questions to drive opportunity?

Situation: I think the word ‘networking’ actually leaves a bad taste in my mouth. There are too many times where I have gone to a general group networking with either other women or other local businesses in the area and just left with a bunch of useless business cards and no actual opportunity or connection that would actually be meaningful. So what did I learn … that networking needs to be meaningful in order to develop powerful relationships.

Now let’s add a purpose to networking and set some goals of what we would like to achieve.

Is it to benchmark with others in your industry? Both internal and external to your company? Is it to land your next job?

Put your life into categories you want to achieve success: For instance for me: I have a career. I have a family. I enjoy speaking French. I enjoy swimming, cycling and running. Ok now what do I want to achieve in my stage of life. Career success. Also I want to find other families that speak French and I enjoy doing cycling events with my family. Ok so how am I going to achieve this …

1.) Look on LinkedIn for those that are similar to your purpose or goal? Send an email or inmail to see if they would like to get together for coffee and lunch and discuss a topic of relevance such as ‘metrics in capturing an effective benchmark for performance in one’s industry.’ or a particular platform or just general advice. Look for others who can introduce you to others … Very Targeted Niche Groups are also key.

2.) Internally to your company – alignment. Never eat lunch alone. Also invite others to join you for lunch and hear about what projects they are working on, any roadmaps they are developing, where are the opportunities?

3.) Outside of work – network with others that share similar interests. So right now in my life. I am looking for other parents that share the interest of teaching another language at home. Family Fun Activities in French while a small group we are growing and people are driving over an hour to come!

New School vs old school

1.) Think targeted meaningful relations. Don’t throw business cards out! ABG

2.) Think internal vs external networking

3.) Think about win / win

4.) Keep working on developing those relations – ask for a second or third time to meet or call … never stop influencing!

5.) Even outside of work – what are you doing to influence your network and grow relations?

6.) Work on the body language – door example. Art of Charm

Melissa – Strategic Targeting In Networking: Striving To Be An Expert and Connecting With Others

Networking is defined as building and maintaining a network of trusted relationships for support for sharing information and business within a common interest. Your networking colleagues look out for each other and help each other succeed. You may use for network to find new clients or a new job or meet a higher level of contacts but that should be a byproduct.

To build your network efficiently and strategically, you should be spending 90% of your time on 5-10% of your network. Who that 10% depends what you are focusing on to what your criteria is.

An example maybe if your goal in your career is to be an expert or master in your field; then you should spend 90% of your networking time on finding and building relationships within the top 10% of other people at your level or better. A friend of mine said she only played tennis with people who were better than her and I thought at first that was kind of mean but then realized it was a strategy for her to get better.

You can identify those 10% who are better than yourself by the criteria you think is important. For example, it could be their particular skill. I am going to use the example if you were an oil painter. The criteria could be the galleries they are in; the area or subject they paint; their level of painting prices, if they are local or national known, etc. Then create different tiers the artists you want to meet: ones at your level or above your level by your select criteria.

Once you have identified those top 10% individual artists or art galleries that you perceive are better than you or top in their field; what are some ideas to build relationships with them?

­Go to gallery showings, special art shows, conventions, and art museums of those artists. Go the opening night where the artists are showing. Bring your cards and introduce yourself. Really study their work and philosophy. Have ready why you think they are so good in your eyes and how you feel it connects to your artwork.

­Take workshops/ classes of artists you admire on your list.

­Ask an artist if they could be your mentor maybe through a paid apprenticeship or as a free assistant.

­Follow and comment on their social media: Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Put together a Pinterest board of your favorite paintings of your target artists.

­Meet or connect with people who deal with these artists: gallery owners, frame shops, supply stores, magazine publishers, etc.

­Suggest a group show with another artist or three if your work is similar.

­Suggest an outdoor painting excursion with another artist or three to a beautiful area.

­For local artists in your area, start a “hand-selected” private MeetUp.com group.

­Add another tier of top artists in other fields that relate to landscape: nature writers, poets, outdoor sculptors, landscape architects, etc. Go to those other MeetUp.com groups.

Never see any other person as competition. See yourself as part of a long line of a historical group…all the artists that came before you and current painters striving to be better.

Here are 3 action items for you:

1.Strategize your networking by targeting: like spending 90% of your time on 5-10% of your network. Who that 10% depends what you are focusing on to what your criteria is.

2.Define your goal: maybe your goal in your career is to be an expert or master in your field;

3.Identified those top 10% individuals and create ideas to build relationships with them.

Linda – It is never too late to network

Oftentimes the northeast region of the United States has been referred to as the medicine chest.  This has been due to the plenitude of pharmaceutical and biotech companies, as well as leading healthcare insurers, hospital systems and prominent medical universities.  All this has translated to jobs often with high incomes.  However, for many reasons, the last decade has seen an employment contraction.  This has left thousands of highly educated professionals without employment.

The leading healthcare professional association in the Northeast created a subgroup called Women in Transition to offer support for the hundreds of members who became unemployed.  I lead the group for about a year and a half.  The women participants were lawyers, marketers, scientists and finance professionals.  Interestingly most of them were the major income earners for their families.  This was not because they were single mothers, but rather because they earned more than their husbands who were most often also professionals.

The most prominent challenge these women faced upon becoming unemployed was their lack of a network.

Most of the women had worked for the same company, even the same business unit for decades, so when I asked the women who rotated through the group about their networks, the reply was typically the six to ten people with whom they worked daily.

After six to 12 months of job seeking and finally landing jobs, I asked some of the women to share what they learned and what insights they acquired and would like to share for the benefit of others.  The number one response was to continuously cultivate a professional network, and definitely not to wait until you are job seeking.

Here’s some actions to consider:

–  Create your own virtual board of directors.  Include people who are in roles you aspire to, those who inspire you, those who are effective leaders

–  Consider job sectors and professions where your skills may transfer.  Appreciate that people like to talk about themselves.  So do your homework and find people who are in those roles.  Prepare some questions and reach out to them.  Learn from them what you may need to do to develop your skills for those roles.

–  Think and act outside of your comfort zone.  Proactively acquire network contacts among those who are in growth industries and/or roles.  In recent years technology and globalization has been at the root of job loss for professionals in finance, clinical research and operations.  If you are title-centric, you are limiting your opportunities; be willing to take a job that may be a lesser title and possibly even below your pay grade to start.  I’ve seen many people do this and shoot right to the moon due to the expertise and leadership skills that they bring.

– How do you begin to develop a network outside your business unit?

– How do I overcome the discomfort of approaching people to ask for their time?

– How do I find the time for networking?

 

Thanks for listening and let us know how you network in our comments below!

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