Harnessing the Power of Effective Networking
Please note that this blog isn’t meant to discuss the power of social networking…that’s a topic in itself!
I once read that “the best networkers do not even know that they are networking - they are simply being good conversationalists; adept at becoming visible; talking and responding, and getting to know people.” So, does this mean that the best networkers are also successful in driving new business from their networking efforts? Not necessarily.
It can be said that the growth of any business is directly correlated to the number of people who know about it. Therefore, networking (giving your company a “face,” connecting with others and learning about what’s happening in your industry) is crucial to business growth. But networking is far more than shaking hands and being seen; it’s about effectively making connections that bring shared successes. Here are a few simple tips on how to harness the power of effective networking:
Learn to Communicate – Big and Small: When people ask you what you do, make sure you have a strong and clearly defined answer. It is important to articulate the purpose of your business in an easily understandable and memorable way. But keep in mind that to be a good networker, you sometimes need to put the “elevator speech” aside and make small talk. Listen when others are speaking, get interested in what others are offering and contribute to conversations in a personal way. People do business with people they “know, like and trust” and that comes from making a personal connection as well as a business one.
Set Goals: When you attend an event, have a pre-set goal of how many new contacts you would like to make. Be sure to introduce yourself to people you don’t know. You will defeat the purpose of networking if you continuously stick with familiar faces. If you are already well connected, ask people to make introductions for you. Be sure to do the same for your contacts by asking them who they are interested in meeting or getting connected with.
Be Strategic: A key to successful networking is to participate deeply in an organization or professional group that offers opportunities for you to meet PROSPECTS. List all the networking groups you currently participate in and then define which groups are truly putting you in front of potential clients. Know the difference between the events you need to attend and the ones you want to attend and prioritize them as such.
Follow-Up: If you are successfully making new contacts, be sure to follow-up on anything mentioned in your conversation. If you have trouble remembering all of the details, make notes on people’s business cards directly following the event. You may have passed the “know and like” phase but you still have to gain trust; this likely comes from doing exactly what you say you will in a timely fashion.
What strategies are you currently using to effectively network and build new and successful relationships?
- Written by Holly Davis, Manager of Business Development for Helios HR
Goal Alignment: Is it Working?
Ask each of your employees to name their New Year’s resolutions and you’ll likely hear a wide variety of responses, reflecting the breadth, depth and interests of the talent you employ. But if you ask them where your company is headed in 2010, and what the organization’s top goals are for the coming 12 months, will you also get varied responses across your workforce, or will you hear one consistent reply?
Most importantly, if you ask each of them how their job and responsibilities tie in to the organization’s 2010 goals, can they respond without hesitation? Do they know how their contributions impact the company’s success? If so, you’ve likely done a great job of communicating clearly and consistently, and the new year is the time to reinforce key messages with renewed clarity and purpose.
However, if employees are not clear on where your organization is headed in 2010, and how they each play a part reaching the company’s goals, the new year brings with it the opportunity to re-align the contributions of each employee toward the same end goal; to ensure that everyone is rowing together, in the same direction, and toward the same destination.
Every person you employ has a distinct and important role to play in achieving the organization’s overall success. Their ability to do so relies in part on ensuring they have accurate and clear information to ensure their efforts are most effectively aligned with the company’s as a whole.
Senior leadership can restate and reinforce key organizational plans, goals, objectives and challenges in the year ahead so that every employee knows the answers to: where are we now, and where do we plan to be in 12 months from now? What is our focus for 2010, i.e. grow revenues? Maximize profits? Increase market share? Ensure superior client support and service delivery?
Next, managers’ roles are critical: to help each of their direct reports translate the organization’s goals into their individual jobs. Managers can help ensure that each employee is able to answer, “How does what I do today impact the bottom line, and the organization’s success?” by working together with employees to carefully set – or revisit – individual goals aligned to these outcomes. This means combining the familiar, tried and true “SMART” goals formula – Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Time-bound – with the often ignored but critical TOPS – Tied to Organizational Priorities and Success.
Ultimately, this collaborative process should be owned by both manager and employee, with the employee accountable for achieving the goals, and the manager accountable for ensuring the employee has the tools, resources, and requisite experience, skills and expertise to accomplish them. Both employee and manager alike should be able to easily articulate what success would look like if goals were achieved.
If your company conducts annual performance reviews in January as many organizations do, you already have a mechanism in place to review past performance and goals, clarify organizational priorities, and to set new goals in the year ahead. If your organization conducts performance evaluations on a rolling basis or at a set time in a different point in the year, you can still take advantage of the new year to reinforce clear messages organization-wide, and hold check-in meetings or discussions with each employee. Either way, invest in the time and effort as 2010 begins to ensure that each person’s efforts are in synch and tied to the same end goals you hope to achieve by 2011. ~ Jacqueline Dendievel, Practice Leader, Helios HR
What Will 2010 Bring?
I don’t pretend to know the future, but I do know that having a goal, stating it, writing it down, and visualizing it, helps you get closer to achieving it. An early mentor of mine, Bill Walton, CEO of ITC Learning, always told me, “if you can visualize it, you can achieve it.” He was a firm believer in the power of visualization.
For years I have focused on New Year “Goals” vs Resolutions, as I feel a resolution is too easy to give up on. A Resolution is almost a proclamation, but does it also include the steps necessary to ensure its successful attainment?
One of my personal goals is to have a more targeted focus on my family. The steps to accomplish this may include: eating more meals together; having at least one activity night a month and being intentionally ‘present’ when we are together (which means not working/texting/emailing during time that has been designated as family time.) To make the actions even concrete, they can be made specific and measurable. Having a plan of action helps ensure the goals get achieved.
A professional goal is to enhance existing relationships with Helios team members, clients and partners. I have some ideas to do so, and some of them are quite simple, such as calling and meeting more frequently. Others include an intentional focus in inviting them into our existing community.
My question to you is “What goals have you intentionally set for 2010?” They could be both personal and professional. And if you need others to help ensure their success, how are you communicating your goals? Achieving success in reaching a goal is often recognized when steps are broken down to accomplish them. Wishing you much success in 2010. We’re ready for a phenomenal year ahead!
No One Path
Recently Women in Technology (WIT) celebrated the lives and accomplishments of 48 women who had been recognized by the WIT Leadership Awards over the last 10 years. Inspired by WJLA Anchor Maureen Bunyon, a book was recently published entitled “No One Path–Perspectives on Leadership from a Decade of Women in Technology Award Winners.”
Last week Maureen led a panel discussion featuring a line-up of several of these exceptional women profiled in the book. The panel included: Deloitte’s Linda Keen Solomon, CGI US-India President Donna Morea, White House National Economic Council Senior Advisor and SBA Administrator Ginger Lew, eCommerce Industries founder Paula Jagemann, DoD’s Anne-Marie Hartlaub-Kesseg.
The topics they discussed ranged from social responsibility, to innovation, forging a career path, how they took advantage of opportunities to excel and what recommendations they would have for girls and young women today who are preparing to enter the workforce.
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One of the many things that amazed me about these women is their genuine authenticity. Paula Jagemann made a comment that resonated. “Innovation is recession proof. In times of recession, entrepreneurship is on the rise.” She is a prime example of her philosphy, growing a business to $100M in revenue that germinated from her own experience as a consumer and her creative desire to improve that experience for the masses.The title of the book unfolded and became apparent as each interview took place. These women leaders have accumulated significant accomplishments and yet there was no ‘one’ path for any of them. Like Donna Morea, President of CGI US and India believes, “The more interesting careers are the ones that blaze a trail rather than follow a path…the path is really only seen in retrospect–when one turns around to look back.” The book is available at Amazon. com, http://www.amazon.ca/One-Path-Perspectives-Leadership-Technology/dp/1439245002 I encourage you to check it out! Their stories will inspire you. ~ Kathy |