Networking as a Woman (Or Man)

Last night I sat in a room full of women of all ages, careers, and industries. The event was for women and the speaker, Marcy Twete, shared a few points that are addressed in her book “You Know Everybody!: A Career Girl’s Guide to a Network That Works”. I left the Yacht Club feeling inspired, empowered, and professionally rejuvenated.

Some points that I walked away with, that I will be trying to implement in my 4 quarter professional goals include:

1. Eat breakfast and lunch with someone. I think that a reasonable goal will be to make sure to meet with at least 2 people every week. Talking about your network, best practices, your families, etc over food is a great way to build a deeper network. This also reminded me of a book that was referenced in a networking event I went to last month called "Never Eat Alone" by Keith Ferrazzi.
2. Find 3 mentors (direct or indirect). Marcy Twete recommends having a mentor that
   1. Has accomplished what you would like to do 1 year from now
   2. Has accomplished what you would like to do 5 years from now
   3. Has accomplished what you would like to do in your craziest dreams

I have already started reaching out to people who I think can fulfill those 3 mentorships, and will try and meet with each of them by the end of this quarter.

1. Help your network. Whether it is through making introductions, mentorship, or networking, we need to reach up, down, and out to connect people in our network. If you have accomplished something that can help someone else, share it!

She ended the evening with a favorite quote of hers by Madeleine Albright- “There is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.”. I am going to work this quarter to make sure I am helping others that may be able to benefit from my experiences or gifts.

These points were directed towards women; however I think that men and women alike can benefit from improving on these 3 simple areas. Maybe you will dedicate your fourth quarter to purposefully improving on these three areas as well.

I can’t wait to go home this evening and start reading Marcy’s book! Please check out her website: https://careergirlnetwork.com/ . If you have any tips on how you have found success in networking, please share below, message me, or email me!