Networking For YOU

We all know the value of networking; shared knowledge, opportunities, and connections among the many benefits.

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My network has helped me advance my career, meet sponsors, find investors, connect with clients, and more. But during my first career transition, my perspective on networking shifted quite drastically.

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I used to put a lot of value in what my connections could do for me professionally – what benefit they brought to my career.

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It wasn’t until I decided to leave Intel and founded Minor Guard that I truly realized the value my network could bring me.

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I had some great sponsors and investors through my network, but I’ll never forget the call I received from Teresa Herd, who was the VP Global Creative Director at Intel at the time, to say how supportive and excited she was for me for this transition to entrepreneurship, and that if I needed anything, to give her a call.

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It seems silly, but that call meant more to me than some of my calls for potential funding opportunities at the time.

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The call made me reflect on my perspective of personal and professional relationships, and the line between the two started to blur.

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I realized that the best professional connections you can have are the ones that treat it like a personal relationship. To get a call from Teresa, especially given her caliber, pouring so much support into her message and saying believed in my vision meant truly so much. It felt like a call from a close friend reminding your they’re there for you through the ups and downs.

I had been looking at networking wrong. I had been networking for my career my entire life, but I needed to be networking for me.

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Building a supportive network was crucial as a woman entrepreneur in the tech industry. Of course, I still dove into my network when I needed advice or certain connections. But it wasn’t until the call from Teresa that I began thinking about my network as people I could turn to when I was in way over my head.

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A big career shift can be stressful. It can be scary. But a good network can be vital in supporting you emotionally.

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When I recently asked Teresa – a 2017 Emmy-Nominee, Ad Age's Creative 50 recipient, and Campaign US Digital 40 Over 40 Marketing Expert – what advice she has for people looking to blow up their career, she said,?

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“There is no one right answer. There is no one path. Just like any part of your career. It’s YOUR career. But if I had to give one piece of advice. Like if I had to, Network.”

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She told me networking is how she built the support she needed to transform her career.

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I challenge you to reflect on your network. What value does your network hold?

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And most importantly, whether you have yet to blow up your career and want to talk it through or you’re in the thick of it and feel just about ready to throw in the towel, do you have people in your network you can turn to for support?

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It’s time to start networking for YOU.

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- Lisa

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P.S. Listen to this?Navigating Forward podcast episode?where I interview Teresa to learn more about her career journey and all things marketing.

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P.P.S. My book Go! – from Fast Company Press and anticipated for release in the fall of 2023 – is written as a guide for women looking to live a more fulfilling and sustainable life. Interested in more on this topic??Get a preview of my book?or?hire me for a keynote!