This past weekend I felt like a superhero! I had the opportunity to have dinner with a broadcasting celebrity from my hometown, Valerie Coleman Morris. Valerie is a former correspondent with CNN, reporter with KRON-TV, and longtime anchor for KGO-TV in San Francisco. If that wasn’t enough, both Valerie and I were keynote speakers at the 8th annual Women in Business Summit (WIB Summit), which was hosted by the amazing Kisha Zullo, her advisory team and their generous sponsors, including The Travelers Companies and Prudential Retirement.
Seeing the connections
During dinner the night before the conference, a networking connection came to mind and I suggested it to Valerie. She was open to the introduction and shared more details on how she might be able to help my friend, Karen Hinds, who is hosting a women’s conference in the Caribbean next month.
Acting on the connections
In the morning before I drove to the WIB Summit, I sent out a quick introductory email to both Valerie and Karen. When I got to the conference, Valerie shared with me that both she and Karen had acted upon my introduction and had already set a date/time for a networking call after the conference. That all took place before breakfast!
Valerie said to me with great enthusiasm, “You initiate. That’s a real strength. So many women network and make connections, but fail to initiate like you do. To initiate is to ensure that opportunity is created from networking.”
I knew at that moment that I had my networking tip for this week.
Definition of INITIATE
Are you a networking self-starter?
I always have thought of my efforts to connect people to be acts of follow up. When I mention a connection or offer to link people up, I feel obligated to follow through. I am very mindful of the dangers of dropping the ball and not being true to my word. Consider it networking integrity. Sometimes, though, people have to remind me. I appreciate a gentle but timely nudging.
Common obstacles that prevent networking initiative
What stops you from having more networking initiative? Review the list of ten common excuses that I have heard when coaching/training people on networking skills, confidence and savvy.
- Not enough time in the day;
- Disorganization and/or too many distractions;
- Your contact database is incomplete or not easily accessed;
- Lack of confidence. You don’t know your own value and that of your network;
- Forgetting who you know and who’s in your network;
- Thinking only of yourself and what you need when you network;
- Being nervous and unable to access your mental Rolodex during networking conversations;
- Unsure about protocol when connecting other people;
- Forgetfulness;
- Unsure of the return on investment from networking.
Still not convinced?
Read a few of these quotes from accomplished leaders about the value of individual initiative.
“Initiative is doing the right things without being told” –Elbert Hubbard, American editor, publisher and writer (1856-1915)
“Time is neutral and does not change things. With courage and initiative, leaders change things.” – Jessie Jackson, American Civil-Rights Leader, Baptist Minister and Politician (born 1941)
“Nothing happens until something moves.” – Albert Einstein, German born American Physicist, 1921 Nobel Prize for Physics (1879-1955)
“Things may come to those who wait, but only things left by those who hustle.”— attributed to Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States (1809-1865)
“Everything you want is just outside your comfort zone.”— Robert Allen, Canadian-American business man (born 1948)
Your Networking Goal for the Week
