For the past 5 years, I have been honing my networking skills with a lot of practice. Recently, using all the techniques I’ve learnt, I found myself in the right place at the right time for an amazing opportunity!
Earlier this year, I was delighted to be invited by Women on Boards to join the Margaret Jackson WOBSX Syndicate, a director-led peer-to-peer mentoring program for women seeking ASX roles. Chaired by David Rennick, the introductory syndicate session was an extraordinary start to an amazing line-up of governance professionals who will be speaking to us over the course of 2020.
At this first session, I had the great fortune of e-meeting Kerry Gleeson FAICD (physical distancing measures precluded us from meeting in person). And one of the tips Kerry provided to our group of high-achieving women was that networking is key to finding and securing high level board roles.
Kerry's rule of thumb is that it takes 500 coffees to connect with the people who will introduce you to the right people who can open the pathway to the opportunity you're looking for.
It’s a well-known fact that successful networking takes commitment
Whether you call it 500 coffees, a conversation a week or attending one networking event per month, the fact is if you’re going to succeed in networking, you need to put in the effort.
As part of the Senior Executive MBA Program at Melbourne Business School, I was provided career advice from experienced executive coach and recruitment specialist, Kelly McGowan. I will be forever in Kelly’s debt for her frank advice that my best approach to finding an executive-level role would be through networking.
She pointed out that, because of my ‘eclectic’ and non-linear career path, I was unlikely to make it through the first cut in the recruitment process. By networking, people would get to know me and gain an appreciation for the value my breadth of experience could add. So, on this advice, I ramped-up my networking efforts and decided to rely less on submitting job applications.
Ask for introductions to build your network
The other thing I am eternally grateful to Kelly for is her generosity in introducing me to a number of her connections that she felt could help me or point me in the right direction. Using her introductions I began meeting with a bunch of incredibly interesting, helpful and supportive people and building an impressive network. I keep in contact with many of these people and will be sure to repay the favours they bestowed on me if I ever have the opportunity to do so.
From Kelly’s contacts, I was provided connections to relevant people in their networks. Given my interest in technology and the startup scene I was introduced to founders, industry experts, consultants, recruiters and VC firms. And, by continuing to reach out to these people following our meetings, I was able to keep myself top-of-mind within this ever-expanding network.
To be successful in networking, you need to commit time and effort to building a strong network of relevant people. And you also need to commit time and effort into nurturing it. It’s great to connect with amazing people but if they forget you, forget who you are or what you stand for then it will have been a waste of time getting the connection.
Opportunities come from your 2nd or 3rd level connections
Our WOBSX Syndicate Chair, David, commented that the magic of networking is that it works like a ripple effect on a pond, even if you don’t realise it’s working. If you put in the effort to grow and nurture your 1st level connections and ensure you remain ‘current’, your colleagues will recommend you without you knowing about it. It’s these behind the scenes recommendations that lead to opportunities ‘falling into your lap’.
When I was enjoying some well-deserved R&R in Darwin following my SEMBA graduation, I received a random email from Kelly about an ‘Interesting COO Role‘ that a recruiter had sent through to Melbourne Business School’s Careers team. This was my first experience of getting an interview without actually submitting an application and it was a much less stressful process!
Be clear about what you’re looking for and what your value add is and don’t be shy about reminding your network who you are. Ping them periodically to let them know where you’re at, either with a public post or with a phone call, email or private message. If your network is aware that you’re actively looking for something, they’re more likely to think of you and recommend you when they hear about an opportunity.
Authenticity is non-negotiable
I recently read an article by Tim Denning about the mistakes he made networking on LinkedIn. This is an incredibly honest and personal insight into how an inauthentic approach can get you into trouble. As I read his article, I cringed for Tim and was surprised that he didn’t have the emotional intelligence at the time to moderate his behaviour. Evidently, this is an area of his personal development he has now succeeded in addressing. Kudos, Tim.
Tim’s lessons are not only relevant in a social media context, they are relevant for networking in general. Tim says his first mistake was to post ‘success porn’ and he also talks about his misguided attempt at personal branding and pointless bragging.
In networking, you do need to be confident in your value add and that involves being assertive about what you can bring to the table. But it doesn’t mean you should big-note yourself, it’s about what you can offer that is of value others.
And your personal brand should be built around the legitimate value you bring, not simply pitching yourself as “the high and mighty expert“. Tim says: “You don’t need a brand. Be yourself instead.” He’s right but you can do both if you approach personal branding in an authentic way.
Reciprocity is important
In our WOBSX session with Kerry, she mentioned that it is important to reciprocate with your network. Try to give as much as you receive. For someone new to networking, this may not be possible so the next best approach is to ‘pay it forward’.
In fact, it’s this aspect of networking that I love the most. I get a real kick out of identifying people who should connect with each other. It is incredibly satisfying to feel the gratitude when you introduce someone to a missing link that helps them progress their cause. And I can guarantee that, even if those people never have an opportunity to reciprocate, Karma will see to it that I am rewarded.
Quality trumps quantity
This tip speaks to the idea of authenticity. There is no point having ‘500+ connections’ on LinkedIn if you have no idea who most of them are or why you are connected with them. I have 683 connections and I can guarantee I know every one of them. I may not have met all of them personally but if I had a reason to reach out to them, I am confident I could speak to our connection to create an immediate rapport.
If you don’t need 683 contacts and can achieve the success in your career you desire with just a fraction of that number, then do it. Take the time and effort to identify quality connections. Meeting people in person at networking events is obviously a better way to create initial rapport and learn about your connections but online can work too, if you approach it authentically.
And, be confident in rejecting connection requests from people you don’t know, unless there’s a good reason to connect. Don’t waste yours or anyone else’s time connecting with people who are unlikely to be of assistance to you or you to them.
How I landed my latest gig through networking
When Kerry mentioned it takes ‘500 coffees‘ I panicked. But then, on reflection, I realised that I am well on the way to 500 coffees given I’ve been actively networking since 2014. And of course it’s not an exact science, it’s just a matter of getting yourself ‘out there’ so that the universe can see you.
When my role was made redundant back in March, I knew I’d have to turbo charge my networking efforts. And, as I describe in one of my earlier articles, a chance encounter crystallised my aspirations to learn more and get involved in the robotics industry.
So, putting all my networking skills into action, I joined a few robotics meetups and networks and introduced myself to the organisers. I realised pretty quickly that I was connecting with some significant players in the industry. I made sure I let my new contacts know that I’d met and been inspired by Dr Sue Keay at the Women in Tech conference in November 2019. This helped create rapport and demonstrate my legitimate interest in getting involved.
I did a lot of research into the industry and discovered that a public consultation was just beginning, in relation to the Robotics Roadmap for Australia v2. So, I registered for a few of the workshop sessions and introduced myself to the organising committee members, offering my assistance to help the consultation or reporting process in anyway I could. In doing this, I discovered my network connections were converging and I was fast building a very high-profile network of industry heavyweights.
Then, one chilly Sunday evening sitting in front of the open fire with a glass of red in hand, I was listening to Sue on a Queensland Robotics Cluster Podcast. She mentioned that there were moves afoot to create a national robotics network and that they were in the process of looking into how to incorporate such an entity.
That was my cue. I had connected with Sue on LinkedIn following the Women in Tech conference and I got her email address from her profile. The subject line of my email to her read: “Robotics Australia Network incorporation” and I asked “if I can be of any assistance in this process?” Three days later I had an email from Sharna Glover advising me she had “taken the action to fill the position of the Company Secretary for the recently incorporated Robotics Australia Group.”
Sharna and I met via videoconference the following day and by Friday that week had I received an email from Sharna with the subject line: “Welcome Aboard!!“. At it’s first official Board meeting, the Board had supported the recommendation to appoint me. Paperwork ensued and as of today, 15 June 2020, my appointment is official (yay!).
I am so proud of myself! Sure, it’s a pro-bono role but I have proven to myself that all the networking techniques I’ve been taught do actually work! And all the practice I’ve had since starting my networking journey in 2014 has finally paid off (well, not from a monetary perspective but you know what I mean) … Now to find a full-time gig with a salary – my networking journey continues in earnest!
What’s your networking success story? I’d love to hear about it, so Contact me to share your experiences.