We all know that women are naturally better at meeting, greeting people and making acquaintances as they are made of care and passion. Women are better listeners and can be better at counseling. We are naturally programmed to dress and portray ourselves differently as in a crowd full of people every women can be easily described as compared to men. Inspite of all this why is it that we women tend to be less successful in professional networking as compared to the men. Where’s the gap?
The gap lies in the fact that there’s a difference in social networking and strategic networking. I’m sure everyone of us is aware of these terms but do we fully differentiate them practically.
The matter of fact is that we are no doubt amazing at social networking. We are great at meeting and making friends and friends of friends as it requires us to be ourselves that is caring, attentive and passionate.
Strategic networking is when we are required to be more assertive, to-the-point, professionally proficient and well aware of the professional field that we represent.
Begin with the end in mind
To succeed in strategic networking the rule of thumb is to know and understand the outcome you want out of that meeting.
For every strategic networking opportunity you come across give special consideration to the following:
- Analyze the kind of guests at the event
- Explore who do you know would be there.
- Dig about the speakers/chief guests that could be beneficial for you to start a conversation.
- Ask yourself why I want to go and what should I have when I get back?
- Prepare well in advance, if the event will have Q&A session make sure you make yourself standout by asking some intelligent questions.
- Stay attentive when other people introduce themselves during the Q&A or at your table as you could find a potential customer right there if you know what are the business and challenges the person sitting next to you has.
What’s the color of your attitude?
Stand Out with the right color!
Ever since little girls we are taught to be very submissive and polite but believe me we fail in strategic networking by being polite.
You are a smart, intelligent and very professional woman and you know what you are talking about. If you want to portray this character you have to be assertive, be straight forward, be brave enough to ask and most of all be confident to standup to disagree If you believe so.
Stop judging yourself!
Yes, why do we want to be the nice one all the time, why do we want everyone like us?
People will disagree and challenge you sometimes with a reason to clarify and many times just to misbalance your confidence..that’s how the business world works.
So stop judging yourself and be impulsive when you want to make a point. Don’t hesitate to interrupt what you don’t agree to and don’t let people run over your vision cause you are as important as anyone else in that room.
The e-networking
With everything 2.0 around us strategic networking is mostly done through the web. Make sure when you join such network your profile reflects how you want others to see you.
Think about it, give it time and don’t hesitate in mentioning how important your role has been in so many positions. We women tend to be little shy when describing ourselves as it might look very odd but that’s another area where men take a leap. Try going through several profiles of some successful professionals and you would see that men would easily elaborate their roles and skills, they even might state their skills and experience with much exaggeration that helps them to create a bigger picture than actually is but that’s what all of us want.
Take yourself seriously
Even after all these measures there might be instances when you would feel that your opponent isn’t taking you seriously enough. Remember if you want to be taken seriously you have to give yourself all the credits first.
How much we appreciate ourselves is easily viewable on how do we carry ourselves, so at every networking opportunity make sure that your complete attire speaks your attitude and your vision.
I hope this can be useful for all of us and last but not the least let’s support and promote the strong professional women like us everywhere.
Share your thoughts on improving the strategic skills or share your best practices so far.
With love for the Women 3.0 (one step ahead)
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7 comments:
Great blog. You put it out there straight no chaser. I will most definitely continue reading your blog.
Good topic to put to work. More often that it is a practice for an individual to be put to test in the most unusual of the times. When you think you are confident it is more imperative that the other person think of leaping forward. It is in these moments that the women think and go overboard and here is where we need more grit and self control.
Think of the various times you face the same at home and try to analyze the current work situation how you can encompass your space at work and keep your confidence alive.
More often than not, you would notice that men do cover it as mentioned above and when you take the stance you would notice they are bound lose their self control and get side tracked more sooner than you think of.
So keep trying the secret formula of self control and keep your emotions in the best of nature and you are bound to leap forward in ways no man can reach.
Good luck and keep writing.
It is great write up, thought provoking, I am still thinking, What I have been doing 2 years..in blogging,,,,,hmm anyidea, :D
I enjoyed reading it. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for sharing your wonderful insight. I have opened my LinkedIn site often, and wondered, "what now?" I will be passing this on to my personal network, and hope that it helps them too.
Well written, and a very important subject. I am a woman, and i love humans (men and women) since we are all from the same source.
Just that our belives perceptions and understanding of who we are has taken humannity to putting women in second place. Its not God but people who did it.
And we Women are as if victims. why do i say "as if" ?
since we are the ones who educate the kids, we could have changed cultural conceptions many times but we freeze them by teacing the boys - boys ways and girls- girsl ways.
I was lucky enough to grow up in a house wheregirls and boys are equal, and my fathe always pushed me to be the best beleiving that i could do ANYTHING i want in this world.
Lets change the world first within us and our beleives about ourselves and within our families.
seld example to our kids on how woman should be in life, in business and in social interactions.
There is so much to say.... i work on women empowerment with many women and it is a long path.
lets be for each other.
Much love to all my fellow women
wonderful! I'd love to see more awareness of the benefits of building on our social networking the strategic networking. seems like a key concepts for high school students looking at career decision-making, as it is for business women. thanks for taking the lead on this!
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