Successful Women – Are You a Connector?

  • Cleveland, Ohio, United States

Author:  JJ DiGeronimo

Short Description

In a recent CIO article (Great IT Leaders Must Have This Trait)  talking about the traits of Successful Women in the technology world, it mentions the importance of being a connector. When you think about it, it doesn’t matter what your industry; being a connector has value in all walks of life. A friend of […]

In a recent CIO article (Great IT Leaders Must Have This Trait)  talking about the traits of Successful Women in the technology world, it mentions the importance of being a connector.

  1. When you think about it, it doesn’t matter what your industry; being a connector has value in all walks of life.
  2. A friend of mine has a teenage daughter in her final year of high school. She is interested in a job in technology but isn’t sure where to start. Her mother said:

“I have several contacts that have expressed an interested in helping you but you have to make the first move. Over the years, I have grown and nurtured my network and consequently know people that may be able to help you.”

Her daughter was interested but didn’t want a “hand out.”

“I’ve made the initial contact but now you have to build your own connection with these people and then prove yourself worthy of the job.”

Making connections is a lifelong exercise; one in which you never really know how it might help.

One marketing executive works hard on his LinkedIn account. He spends a little time each day sharing articles, sending emails, reaching out to his network and when he found himself unemployed a few years ago, it was his connection that led him to several opportunities which led to his next career move.

Being a great connector is important within your current role as well and hopefully, you work in a company that supports and encourages cross-department work.

Successful Women – Are You a Connector?

For some, reaching out to connect to people you don’t know may be outside your comfort zone. The CIO article offers some advice in that instance:

Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
The first challenge that you will likely have when it comes to becoming a great connector is that your world is too small. Face it, IT professionals tend to only spend time with others in our industry. Perhaps on a social level, your reach is broader, but there’s a good chance that you rarely connect your two worlds. However, to create the Medici Effect, you need to bring together people of different disciplines, cultures and perspectives.

It means that you need to get out of your comfort zone and find people whose backgrounds are different than your own! Perhaps that involves going to a financial industry networking event. Or perhaps you can attend a gallery reception (you know, with art and stuff!). Or you can attend a local Chamber of Commerce event. Whatever it is, just make sure that you are purposefully putting yourself in a situation where you will meet people who look at the world differently than you do. 

Psych Central talks about how to make great connections at work and of their 6 tips, the first two apply whether you are seeking a job, looking for prospects or just want to expand your network:

      1. Attend an industry convention or networking meeting with a plan. Review the presenters ahead of time and map out who you’d like to meet.  Prepare a few sentences about their accomplishments or interests and why you want to meet them.
      2. Ask questions. It can be intimidating to approach others, but most people like to talk about themselves.  Asking questions can prompt a genuine discussion.

Would you consider yourself a connector? If not, what is holding you back? Opportunity? Shyness? How to?

Observe the people you work with; who do you already know that is a great connector? Consider taking them out to lunch and ask them how they do it. They will be able to offer you some great advice and may even have suggestions as to a few people you might meet.

As always, keep your LinkedIn profile update – whether you are looking for a job or not – it is a great place to meet and connect with business leaders around the country.

Contact Us at WeSpeak Global and follow us on Twitter

Author Profile

The articles, video and images embedded on these pages are from various speakers and talent.

These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by WeSpeak Global.

Similar to Successful Women – Are You a Connector?

Joshua M Evans

What do you do if you hate your job? You have three options: you can stay and suffer, you can look for a new job, or you can change the way you view your work. The best choice is to focus on yourself and what makes you happy. This way, even if you’re still at […]

  • Author: Joshua M Evans
Hanli Prinsloo - Comfortably Uncomfortable - Hanli Prinsloo Cape Town

Killing Fish – A freedivers take on spearfishing from Hanli Prinsloo who is an inspirational and motivational sustainability keynote speaker in Cape Town. ‘STRAIGHT SHOOTER’ (First published in DIVESITE Issue 3, 2011 with photographs by Roger Horrocks, Jean Marie Ghislain and Jean Treason – please read updated thoughts at bottom of article.) It was a choppy […]

  • Author: Hanli Prinsloo
WS Logo 512

What many people don’t realize is that they can actually Make Your Own Luck, by changing their beliefs about themselves and what will happen in their lives. This sounds absurd, but it makes a lot of sense once you understand the logic behind it all. People tend to think that luck is something that is out […]

  • Author: WeSpeak Global
WS Logo 512

Unfolding everywhere around us to Disrupt or die as Duncan Wardle was featured in an article and video on NBR a couple years back. I made a prediction then, and we’re already seeing evidence of that prediction Duncan Wardle likes the Walt Disney quote: “It’s kinda fun to do the impossible.” He knows more than […]

  • Author: Duncan Wardle
Sean Swarner

Some people see the glass as half full, others see it as half empty, but I just gulp it down and ask for more Optimistic During Setbacks. Life is a smorgasbord, and even though some servings are tough to swallow, you need to power through it in order to enjoy dessert. Enough with the food […]

  • Author: Sean Swarner
Sterling Hawkins | Predictable Results

#NoMatterWhat is a system to get results regardless of outside circumstances. A set of 5 practices to create transformational growth for people, organizations and companies. The world is more uncertain and more unpredictable than ever. We have a pandemic, civil unrest, tech disruption, misinformation and still brutal competition and more customer, community and family demands […]

  • Author: Sterling Hawkins
Kim Lear

While The Future of Optimization has permeated our culture at large, it is Gen Z that has grown up in era when technology has enabled them to optimize everything from their sleep and their workouts to their study habits and even their intellect. Last year, I interviewed executives who work in the vitamin division of […]

  • Author: Kim Lear
Tony Leon - leaders must stop

Punch-drunk public runs out of faith in its leaders, article written by Tony Leon who is a Political Commentator in South Africa. Cascading corruption, sky-high unemployment, and state incompetence. This daily diet of misery is now so mundane and common that what once induced shock and outrage in us is shrugged off. We have, as […]

  • Author: Tony Leon

© All rights reserved 2024. Created using VOXEL THEME

1902 Wright Place, Carlsbad, CA, 92008