Leaving my last role was one of the scariest things I’ve done in my professional life.
What would come next? How? When? With whom? Would I be happy? There was only one thing about which I was very sure: that my network, and the connections I’ve made over the years with great humans, would lead me to the right answers.
After a much-needed rest, I dug into a parting gift offered by my company: transition support from
LHH. They offered training, coaching with the fabulous
Janice Anderson, and a way to feel less lonely at what can be a very lonely time.
And this gift kept on giving, when LHH’s lovely
Cathy Mendillo offered a connection with the fascinating
Gary Danoff, who publishes a podcast for the LHH community. If you don’t know Gary, he’s got a long list of credentials that includes
#GenAIStrategy,
#ExecutiveCoaching, and commitments to
#Growth,
#ProfessionalDevelopment, and the
#FutureOfWork. What interested me most is his contagious passion for human connection and networking, a passion we truly share. Naturally, when he asked me to join him on his podcast to talk about it, I couldn’t wait to get started!
A few weeks ago, Gary and I recorded an energizing conversation. If you’re a member of the LHH community, you’ll be able to check out his “Yeah it Happened, What's Next?” podcast soon to hear about my experiences and some advice to strengthen your
#Networking skills (and you’ll learn why this episode is called “No More Job Boards!”). If you aren’t part of that community, I’ll share a couple of themes:
🛜 When reaching out to a new (or existing) contact, lean into gratitude, vulnerability, curiosity, warmth, and authenticity. Using AI to help you get started is a great way to overcome inertia, but being truly ‘you’ (in a professional context, of course) makes you interesting, memorable, and ultimately will increase your success in making genuine human connections that can lead to professional opportunities.
🛜 Keep things simple – you don’t always need to have an agenda or goal when reaching out. A note to let someone know that you were thinking about them and would love to hear how their life and work are going is a very rich deposit in your ‘relationship piggy bank.’
🛜 Don’t forget to tend to that connection over time. Try sharing articles or other links that your network members might find interesting; make time for a quick (live or virtual) coffee; reach out to get their perspective on an emerging issue in their field of expertise. Use your knowledge of that person’s interests, strengths, and experiences to inform bespoke approaches to keeping connections healthy, and reap the benefits.
What approaches do you use to grow and sustain your network? What have you tried that didn’t work so well? I’d love to hear more, and to make a connection with you!
#ReinventionImperative #SharpenYourGenerationalEdge #LHHCareerStudio #Leadership #TalentStrategy #Growth #CLevel #Culture