5 steps to your best business networking

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the art of networking

For lots of people, business networking ranks up there with public speaking – it can feel uncomfortable. After all, to do it right, you’ve got to engage with a roomful of people you don’t know.

But what if there were some simple steps you could take to create an enjoyable and successful networking experience? There are and here is how you can do it:

Take the focus off of you.
Leave any insecurities you have about yourself being accepted at the door. Go in there focused on “getting to meet” the people in the room and you’ll forget about yourself. This little attitude adjustment will be the key to opening the door to conversations.

Look for opportunities to engage in conversation.
When you canvas the room, look for people standing alone or in small groups who are all facing forward. These are the easiest to approach and any one standing alone will appreciate your engagement.

Ask about them and what they do.
Introduce yourself with a firm handshake and a warm smile. Ask them about their work and what they do. Then share what it is you do and a little about yourself. With every person I meet, my world gets a little bigger and I get a little smarter.

Move about the cabin.
Make it your goal to meet people. After all, that’s the whole point of networking. Stay standing and get walking. I’ve witnessed people, including new business owners anxious to meet new prospects who never left their spot all evening. It’s only going to happen if you make it happen.

Converse, don’t sell.
This isn’t the place to make the sell. It’s the place to make the connection that could lead to the sell. While you’re talking, infuse your personality, but always speak professionally and with sincerity. Yesterday, at a networking event I met Joe, a business development manager. It turns out that he raises Thoroughbred horses on a ranch in Arizona. Our conversation was entertaining and memorable.

Follow up.
You’ve got their business card and they have yours. Be sure to follow-up within 48 hours with a phone call or email. Let them know how good it was to meet them and request a meeting to continue the conversation.

Networking is an art. It’s the kind of social engagement that creates lasting and successful relationships. Your future business associates and friends are waiting. Now it’s time to get out there and meet them!

The best motherly advice from 10 mall shoppers

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Wilma Flinstone

This Mother’s Day, I was in search of people willing to share the best motherly advice they received. I knew the best place to talk to people who had moms on their mind this weekend was at the mall. So I went shopping.

From the J.C. Penney’s handbag department, to the food court, to a bench outside of Macy’s, I met 10 shoppers, ages 21 to 92, who were happy to open up and candidly share some serious and sometimes humorous motherly advice. Here’s what they told me that their mothers told them:

Do the best you can. I can accept it as long as I know you did your best. “My mother gave me the motivation to be my best.” – Esther, age 85

No matter how many times you do it, you’ll get caught! “I knew I couldn’t get away with things. My mom kept me in line.” – Caleb, age 22

Be kind to your kids. They’ll pick your nursing home! (laughter) – Sharon, age 64

Keep your mouth shut and listen to what people say. “…and so I did!” – Dennis, age 65

Don’t give up. “That advice helped me many times, especially when I was trying to teach myself to swim and kept sinking. I didn’t give up and I learned to swim.” – Matthew, age 25

If you expect life to be fair, you’ll be very disappointed. But in life, make sure you are fair. “This made me look at other people through their eyes to see the situation from their perspective.” – Linda, age 62

You can achieve anything you want. “It’s the reason I’m graduating from college and heading to law school in the fall.” – Nicole, age 21

Allow enough time to be on time.“I would always just make it in time to places I had to be. I’m still working at it, but I’m more mindful that there’s a better way (to manage my time)”. – Carol, age 64

It wasn’t what my mom said, it was her example. “My parents were married for 50 years. They never did anything without telling the other one first. It was this respect that they had for each other that taught me how to be. And it’s the reason my own marriage has now lasted 50 years.” – Betty, age 67

It wasn’t what my mom said, it was what she did with my money! “I worked in a factory. My mother used to keep my money. That’s why I got married, so I could keep my money! And I stayed married for 69 years!” – Bill, age 92.

Motherly advice has been around since the Stone Age. It’s what makes us wiser. I hope you’ve enjoyed these nuggets of wisdom!

5 things my mom taught me

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mom

The best way to remember my mother, Mary Ann Ruggieri, on this 20th anniversary of her passing is to reflect on what she taught me. It wasn’t so much what she said. It was her example that made such an indelible impression on me.

Be kind. She was not only a kind and caring nurse at the local hospital, she was a nurse to all the kids in the neighborhood. We had the corner house and at ¾ acre, our yard was big enough to play baseball, football, and just to play. So when one of the kids would fall while rounding second base, which was an embedded rock in the yard, my mom was there to apply first aid.

Be respectful. “Your grandparents are coming over. I want you all to be on your best behavior,” she’d say. And if that didn’t work, “a look”, was all it took to put us back in line. We respected her and we respected our grandparents. More than anything, I didn’t want to disappoint my mother.

Be selfless. When my grandparents were aging, and all but a couple of us kids were still at home, my mom chose to move us into their house. We packed up and downsized. It wasn’t easy for me to leave our home, but I came to realize that it was a very selfless thing for her to do. A few years later, at the age of 23, when I was recovering from emergency surgery, I woke up to discover my mom had sat by my hospital bed all night long.

Be educated. At the age of 36, she had been left to raise five young children after my father lost his battle with cancer. My mother returned to work as a nurse and became specialized in critical care nursing. Because she had gotten an education, she was able to provide for her family. So continuing our education after high school wasn’t even questioned. All five of my brothers and sisters received post-secondary degrees.

Believe. My mom always told us that we could be anything we wanted to be. She taught us to believe in ourselves and to believe in God. Our faith was part of our family and the very thing that sustained us in her struggle with cancer at the age of 55.

I never heard my mother speak an unkind word about anyone. And I never heard her complain. In fact, it was what she didn’t say that taught me how to be. My mom was as beautiful as she was caring. She was a true lady in every sense of the word.

She was simply – the most kind, respectful, selfless, and faith-filled woman I ever knew. And all I ever wanted to be, was to be like her.

5 important lessons learned on a tour of Google Pittsburgh

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Google PhotoLast week, I took a group of high school students on a tour of Google Pittsburgh. The company is a sponsor of the non-profit I work for, The Challenge Program, Inc. It was my goal to give these students an experience that would change their perception of the workplace and their role in it.

There’s probably no better place to do that than at Google.

The lessons we learned along the tour made it easy to understand why Google made the #1 spot on Fortune Magazine’s list of Best Companies to Work for in 2012.

It’s all about teamwork – No matter how smart a software engineer or another employee is, they don’t work alone. At Google, it takes multiple skill sets to create internet products and services. The workplace environment is built with that in mind. Instead of closed cubicles, you’ll find open pod spaces and lots of other creative and collaborative spaces. Places where employees can be alone and most especially, where they can work together.

Communicate openly and respectfully – If Google employees don’t agree with someone’s idea, they say so, but they also explain why they don’t agree. It’s not only respectful, but that kind employee engagement could lead to a better solution.

Get away from the desk – Often times, this is when the best ideas come. Google Pittsburgh’s work spaces offer ample freedom to move about the cabin – including an area for video games and foosball; a music suite complete with guitars and a drum set; a library outfitted in over-sized brown leather couches; and a giant, yellow hammock hung high and decked with colorful pillows.

Make time to learn new things – Employees get to spend 20% of their work week exploring other areas of interest unrelated to their current project. Google Art Project, an online platform that enables uses to take a virtual tour of world-wide museum galleries, was born from the company’s 20 Percent Time. What could you create if you devoted 20% of your week to learning something new?

Reward employees well - Google did the research on what makes employees happy and designed benefits to keep them that way. After all, happy employees stick around. Benefits include five months paid leave for new mothers; fully stocked kitchen pantries and an onsite chef; an exercise room; message rooms; and the benefit that got the most “ah’s” on the tour, Rufus – the freedom to bring your dog to work.

To think outside of the box, you need to get outside of the box. These eight high school students, all from Geibel Catholic Jr/Sr High School in Connellsville, PA, did and discovered that they, and their future workplaces, can be anything they imagine.

The Heroes of Boston

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Image

Emerging from the chaos and smoke at the Boston Marathon were profound images of people rushing to the aid of victims. In a split second – runners, bystanders, race volunteers and first responders became rescuers – and heroes.

What is it that people possess that compels them to run towards danger to save another person’s life.

I’ve thought a lot about it this week. I believe at the core is that a person’s heart is so filled with love and compassion, that caring turns into courage. Maybe it also has something to do with being selfless.

Whatever it is, peace activist Carlos Arrendondo has it.

Carlos was the man in the cowboy hat that we saw holding an American flag. He was at the Boston Marathon to cheer on a group of military service members who were running as a memorial to fallen soldiers. His son, Alex, was one of those fallen soldiers and his heart was heavy not only with grief for Alex, but also for his other son, Brian, who two years ago had taken his own life.

By now, we know the story of Carlos and how he pushed his way through barriers and fencing to get to the victims. An American Red Cross volunteer, he knew what to do.

The most telling photo was that of him and others aiding 27 year old victim, Jeff Bauman. Carlos spotted a piece of cloth on the ground and used it as a tourniquet. Then with his own bare hands he kept pressure on the wounds, talking to Jeff to keep his focus away from his horrific injury as they wheeled him to a nearby ambulance.

This is the kind of bravery that makes a hero. And there were many heroes that day – including runners who had just completed the 26 mile course. They didn’t know what would happen next. But they sprang into action to help save lives.

Fred Rogers once said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”

We found them. And it is these images that have the power to transform and to heal us.

 

Water Cooler Lessons: Care about everything you do

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Care

Long before Paul Ruggieri became a 21 time Emmy Award winning television photojournalist, he was a high school student on a mission.

“A teacher, Mr. Orlando, put a camera in my hand and asked me to take photos for the yearbook. That’s when I discovered a path to a career. I started thinking about how great it would be if I could put my photography into motion,” he said.

So when a local cable company was looking for volunteers to run camera during a charity telethon, Paul jumped at the chance.

At 16 years old, he was so glad to be operating a television camera that he did so for 18 straight hours.  Bill Corbett, the manager of the cable office took notice of Paul’s work ethic and offered him a part-time maintenance job.

Then Bill became a mentor.

“He taught me that no matter how insignificant the job may seem, it’s important to do it perfectly. So whether I was sweeping floors, taking inventory, or doing odd jobs, I paid attention to every detail. Bill taught me to care about everything I do,” said Paul.

Today, he puts that lesson into practice as a television photojournalist for WQED, a PBS affiliate. So whether he’s filming on location or wrapping up the electrical cords after the shoot, Paul does so with great care.

Even when it would be easier to take short cuts, as it would have been on one bitter cold December day in Poland, Paul wouldn’t think of it.

He explained, “We were shooting a documentary on the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp. There were three survivors and 40 teachers from the Pittsburgh area with us. This would become an educational tool and a historical record about the Holocaust.

Our crew spent much of the day getting exterior shots of the barracks and grounds in a relentless, driving rain. The producer was doing his best to hold the umbrella over me and the camera, but the lens kept getting wet.

It went something like this.

I’d shoot a scene… rain would fall on the lens,…we’d stop…the producer would dry it off… I’d shoot some more, and this went on and on. All the while a cold pouring rain was dripping from the umbrella onto my back. Since it was raining, I could have gotten away with some drops of water on the lens, but I wanted every single shot to be picture perfect.”

And it was.

The documentary, From Pittsburgh to Poland: Lessons from the Holocaust was the winner of four Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards; the Gabriel Award for Outstanding News/Informational Documentary; the Edward R. Murrow Award for Outstanding News Documentary; and the Western Pennsylvania Press Club’s Golden Quill Award for Outstanding Videography.

The lesson Paul learned from his mentor, Bill, as a teenager has remained with him.

He said, “I want every new project I do to be better than the last. I never rest until it’s the best that it can be”.

Water Cooler Lessons: Mentoring Matters

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Mentoring Matters

Learning the ropes as a college freshman, Ryan discovered one sure thing – having a mentor could make all the difference.

“I had just started school when my finance professor sat me down and showed me the resumes of seniors. He told me that by the time I was a senior, my resume should look like theirs.”

Their resumes were filled with related internship and work experience the seniors had acquired during their four years. The lesson Ryan took away was that that how he spent his summers could determine his future job prospects.

“He told me, ‘Everyone has good grades. It will be your leadership and work experience that will set you apart after graduation.’

So, over the next four years Ryan served in student government and landed three internships – one with a technology firm, another with a hospital system, and the third, a two-year stint with a management consulting office located on campus.

A few months before graduation, Ryan applied for a college new-hire position with a global company. The competition was tough with 750 other applicants. When the search was narrowed down, and the round of interviews completed, he found himself as the number one pick for the job. The company wanted a college graduate with relevant experience and, because Ryan listened to his professor’s advice, he was hired.

On the job, he continues to seek mentorship.

“I look for people who have received promotions and are well respected across the organization. They can help introduce you to others, provide you with insight into the company culture, and show you how things really get done.

A mentor, he said, can see the bigger picture and show you options for advancement that you might not be able to see on your own.

“In talking with a manager, I discovered that I might like to work in store operations, but didn’t know how to get from here to there. I was encouraged to build a broad base of successful experiences. He told me that having several different roles will keep me just out of my comfort zone, allowing me to constantly learn and grow.”

Now, Ryan seeks to be a mentor to the new college hires. He knows where they’ve been and he knows how far they can go – if they just have someone who is willing to show them the way.