Networking can seem daunting at first glance, but when you look at it it’s just a group of people getting together to get to know each other and share about themselves. When you change your view of networking in this way, it becomes much easier to approach it as a group of like minded individuals and potential friends making connections, which is exactly what networking should be. Rather than sitting in a corner and pretending to check your texts, put yourself out there and give chatting to your neighbor a try!
When I started my women’s networking group, Leading Ladies of Columbia Valley on April 4th, the 8 lovely ladies that attended shared stories and talked over refreshments. That’s another crucial part of networking, by the way. Don’t be afraid to grab a drink and loosen up. When you show interest in others and their lives they will be just as interested in you and yours. It shouldn’t be a constant barrage of one way questions, but rather an exchange of tips, tales and sometimes advice.
These meetups are vital to a functional business. First and foremost it’s important for employees to get to know each other and to have a genuine connection. This will make teamwork much easier. Employees who might have felt nervous about seeking help or not sure how to tackle a project will now have their pick of who to contact to get it right. Happy employees are productive employees as well, and when employees feel as if they’re not missing out on a social life by being at work they will be less likely to dread coming to work and also less likely to bring down morale.
All in all more businesses should take advantage of networking not only to increase their employees happiness but also to make their business run smoothly and more effective.
Our Leading Ladies Networking meetups will start back up in September after the busy summer season is over. In the meantime there is a Facebook Group you can join to stay in touch: https://www.facebook.com/groups/leadingladiescolumbiavalley
