Advice From a Pro

Victoria Waterman, president of Leading Women in Mass is a consummate networker. This morning she sent the following advice out to her local members. I thought you’d appreciate this advice from a real networking pro. First off, her email in and of itself is one example of how she “nurtures her network.” Secondly, it contained practical advice.“In my continuing effort to demonstrate strategic networking and share best practices, I am excited to share some thoughts and observations. Last night, I attended the Worcester Business Journal’s annual 40 Under 40 event where 40 of the best and brightest in the central MA business community were honored. My purpose for attending was to celebrate with Joonu Noel-Coste, one of the honorees whom I nominated. For those of you who know Joonu from Leading Women events or from the community, you know that she is a well deserved recipient as a change agent for promoting peace and helping women, particularly the underserved and emerging entrepreneurs. Last night’s event inspired me to share what I gleaned as “teachable moments”:

1. I would encourage you to “nurture your network” by nominating deserving people from your network for the most appropriate awards. Both the Worcester Business Journal and Boston Business Journal host several award events throughout the year and you can check them out here:
Worcester Business Journal
Boston Business Journal

2. What a great way to strategically network! For example, would you like to meet young adults in central MA who are recognized as leaders in the business community – plus their supporters? If so, you should have been among the 500 attendees last night! It’s not too late to be involved with the BBJ 40 Under 40 event in early October. Check out the calendars for events that are focused in your area of interest. (P.S. The hors’ dourves were unbelievable!)

3. I couldn’t miss this opportunity to share that of the 40 recipients, only 14 were women! I am confident that the selections were made based on the number of nominations that were submitted and clearly the most deserving individuals were honored. However, I have to believe that the proportion of women selected would improve with an increased number of women being nominated. So I would invite you to check out the awards being offered and make the time to think about the women in your network who are most deserving. I can assure you that it is a very rewarding experience – for both you as the nominee and the winner.

4. Finally, the most teachable moment for myself. Never wear 3” heels on 12+ hour days that require a lot of standing!”

I couldn’t have said it better myself!

Network ON!
By Susan Colantuono, CEO and Founder Leading Women and author of No Ceiling, No Walls