Networking at 30,000 Feet

In 2009, some of the staff at British Airways wondered what they could do to jumpstart economic recovery. Recognizing the economic power in the hands of small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs), they came up with a bold idea – support SMEs that want to go global. And so, they launched the BA Face to Face (#BAF2F) Face of Opportunity Contest.

As a winner of the 2nd competition, I had the opportunity to meet with over 250 amazing entrepreneurs in NY and London and then travel on to any BA destination worldwide. (Heartfelt thanks, British Airways!)

You can imagine the level of networking that occurred on the ground in NY, at 30,000 feet over the Atlantic and on the ground in London. I know my brain was exercised with Courageous Asks™ and Think & Links™.

What’s a Courageous Ask™? – it’s an unabashed, focused and clear request for assistance. And a Think & Link is asking myself if I can help this person – if so, link them to a resource. If not, think who do I know who can help this person or who do I know who might know someone who can help this person – and then make the link.

Two different networking strategies worked for me over these 3 days:

• Be open to everyone. The most unlikely contact might know someone who can help you succeed. Wyeth Killip of Criteria for Success is one of 13 men who are members of Financial Women Associatio of NY – an organization I hadn’t yet connected with…and at which Poonam Barua of WILL Forum India has spoken. Poonam is one of the women I was going to meet in India.
• Be strategic in seeking out contacts. There were two women I intentionally sought to meet: CJ Scarlet of Roving Coach (a company that takes middle managers from “whining to winning” in 30 minutes) and executive coach Ora Shtull. Together we found multiple ways to support the growth of our respective businesses. For example, they helped me conceptualize a new service line and revenue stream that could in turn help them with offerings to clients.

Whether or not you’re an entrepreneur, you can use these strategies when you attend professional and business meetings. If you are an entrepreneur, keep your eyes open for next year’s contest. You might be networking at 30,000 feet. In the meantime, you’ll find great information on the British Airways Face to Face blog.

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