Five New Ways to Network (That You Won't Dread) (by Patti Sewall)

If you want to groan every time you hear the word “networking,” well, I don’t exactly blame you. The word conjures images of uncomfortable schmooze-fests, where suit-clad business executives work the room, wine glass in hand, feigned interest at the ready. Who would enjoy that?

But guess what? Networking doesn’t have to be that bad—in fact, it shouldn’t be. The goal is to meet new people and expand your professional network, and there’s no reason those activities have to be confined to conferences and industry happy hours.

1. Reinvent the Meet-and-MingleAll it takes is a little imagination, and networking might even be kind of fun. These five ideas will help you get started.

Is there an activity you’ve been wanting to try, or a new skill you’d like to learn? Pick an activity—like taking up golf, learning to make your own wine, joining a book club, or anything else that other stressed-out professionals might do to unwind—and try it out! (Groupon is a great place to look for new ideas.) People in a relaxed, social setting are usually more open to conversation, which makes this the perfect opportunity to open up, ask questions, and build new relationships.

2. Be In With the In Crowd

In nearly every big city, there are at least a few restaurants where the politicos, the PR people, or the state workers like to go to mingle with their own. Even professional chefs have their favorite after-hours haunts. And a little legwork or friendly conversation with a knowledgeable bartender will give you some ideas of the hot spots in your industry. So, pick your place, grab a friend, cozy up to the bar, and strike up a conversation with the person next to you. Putting yourself (literally) next to other people in your field will increase your chances of networking success.

3. Take Up a Cause

Consider volunteering your time where your heart is. Pick a local church, animal sanctuary, or non-profit where you can put in a few hours after work or on a weekend alongside other people in your area. Or, lend your professional expertise to a neighborhood school: Put together a presentation (complete with handouts) about your field for career night, when parents (read: new contacts) are also in attendance.

4. Work It

Fundraisers usually have no trouble finding people who are happy to fork over $200, get dressed up, and enjoy the wine and hors d’oeuvres—what they really need is extra hands. So call your favorite charity and offer to work the registration desk. You’ll get to be there for the entire event, you’ll have a built-in chance to meet and talk with the (often high-profile) attendees, and you won’t have to pay a dime to do so.

5. Reconnect With Your Past

College and high school reunions or alumni events are the hidden gems of the networking world. They offer a room full of people with diverse interests and careers who you already know (or at least, who you have something to talk about with)! So, after you reminisce with your former classmates, club-mates, and sorority sisters, strike up a conversation about their careers, and talk about yours. Your old friends could be (or at least put you in touch with) valuable connections.

Whether you’re looking to leave your dead-end job or just want to connect with people who may lead you to your next career move, face-to-face networking is still one of the best job search tactics out there. And if you’re willing to think outside the box, it might actually be fun, too.

This article was originally published on The Daily Muse.  

About the Author: Patti Sewall is a longtime writer, editor, and foodie who never has less than four kinds of cheese in her fridge at any given moment. After 20 years as a writer for a nonprofit, she is enjoying life as a freelancer, and is combining her love of writing with her joy of cooking and baking on her food blog, http://www.stewedragsandbuttermilk.com. She lives in Northern California with her two rescued golden retrievers.

Original link:  http://www.forbes.com/sites/dailymuse/2012/04/10/5-new-ways-to-network-that-you-wont-dread/

Five Ways To Sharpen Communication Skills

From handling a sales presentation, to resolving conflicts, to running an all-hands-on-deck meeting, the ability to communicate well is paramount for success at work. Clear communication helps one earn the trust and respect of peers, seniors and clients. An employee who recognises one's inadequacies and has the willingness to learn has already taken the first steps to succeed in the process, feel experts. Anumeha Chaturvedi explains.


1 Recognise Your Flaws 
Communication can happen in a variety of ways and could include verbal, nonverbal or written communication. To embark on the process of improvement, one has to recognise one's areas of improvement first. “Is it your body language that is a cause of concern, drafting emails, or articulation. You have to identify the areas where you need to invest time on learning,“ says Puja Kapoor, HR head, Dunnhumby India.


2 Seek Coaches at Work 
Kapoor suggests the 70:20:10 approach for improving communication skills. “While 70 is about on-the-job learning and making use of all the internal opportunities by reading, improving vocabulary, practising during meetings, 20 is about mentors or coaches and 10 is classroom learning through other forums,“ she says. We could all do with a good sounding board at work. This is someone who is good with what you are lacking in and could help you improve.


3 Engage Your Audience 
Marketing manager Sakshi Juneja used to be a bundle of nerves before her presentation meet ings. Through feedback from bosses and peers, she learnt that there was no eye contact be tween her and her audience. Her monologue style did not help matters either. Through regular practice, Juneja worked on building eye-contact and used ways like prompting audience for their views to keep them engaged.

4 Leverage Internal Opportunities 
Most companies run internal trainings programmes. In her previous job at Google, Kapoor was trained on customised communitybased HR-centric programmes linked to her function which dealt with improving her presentation and communication skills. Dunnhumby runs Influencing Top Authority for project managers which deals with managers communicating all project-centric information to top bosses correctly, besides Inspirational Management, a programme for managers for improving feedback skills.


5 Use the Right Words 
Communication and interpersonal skills mattered the most to recruiters according to an opinion poll conducted by market research firm Harris Interactive in the US. Beginning and ending conversations on a positive note, thanking people for their time, and showing appreciation can also help one build rapport with people, feels Juneja.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 13-05-2014)

Five Ways To Lead In Time of Crisis





Leading during crisis is the biggest challenge a leader faces. While the crisis can take several forms -technological changes, a grim macroeconomic scenario, regulatory changes and a company leadership's involvement in unethical practices -the strategy to deal with a crisis has certain thumb rules, explains Shreya Biswas.

1 Bring Back the Trusted Leader Bring back a former successful leader who enjoys the faith and trust of the management and is respected for his leadership and can hit the ground running. They will fire up the company's growth prospects. For instance, Edward Neville Isdell was brought back by Coca Cola, and so was Steve Jobs of Apple and recently, Narayana Murthy was brought back by Infosys,“ says Rajiv Burman, managing partner, Lighthouse Partners.

2 Make a Future Road Map Make employees aware about the present market scenario and the upcoming challenges to inspire confidence and optimism in overcoming difficult situations. “Ensure that the leadership team is competent to lead and implement the above strategy and quickly make the necessary changes,“ says Burman.

3 Take Initiatives to Motivate People In a crisis or downturn when the overall employee morale is low, a leader must launch strategic initiatives to engage the team in positive activities to create synergies. “These initiatives might not be able to solve the situation but would act as a catalyst in infusing positivity and motivation among the employees, to keep them surging forward,“ says Bhavishya Sharma, MD, Athena Executive Search & Consulting.

4 Set Common Targets Align the organisation around common goals and generate a sense of urgency so that plans are implemented quickly. “Create milestones which are celebrated as the company moves along its new path. It will motivate the employees,“ says Sharma. For instance, generate ideas for pushing up bottomlines, bring in cost efficiencies, generate new product lines and services lines, and celebrate each of these when they prove successful.

5 Act as a Shield A leader should act as a shield who absorbs all the conflicts and problems of the world outside to inspire the team in battling a rough situation.
If the leader leads from the front, it will be inculcating confidence, security and strength amongst employees,“ explains Sharma. Teams should look upon the leader, as someone who is there in this downside protecting them from external factors that influence their careers.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 16-05-2014)

Five Ways To Manage One’s Team Efficiently

While different people have different styles of managing, too much micro-management can do more harm than good. Shreya Roy speaks to experts to understand how best to draw the fine line between managing one’s team, and over-managing it.
 
1 Hire the Right People 
It is important to analyse your needs and hire those who meet them instead of hiring people and then figuring where to accommodate them. Creating the team you require will eliminate the need to micro-manage. “A good team is formed when you recognise each individual’s contribution and allow each one to contribute ideas,” says Murali Padmanabhan, senior director & global head of learning & leadership development, Virtusa Corp. 


2 Assign Workloads & Delegate 
The problems start when a manager does not set the expectations right with his team. It is important that both the manager and his team have a qualitative session wherein they discuss goals, approach, workload and the challenges. Let everyone know exactly what they are accountable for. “This will also help them take decisions on their own, motivate them to work and thereby increase the productivity,” adds Padmanabhan. 


3 Embrace Uncertainty 
Managers tend to get overly involved in times when things are not going as per the plan. Understand that there is always a chance that things will be out of yours and your team’s control. “Rigid processes are often responsible for high-order micromanaging. Be prepared for new developments; adopt a positive approach for handling uncertainties,” says Satya D Sinha, chief executive officer, Mancer Consulting. 


4 Trust Your Team to Deliver 
“Be available to guide, support and help them when required. A manager should have the confidence in his or her team to perform well,” says Ronesh Puri, MD, Executive Access. 


5 Value Your Own Time 
A basic management principle is that responsibility without authority fails to create desired impact. Share your experiences but encourage them to take their own decisions. It’s critical to guide the team, but eventually they should be able to take decisions independently without any preconceived notions.

The Economic Times, Mumbai, 06-05-2014

Five Ways To Inspire Your Team Members

At a time when an increasingly impatient generation is joining the workforce, and the rest are grappling with a gloomy economic outlook, a manager’s job has gone far beyond just getting the job done, to inspiring his team to commit, and innovate on a daily basis. Shreya Roy speaks to experts to find about ways to inspire your team. 


1 State the Purpose and Let your Team in on the Vision 
A team can’t function in void, without understanding what they are working towards. Paint the big picture for your team, and show them where their efforts are headed. “An inspiring leader is one who understands how to mobilise people towards a shared goal,” says Shilpa Vaid, senior vicepresident and head- HR, Bharti AXA General Insurance. 


2 Be Authentic and Show Courage 
With changing times, team members are not likely to respect a know-it-all. Managers today are also dealing with a generation that is more inquisitive, unafraid to ask tough questions. “Having humility, accepting what you can and can’t do, is necessary to inspire people around you. The current generation needs to see the real you,” says Vaid. 


3 Recognise and Encourage 
The new workforce has been raised in an environment where parents and schools spend more time in recognising their efforts. “When you walk down to your team members, recognise them for the good work they have done, and do it till it comes naturally to you,” says Mark Driscoll, Human Capital leader, PwC India. 


4 Be Empathetic and Respect Individual Differences 
Understand that not everyone is motivated by the same things. As a leader, it is your responsibility to understand what works for each of your team members. “Don’t be surprised if what works for you does not work for everyone else, and have patience for those who may not be driven by the same ambition as yours,” says Vaid. 


5 Walk the Talk A good leader not only shows the way, but also goes the way. Nothing inspires a team more than seeing an energetic leader who is down in the trenches, performing with the standards that he expects from his team. “Do what you say, and walk the talk,” says Driscoll.