Networking 101 - Make Small Promises and Keep Them

The ability to network successfully can be one of the greatest assets in business. It allows some people to find incredible opportunities, while others just watch from the sidelines. Effective networking isn't a result of luck -- it requires hard work and persistence. What does it take to be a super networker? Make small promises and keep them. No matter how small a promise you make -- such as sending an email or returning a phone call -- delivering on that promise reflects on your character. By following through on your word, you start building a reputation for trustworthiness, which is exactly how every great networker wants to be perceived. (Excerpt from Lewis Howes, November 2012.)

Networking 101 - Keep A List

The ability to network successfully can be one of the greatest assets in business. It allows some people to find incredible opportunities, while others just watch from the sidelines. Effective networking isn't a result of luck -- it requires hard work and persistence. What does it take to be a super networker? We will share some tips to make networking work for you. Keep a list. What's your routine after attending a networking event or meal? If your answer is, "I go home," you're probably going to miss out on opportunities. Write down important topics that came up at the event. This habit can help prevent opportunities from falling through the cracks and give you something to reference in conversation the next time you meet. You can also develop a reputation as someone who's on top of things. (excerpt from Lewis Howes/Nov. 2012).

Networking 101 - Share a Memorable Fact

The ability to network successfully can be one of the greatest assets in business. It allows some people to find incredible opportunities, while others just watch from the sidelines. Effective networking isn't a result of luck -- it requires hard work and persistence. What does it take to be a super networker? This month we will discuss the top habits that will make you an effective networker. Share a memorable fact. When someone asks, "What do you do?" don't give a canned elevator speech about your company and career. Mention something personal that defines who you really are. Maybe you have a passion for playing an instrument or an obsession with collecting antiques. These are also "things you do," so make it a point to share them. Such personal details can help lighten the mood and get people talking. (excerpt from Lewis Howes/Nov. 2012)

Networking 101 - Learn Their Story

The ability to network successfully can be one of the greatest assets in business. It allows some people to find incredible opportunities, while others just watch from the sidelines. Effective networking isn't a result of luck -- it requires hard work and persistence. What does it take to be a super networker? This month we will discuss the top habits that will make you an effective networker. Learn their 'story' Ask successful entrepreneurs to tell you how they got where they are. Most people think of this as an exercise in rapport building, but hearing these stories can tell you a lot about a person's approach to business. The more you understand your networking partner's mentality, the better you can add and extract value from your relationship. For example, some entrepreneurs pride themselves on working 16-hour days and doing whatever it takes, while others focus on being strategic and waiting for the right opportunities to open up. These are clues that can not only allow you to see what people value, but also what working with them might be like. (excerpt from Lewis Howes/Nov. 2012)

Networking 101 - Add Value

The ability to network successfully can be one of the greatest assets in business. It allows some people to find incredible opportunities, while others just watch from the sidelines. Effective networking isn't a result of luck -- it requires hard work and persistence. What does it take to be a super networker? This month we will discuss the top habits that will make you an effective networker. Add value. One of the most powerful networking practices is to provide immediate value to a new connection. This means the moment you identify a way to help someone, take action. If, for instance, you know someone in your network who can help a new connection with a problem, drop what you're doing and introduce the two individuals. (excerpt from Lewis Howes, Nov. 2012)

Networking 101 - Insightful Questions

The ability to network successfully can be one of the greatest assets in business. It allows some people to find incredible opportunities, while others just watch from the sidelines. Effective networking isn't a result of luck -- it requires hard work and persistence. What does it take to be a super networker? This month we will discuss the top habits that will make you an effective networker. Ask insightful questions Before attending networking events, get the names of the people who are expected to attend and search social media sites like LinkedIn to figure out which topics they're probably most interested in. For people who are already in your network, don't assume you know everything they're up to. Find out what they're currently working on -- or perhaps struggling with. This attention to detail can go a long way at your next one-on-one lunch or dinner meeting. (excerpt from Lewis Howes, Nov. 2012)

How To Work Effectively with Workaholic Bosses

Many people have bosses that are permanently glued to their desk chairs. These bosses are there when you get to work and there when you leave. So how do you ever go home without looking like a slacker? This is quite a challenge. You defintely should not sneak out and hope to avoid an awkward encounter. You should also avoid "faking it" by throwing your over coat on your chair like you just stepped away but you have really left. That could waste colleague's time if they are looking for you. An employee's first priority should be conveying that you are working hard and that you are good at your job. This requires communicating clearly and frequently about your progress and results. If you deliver what the boss needs consistently, then hours should not be a problem. Even if you do not consistently match your boss's long hours every night, it is important to work late during crises or when a major project deadline is looming. Further, extra hours at night may gain more recognition than extra hours at dawn in an empty office. Also it is important to understand what assumptions you are making about what your boss wants. If he is a morning person, he may just work better in the morning hours and not really expect the same from you. Additionally, generational gaps in the work force (often between bosses and their subordinates) exist and "face time" is certainly a phenomena that baby boomers value as opposed to Gen Y'rs who can work on their phones from anywhere on the globe. Nonetheless, great boss/employee relationships are all about setting expectations and finding what works for you both while still getting all your work done.

The Value of Office Disrupters

I found this article in the Wall Street Journal. I think this insight gives us hopeful ways to find the positive aspects of those ever so annoying co-workers we all have (just make sure you know which one of these you may be too!) Wall Street Journal (February 14, 2014) [By Peggy Drexler] James liked his job in the admissions office of a large university. It was interesting, decently paid, useful work, he told me at the holiday gathering where we'd met. The only problem: His co-workers agitated his every last nerve. There was the social butterfly who spent her days flitting from desk to desk; the workaholic who obsessed over every last detail; the malcontent who subtly belittled anyone who spoke up in a meeting; the passive-aggressive assistant who would only answer calls if you were on her good side that week; and the boss, a hopeless narcissist who inevitably made himself the focus of every task. James came to dread going into the office. (For reasons of privacy, I've changed his name, as well as the names of others cited here.) You rarely get to pick your co-workers, which makes it nearly impossible to predict whether you'll be happy at any new job. While exploring life in the modern workplace, I've heard people grumble again and again not about their job but about their office mates. They were thrown in among the autocrats and the aristocrats; the passives, the aggressives and the passive aggressives; the suck-ups and the backstabbers. This may be why so many of us could relate to the NBC sitcom "The Office," with its universal message: The office would be a fine place to work, if it weren't for everyone else. But not all "disrupters"—the personality types who make it harder to get work done—harm office life or even productivity. Take narcissists. Sure, they're terrible listeners and apt to gobble up all the credit. But they also can be charming, engaging and charismatic. They can attract and inspire followers and be terrific mentors and leaders—which is why so many bosses are narcissists. In a 2006 study of more than 100 CEOs, researchers at Penn State found that executive narcissism can actually be motivational. The key to working for such a boss is learning to share praise, making your own contributions subtly known and ensuring that the narcissist doesn't rule your work life. Another classic disrupter is the passive aggressive type—the office scorekeeper. Greg, a graphic designer at a magazine and a family friend, told me that he habitually did better layouts for editors who took a personal interest in him. He'd frequently hand in shabby pages for colleagues he spotted going out for drinks who hadn't invited him along. "I did not ever want to be perceived as looking vulnerable or weak," he said. "Why should I do for other people when they don't do for me?" Scorekeepers don't play fair, which makes them tricky to get along with. But Pat Heim and Susan Murphy, authors of "In the Company of Women," argue that scorekeeping can have an upside, if used to encourage cooperation and motivate co-workers—a sort of "do for others what they do for you" philosophy. Then there is the office gossip. A 2012 study at the University of Amsterdam found that gossip makes up a whopping 90% of office conversation—but isn't as detrimental as you might think. The researchers concluded that such behind-the-back chatter may be essential for group survival. They found that gossip can make offices run more smoothly and improve productivity, helping to keep underperforming workers in line while fostering camaraderie. Consider Sascha—a friend's daughter who worked as an assistant to a busy orthopedist in a Manhattan hospital. Sascha had been enduring a painful divorce and was overwhelmed with personal obligations. Her co-workers were losing patience, but she figured they would have to understand. They didn't. Sascha began to overhear her name whispered in the hallways; she'd enter the break room for coffee, and chatter would halt. But instead of calling her co-workers out, she listened. She tried hard to get her work done despite her personal struggles. "I was wrong in assuming that my co-workers were my friends, or even that they shouldn't talk about me," she told me. "I needed someone to give me a kick in the ass, and, well, they did." Finally, there are the obsessive, workaholic types—disrupters who live for order. They may be annoyingly rule-bound, but they set high standards, communicate well and make great operators, mentors and team members. As a 2011 study from the Rouen Business School in France reported, workaholism often can be constructive, inspiring co-workers to be more original and dedicated. Adapting to personality types at work need not mean abandoning your principles. Even the most annoying co-workers often have something to teach. You also need to figure out if you yourself are a disrupter. James realized that he was the office enabler, the one who needed everyone's approval all the time. That revelation let him separate himself more from his job—making him not just a better worker but a better co-worker too. —Dr. Drexler is an assistant professor of psychology in psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College and the author of "Our Fathers, Ourselves."

Speech Goofs to Avoid Part III (Baby Talk)

Logically, women know that speaking in a baby voice does not say totally together career woman! Yet women whose voices are not naturally high pitched sometimes break into this tone when under pressure. Women could consciously or unconsciously be using the ammunition that worked for them as children. But this innocent-cute card that worked to get your way as an adolescant does not project authority as an adult. Yawning several times with your mouth wide open and with pursed lips helps stretch your throat and tongue and prevents sounds from escaping through your nose, thus eliminating nasally baby voice. If you have a naturally high pitched voice, humming in a low pitch can warm up your voice and get it into that lower register.

Speech Goofs to Avoid Part II (Fillers)

Subconsciously dotting sentences with like, ums, and ya-know is common. But, when we do this, people consciously or unconsciously question our intelligence (thank you 1980's valley girls...) Recording yourself on a phone conversation will let you know how badly you fall into this habit. Or you can ask a trusted friend who will be honest with you. The way to fix the problem, breathe! Instead of "like" or "um", use that opportunity to take a breath to collect your thoughts instead of filling the silence with a sound. The pause will keep others from interrupting you when they think you are filling time with useless words. Instead, they will hang on to the words you say and not lose interest because valuable words are all that will come out.