Archive for 'Networking'

Shake or Stir! The 3Plus Mini-Mentoring Cocktail

Take the following ingredients:

1 super bossy facilitator

8 highly experienced and accessible mentors willing to support other women

40 more open-minded women looking for answers and some fun

Mix together in a room, add a glass of wine (any), a few chips, some great questions and even better answers.

Shake or stir – and voilà you have a 3Plus Mini-Mentoring Event!

Over 50 women gathered in the Renaissance Hotel in the centre of the Brussels EU area last week for the first European 3Plus Mini-Mentoring Event. The diversity of nationalities was incredible, with women hailing from all over Europe and beyond: Bulgaria, Slovenia, Denmark, Netherlands, UK, Croatia to name but a few and beyond, US and Russia. There were even some women from Belgium! The result was an energizing evening with lively discussion and more than a few giggles.

The participants represented all levels in both the public and private sectors, demographics ranging from entry level to seasoned corporate professionals to entrepreneurs. Some were networking debutantes, others were polished and experienced at working the room.

The 3Plus Mini-Mentoring event, coming hard on the heels of its sucessful New York counterpart, was a pilot to establish if there was a place for women to get together to talk about the challenges they encountered in the workplace in Europe.

The feedback was a resounding YES!

Topics covered included advice on how to move from the Public to Private Sector, how to know if you are too comfortable in a job, how to find a mentor, how to cope with working in an all-male environment, and many more. Here are some of the comments:

“…They were all so pleasant, open-minded and accessible, all of them very eloquent and full of good advice. This morning we were still wondering how this will affect our lives and in what unexpected directions it might take us…”

“Great event! Perfect occasion to meet and exchange with the panel, but particularly in the small groups! Looking forward to a next one.”

“Fantastic event – I wanted it to go on for hours longer!”

The main take-away messages were:

• Always step up and ask!
• Don’t be afraid of moving out of your comfort zone.
• Create networks with both women and men, online and actually.
• Look for a mentor.
• Support other women.

Feedback

The most consistent feedback was a request for more time and this will definitely be factored-in in future. We weren’t sure how late busy working women could stay.

A couple of participants asked for specific introductions from the mentors, but with 8 mentors a decision had been made that this would take at least 25 minutes and would take too much time from the schedule. Detailed bios were available in the printed program and also in all the publicity prior to the event. Others suggested participants introduce themselves, but with 40 women present that also was not be possible.

One strategic networking tip I often share before any event, not just this one, is to research the list of attendees via LinkedIn (found on the Event Brite registration page) and to arrange to meet on the night. This is especially effective for introverts and a tactic I use before all the events I attend.

Another suggestion was to have a male mentor on the panel and that is definitely something worth thinking about for a future event.

Megan Browne won the Personal Branding prize including make-over and professional photo. The results of her new image will be published shortly.

So many thanks to all our mentors: Isabella Lenarduzzi, Els Blaton, Gay Charles, Ilse Haest,  Danielle Moens, Staci Plopan, Mireille Punt and Valérie Tanghe. Thanks also to Ralitza Soultanova and Aleksandra Delvaux for the image production and Evelina Srna and Anna-Rita Mastroserio for support on the welcome desk. And a big thank you to all the women who participated!

The next 3Plus Mini-Mentoring Event will be in Boston in September. For Brussels – watch this space!

Shannon’s Personal Branding Diary

Dorothy starts..
I was delighted to ” meet” Shannon the 3Plus prize winner from our first mini- mentoring event in New York. In our introductory session I asked her to outline what goals she might want to achieve from the 3 coaching sessions that were now available to her.

Shannon started off by saying that she wasn’t really looking for career coaching or personal branding! She was happy in her job, didn’t want to leave and was also restricted by compliance regulations in her sector in the way in which she could promote herself on online platforms such as LinkedIn. OK – that was a good start!

She suggested therefore that as she was facing challenges in closing some deals in her current role, support in this area could be helpful. As an ex sales trainer I could certainly do that. However, as a career coach I wanted her to explore the possible connection between her need for support in her every day business life, with a reluctance to raise her visibility via a personal brand and to promote herself professionally.

Shannon continues…

“I had mixed feelings about the idea of personal coaching. It wasn’t something that I had really considered as a necessity to my career or mental attitude. Well let me say here, at the beginning, BOY was I wrong.

Before we had out first meeting over Skype, Dorothy had sent me an e-mail with a request that I spend some time reflecting on my career and life goals as well as the challenges I had encountered, the actions I had taken and the results which had ensued and the skills I needed to do all this.

First session!

No messing around….Dorothy jumped right into it. She said that although my CV was fine and that I had a lot to be proud of, what she felt was missing was that there was no real selling point in both my CV and LinkedIn profile. For full online disclosure, I am somewhat constrained by professional guidelines, so have a few personal hesitations, but my resume is something over which I obviously have full control. Dorothy explained to me that I was the “CEO of brand me” and I needed to consider how I wanted to be perceived by my professional network.  If my professional skills are my product, would I buy me?

Digging deep

The next challenge was to make a list of my professional attributes. Now this might seem easy to some people, but if you are anything like me, which I think many women are, stating professional/personal attributes and skills is not comfortable.  We all have different reasons for this.  One of my reasons is that I fear rejection,  I mentally separate myself from my accomplishments, so that way you can’t really judge me or reject me because they aren’t really me. Well, after a few very awkward, sometimes silent minutes, Dorothy proclaimed she was not going to do this exercise for me.

I listed a few words that I thought described me pretty well; persistent, empathetic, experienced financial professional, etc. Well, Dorothy went through every word I listed and challenged me again on the implications of each one and asked me to think about what I was really saying. I suggested that I was  “an experienced financial professional with 15 years of experience”. Ok.  Not bad. That’s  all true.

But  more to the point, when pushed I finally came up with  “  a dedicated professional with 15 years financial industry experience. Deep functional expertise in direct marketing with $1B in capital raised from institutional quality investors. Strong business acumen with broad based product knowledge and C level experience. Determined self-starter, skilled negotiator and effective communicator”

Honestly who would you pay attention to?

Owning accomplishments

Dorothy explained to me that I needed to “own” my accomplishments career. As she said “you are your business”.  This concept not only applies to networking profiles and resumes, but also to networking events,  how I am perceived in the office, conferences, etc.

We wrapped up the hour with some homework assignments, two simple exercises which I actually found to be quite helpful.  The first, The Brain Game shows your comfort zone and which areas of your multiple intelligences can use a ”work out”. The brainpower game had my strengths as logical-mathematical (makes sense), visual and intrapersonal and my weakness by far as verbal-linguistic.

The second game, wordle is a neat application where you can type in a bunch of words, hit a button and the application mixes those words into a fun design. Dorothy wanted me to list the skills and accomplishments we had worked on during our session. Being very visually oriented (see above), the wordle game hit home for me, it may sound simplistic to some of you out there but something about seeing your name and your accomplishments like this made me feel like it was more real to me and I felt proud of what I had done. If you get a chance it takes a few minutes and is a lot of fun.

Goal/ Action

As for something I needed to work on, my verbal-linguistic skills, I had thought about that for awhile. Now it was time to take action. I am terrible public speaker, but I don’t want to be. So my solution was to join a low cost group called Toastmasters. They have many chapters around the globe and who meet regularly, at least once or twice a month. It is a supportive environment where everyone is in the same boat and moving towards the same goals.”

Next time – Session 2!!!

Shannon Lewis is Senior Vice-President at R6 Capital G             

And the winner is….

Personal Branding Package Winner - Shannon Lewis

Shannon Lewis, SVP at RG Capital was the winner of the fabulous 3Plus Personal Branding Package worth $1800, at the highly successful 3Plus New York Mini Mentoring Event held earlier this month. Shannon said  ” I attended the gathering at the last minute without an agenda, with an open mind, and I walked away not only a “winner” but truly inspired by the energy and enthusiasm from the ladies. Quite wonderful.”

The prize included:

• Hair and make-up makeover by Oljay Kush
• Professional photo shoot by New York photographer Clyde V. Loo who captured in Shannon the disco diva, the hidden dragon as well as the sophisticated, savvy business woman!
• 3 x one on one personal branding coaching sessions with Dorothy Dalton
• Resume review


Shannon Lewis Business Picture

• Online profile audit
• Strategic networking and visibility raising support

Shannon is going to share her experiences with 3Plus in the eGazine at the end of the process!

Watch this space!

If you are interested in our signature mentoring programme for your organization or in sponsoring a mini mentoring event, contact 3Plus International.

Do you pay into the favour bank?

Too junior for strategic networking?

An intern in one of our offices recently sent an email round, explaining that she would like to learn how to network and that she is looking for some good advice. She said she finds it difficult as a graduate to get in touch with senior people, as she thinks she has nothing to bring to the table and doesn’t know how to approach people. Which made me think: Why is networking so difficult? Do universities prepare their students for the business world reality – or do only certain departments teach the art of relationship building to their students? It struck me that people working in financial services, and graduates of finance or business related subjects, are particularly good at valuing the importance of networking, and the value of building your own profile. Is this because they understand the transaction business better than other students? Or because they realise that they have to build their own brand, and have to go out there and “sell themselves”?

Have you heard of the Favour Bank?

I asked the intern whether she had heard of the notion of the favour bank. It’s a very common principle in the US, treating networking like any other business transaction. It means that when someone helps you out or does you a favour, you pay the favour back at some point, if you don’t want to lose that person as a valuable link in your network. This could be by connecting the person to someone in your network, or by sending that person an interesting article or other piece of information that is relevant to them. Staying in touch while it doesn’t matter, and showing a genuine interest in that person’s professional work, makes it that much easier to contact them when it does matter – and this is particularly relevant to graduates and other job seekers.

Join the party early on

Now she might think that she doesn’t have anything to put to the table, but that is not true. Networking is a long term investment, and identifying high potentials at an early stage of their career pays off for every senior networker. Again, in financial services they do this very proactively: connecting with young talent at industry events, career fairs, networking evenings, “women’s bond clubs”, the university’s careers service, after work drinks, or through post-grad internships. Being well connected at the beginning of the career can make the first step onto the career ladder so much easier, and can avoid the career pitfall “from student to taxi driver”. So if you are a grad student, make sure you get out there, build your profile and help some senior people out – if you pay into the favour bank, it will pay you back!

by Imke Schuller

Imke Schuller is Senior Creative Innovations Manager at BrainJuicer Group, based in London. She has extensive experience in front end of innovation work for major fmcg clients. Alongside, she is a keen networker and an advocate of discovering and nurturing fresh talent.

Breaking Barriers in the Automotive Industry

The first female intern

A woman’s life in the professional world is fascinating! The wonder of it all is composed by simple actions. I didn’t realize this until I had the opportunity to share my past experiences with a new friend.

In my first job, about one year before graduating in electronic engineering,  I was accepted in the traditionally male dominated automotive industry in Brazil  and was hired to work in the After Sales department.  I didn’t realize then what a breakthrough it was for the company to hire a female intern for that particular function. I was the first one! And imagine that a few years later,  that group was 40% female, including the manager. The company finally noticed that women can be very good professionals in a field that was once dominated by men  and that we have qualities and strengths that are essential to complete the team.

Tested

A few months later I was promoted from intern to employee even though I had not yet graduated. At that time I was chosen to coordinate technical training , delivered to the dealers’ mechanics and electricians as well as the instructors. Having to trust a soon to be engineer was already difficult for them, imagine a woman! But everything changed a few weeks after I started there. During one of the training sessions, the instructor, the most experienced one, called me to help with a technical problem he was having. When I went to him, I noticed all the participants – who would never trust a woman for that specific subject- staring at me! I asked what the problem was and I was able to easily solve it… thank God! Now I have enough knowledge  and life experience to realize that I was being tested, which back then I ignored. Being young, I was also very naïve, not yet aware of the prejudice women can suffer in the workplace. And that was also my luck, since I just wanted to prove myself as a competent professional. Read more »

Women in Academia: How 3+ women make a difference!

Taking the Guesswork Out of Tenure

After spending many years as an 8^th grade language arts/social studies teacher, I learned a couple of things.  First, I learned that relationships are the cornerstone of teaching and learning.  Treat your students with respect and kindness, and that’s what you’ll get in return.  I also learned that the best-laid plans rarely play out that way.  I learned that flexibility is worth more than gold, and that getting enough sleep is next to godliness.  But, in terms of assessment, I learned very quickly that it was only fair and just that I informed my students ahead of time how I would be grading their assignments.  I provided rubrics that corresponded with specific criteria.  I provided checklists and exemplars and tried as hard as I could to avoid playing that age-old game of “guess-what’s-in-the-teacher’s-head.”  It’s a dumb game that nobody wins, yet it’s played out again and again, and not just in middle school classrooms. Read more »

Women and Bad Language

Actually this isn’t an article on swearing; more of a reflection that when it comes to talking we women are damned if we do and damned if we don’t (No pun intended with the 2 low level profanities!)

I work with professional women all over the world and have a particular interest in gender issues, or maybe that should more accurately read: how difficult it is for the average woman to have senior career success in a world of work designed by men for men- which means all types of business behaviour which are rewarded are male types of behaviour. I think it’s a primary reason why lack of confidence is frequently cited as a reason why women don’t climb the career ladder as fast as men.

It’s a Man’s World

I have an exercise on one of my courses which encourages women to imagine their professional world had only been designed by women for women. How different would it look? Once you let your imagination riot all sorts of things become possible and not just about flexible working. Go on; take a few minutes to imagine that we could design a working world that only suited us. It really brings home to you how ‘male’ business is. Read more »

Speaking Up about Speaking Up

Numerous articles of late declare that women need to speak up more, be better salary negotiators and push for more promotions.

As generalities go, I think there’s truth within those statements. However, that doesn’t mean women bear the sole, nor even major, responsibility for the wage gap between men and women or for lack of women in executive roles.

But we do have the responsibility to raise our voices. It makes our hearts and souls reverberate with the sounds of connection. It impacts the world.

I’d like to share my experience with speaking up during meetings in the workplace and in sitting on NGO Boards. Although negotiating and influencing at meetings is not the same as negotiating one’s salary, such meetings are fertile ground for improving negotiating skills and persuading others to do what you want and what you think is right. Read more »

Relationships are Worth More than Money: Why Networking Matters

Relationships are more important than money.

They are more important than your degrees and qualifications.

They are even more important than the power you wield because of your position.

Relationships give you connection, belonging, support and potential.

All parents want to send their children to the best school; not just for the quality of the education but for the connections they can make and the relationships they can build.

When you climb a mountain or take on a difficult project, the love and support of friends and partners gives you more than a hand up, it give you extra energy and ability.

And on line, building relationships requires more skill because there is no way of “bodying-up”.

What is bodying up?

The term comes from a special connection, Bill Potter. Bill is a business maverick and a friend coach. Bodying-up means, not just meeting in person, but really seeing the other person, reading their energy and vibes. Read more »

Lunching on courage and connection

Standing up for yourself, stepping out as who you truly are and doing what you love. These are traits that “new conscious entrepreneurs” share – those individuals who are consciously choosing to let life lead them in all that they do and certainly, in business.

It’s not always easy. At times, it takes a tremendous amount of courage.

The courage to say “no” when your energy says, “uh-uh”, and your mind says, “But this is such a good idea!” Then the courage to say, “yes” when your energy is pulling you in that direction and your mind is saying, “What, are you crazy?”

The real key is to know how to make the decision that is correct for you.

That’s where connection comes in.

We can’t do things (read, “everything”, especially where women are concerned) all by ourselves.Being with others, thinking out loud, hearing their responses, can help us gain clarity.

Sometimes you get an invitation to something and both your energy and mind are in total alignment. Together they say “Yes.” So it was when I received the invitation to attend a  3PLus Women Worth Knowing lunch. The email said, “Come. This one is different.”

As I lay out the little gift boxes on the lunch table under the watchful yet playful eye of the Honkey Tonk Woman on the wall, I wondered what would be in store.

At 4 p.m. the last of us walked out again, into the beautiful sunshine, buzzing, beaming…. filled with encouragement, brimming with a sense of connection.

You see it takes courage for someone to be able to say to another person they’ve only just met, “I have an idea but…,” or “I want things to change and I haven’t a clue.” That authenticity and openness arrives when there is a sense of connection. Then intertwined in that connection, en-courage-ment comes back.

The power of networking, mentoring and sponsoring all came to the forefront in informal ways over that lunch, through conversation and laughter, shared experiences and discussions. Unconditionally; that was the gift that kept on giving, long after the lunch itself ended, through tweets and emails.

It takes courage to pave a new way of being and doing in the business world, particularly in this time of great change… to move from the old way of squeezing life into the bits left over after you’d finished the day at work to living a life so full and filled with energy that you can’t help but radiate.

A phrase from the lunch keeps coming back. “There are no words.” We were talking about the oft challenge of describing the real essence of what we do when we live and do business in this new way.

That was the lunch. There are no words to describe the real essence of that lunch.

I suppose it was the camera that captured it best. The open hearts, handshakes and hugs around the table, coupled with honest listening and opinion, as well as fun and some serious moments.

If you haven’t yet found the courage to say “no” to those people who drain your energy and to say “yes” to finding those with whom you effortlessly connect, please do. The impact it can have on your business and your life is untold.

Veronica Lim is a Cake Designer, “For When You Want Them To Know They’re Special.” She creates beautiful and delicious bespoke cakes for your branded events and gifts, and treats for the office. No Factories, No Preservatives, No Pre-made Stocks. Just Luxury Handmade Deliciousness, Designed, Baked And Packaged To Order – For You. 

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