More Than WE Know

Today I attended a lecture given by Shelly Lazarus, CEO of Ogilvy-Mather. Shelly Lazarus has been named by Fortune magazine as the 26th most powerful woman in business and by Forbes as  one of the 100 most powerful women in the world.  

It was an intimate women’s networking event.  Shelly’s speech was insightful and empowering. I will write more about her actual words in a future post, but for today I want to tell you about what happened right after she finished speaking.  

Immediately following the speech, a few women gathered around her to talk to her personally.  I went up, shook hands, introduced myself, and thanked her for her speech. I told her the profound impact it had had on myself and the women I had brought with me.  She thanked me and we exchanged a few pleasantries about the corporation I work for and her association with it.  I walked away feeling pleased with the connection.

Afterward I spoke to Diane, a friend of mine, and asked her how her conversation with Shelly had gone. She said, “It was great - I introduced myself and told her where I worked. I asked her if there was anything I could do to help her reach her goals.  She told me that she knows someone in my corporation and it is her birthday today. Could I be sure and take her birthday wishes back with me to her.”

I was amazed. The actual request - taking birthday wishes to an acquaintance is a small thing and Diane was happy to do it.  Not only was she sincere in wanting to do a favor, it gives her an opportunity to reach out and meet someone in her organization that she would not otherwise have had a contact with. So, in her way, with this simple request, Shelly acted as a connector for my friend.

The most amazing thing to me was that, even with my focus on networking, it just never would have occurred to me to ask the CEO of a $9 Billion company, and one of the world’s most powerful women,  whether I could do anything to help her.  I would just have assumed that there wasn’t!

This was a major eye opener for me.  It underscores that at its most basic level,  networking really is about reaching out to help others, making connections as people, and being open to wherever it leads. 

The best networking assumes that we all have similar needs and that we can all help each other to succeed.

What limiting beliefs are you putting on yourself and your networking efforts? Are you assuming others aren’t interested in meeting you or that you have nothing of value to offer?  Is that a valid assumption, or is that just something you are telling yourself to avoid embarrassment?

I’m interested in hearing your own networking insights and experiences. Please share either below or directly through the contact form. 

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