WOMEN AT WORK: The serendipitous side of networking
Last Updated on Friday, 6 January 2012 06:35 Written by spence Friday, 6 January 2012 06:35
By Leah Eichler – Deborah Gillis had just returned to work leading a business consulting practice, after being treated for breast cancer, when a former colleague invited her to lunch out of the blue.
“She asked me the big question: How has this experience impacted your life?” recalls Ms. Gillis. She replied that it had forced her to re-evaluate all aspects of her life, including her career. She explained that she wanted to find work that was more meaningful to her but hadn’t thought it through yet.
Ms. Gillis’s lunch date told her that she knew of a headhunter looking for someone to work for anot-for-profit organization in Toronto focusing on issues facing women in business. Because that’s a mission Ms. Gillis strongly supports, she agreed to connect with the recruiter. In less than a week, she was asked to lead Catalyst’s Canadian operation. Today, she is Catalyst’s senior vice-president for membership and global operations.
“It really feels like one of those serendipitous, meant-to-be situations, because I’ve not seen that woman since that day, five and a half years ago,” Ms. Gillis said of the luncheon encounter.
“You really don’t know where and when someone that you have met, or worked with, or been introduced to, may present an opportunity that may not only be career-changing but can be life-changing,” she added.
Most professionals know that networking is an important part of building your business and career but few place the appropriate emphasis on developing their contacts.
At the risk of generalizing, women seem to spend less time cultivating their networks than men do, for a couple of reasons. One is that networking is a time-consuming activity and for many women, time is a commodity in short supply. Also, some women find it insincere to meet people to explicitly to look for business, and believe that hard work and determination will be enough to get them ahead.
According to a Harvard Business Review research report published in early 2011, 77 per cent of women surveyed believed that hard work and long hours, not connections, would secure their advancement.
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