Should you network with someone you don’t like? This question was put to me recently. My response was emphatic: “No, of course not!” Here’s why I say this with such conviction. My definition of networking is: The purpose of networking is to connect people who have a mutual interest in developing a professional relationship or assisting one…
What Tomatoes and Radishes Have in Common with Networking
My vegetable garden has taught me something about building business relationships: different types of vegetables, like business connections, require different types of care and yield different results. Consider two veggies* in my garden: radishes and tomatoes. Radishes are super-easy to grow. They sprout in a mere 2 – 3 days, are very hardy and are…
Excluding the Unemployed is No Silver Bullet
In recent weeks The New York Times, NPR and Slate have covered what I see as a very disturbing trend for job seekers: the practice of stating “only the employed need apply” on job postings. I wrote an op-ed piece about this from a human resources perspective called Unocverting Unemployment Bias on the Women of HR blog….
Leaders – Keep Your Mind Clear for a Magnetic Personality
Whenever there’s a discussion of “what makes a great leader?” invariably the trait of “charisma” surfaces— that special “something” that is appealing and makes people want to follow that leader. I recently read something that helped me think about the ways in which leaders attract people to their cause. The reading comes from an essay1…
July Leadership Development Challenge – A Healthy Debate
It’s the second month of the Leadership Development Roundtable Challenge and things are starting to get interesting, thanks to a compelling and nuanced case study offered by Art Petty. Art presented us with what he calls the “Brilliant Problem Child” case study. The case inspired vigorous debate, which is the hallmark of a well-written scenario….