Welcome to the New Manager Podcast.
I'm your host, Kim Nicoll. Hello and welcome.
I'm glad you're here and I hope you're doing well.
Last week I attended a conference.
It was the California Conference for Women and it was held in
Santa Clara, CA, which is about 45 minutes of driving from where
I live in San Francisco when there's no traffic.
When there is traffic, it can easily be twice that amount of
time, maybe a little longer, but I share this because it was such
an incredible experience. It was just one day and there
were amazing speakers and there were incredible attendees.
And the reason I was there was to participate in what they had
designated to be the Coaches Corner.
And the conference organizers partnered with the local chapter
of ICF, the International Coaches Federation, which I am a
part of. And so myself and maybe 20 other
coaches were there to offer free coaching to whoever dropped in.
Each session was about 20 minutes, and I have to tell you,
people were lined up the entire day.
I coached as many folks as I could.
It turned out to be about 16 people by the end of the day.
And it was incredible. The energy of the group, the
energy and the inspiration of the speakers.
And it was so much fun to be both with some of my coach peers
and have some professional collaboration and connection
with them. And it was also a lot of fun to
be available to offer these 20 minute coaching sessions on any
topic at all. Career, life, leadership, you
know, managing like what all of the things.
And it made me really think about the importance of choosing
to put yourself in rooms with people that will both inspire
you and help you to see things a little bit differently.
And also the importance of gathering with others in your
industry. And gathering with others where
you get to exercise the gifts and talents and perspective that
you have gained in the course of your life.
Because doing that feels really good and it will get you out of
both kind of being in the weeds of the day today.
It will give you a bigger perspective, like a fresh look
at who you are, what you do, what's possible out there.
And I think that now, as you know in the last year or so, as
the world is opening up a bit more, I think there's also a
just a hunger for the community that we experience when we're in
person sharing space together. And so I had this really
beautiful full experience of it and it made me want to remind
you that you you want to choose that for yourself as well.
And it might require looking for yourself at the kinds of
industry events, the kinds of professional communities where
you will find that connection and that kind of energy.
But it's so, so important. Related to that, one of the
topics that came up quite a bit, especially as folks were asking
me about job changing, so people who were on a job search or
career progression. So conversations about what is
the next step in the career, stepping into higher levels of
leadership, how to navigate the internal ecosystem of promotions
and managers, And you know all all of that, how all of that
works. One of the recurrent themes that
came up was about the importance of networking and we were at a
conference, so that was also a real ideal place for that.
But I had found myself having quite a few conversations about
this and I wanted to share this with you too.
Also, I will be at the Transform Conference in Las Vegas in about
a week. We'll be there from, let's see,
March 11th to the 13th. So if you happen to be at that
conference too, because it's all about transforming the
workplace, how we work together, people and culture, all of that,
then let me know because it would be so much fun to meet up
in person and have some of these conversations together.
But when you are thinking about growing your network, I want to
take some time today to talk about why you would do that and
also how. And if you are a person who's a
little bit more of an introvert or a little bit more reserved,
then this is especially for you. Because what we tend to do when
we're not that excited about a thing is we avoid it.
Whether it's having a difficult conversation or going to an
event and meeting people or reaching out and trying to
establish a relationship with someone for the purpose of
expanding relationships, building a network.
If that feels uncomfortable to you in any way, there's a good
chance you will avoid it. And that has a negative effect
over time because so much of how we find opportunities, the way
that you will find new job opportunities, new collaboration
opportunities and not just for you, but you might find yourself
in a position of needing to hire someone.
And the more active and robust your network, the more you will
have resources of folks to reach out to for different ideas or
being able to simply, you know, pass along, Hey, this is who
we're looking for. Or this is the kind of, you
know, collaborative opportunity that we have coming up.
It will be to your benefit to recognize that you are not an
independent individual kind of cast about in the big ocean.
But whether you realize it or not, you are a part of a bigger
community and you can become intentional about how you wish
to Foster and nurture relationships within that
community. And what's nice is that it then
creates the increased likelihood that you will thrive in your
career and life, but also that the community of which you are a
part can also thrive because of your participation in your
engagement there. So why you want to grow your
network? And I honestly think network is
just the people that you know, you know like why you want to be
mindful of growing. That is because it gives you
access to new perspectives, to fresh ideas, to different
opportunities both for yourself like if you are looking for your
next career step, your next opportunity.
But also as I mentioned before, you might have an opportunity
that you are looking to give to someone or to connect somebody
with. And so having that active
network helps you to do that too.
And also in kind of also very selfish perspective, it it will
give you a better experience, like you'll just have a more
enjoyable quality of life and quality of work when you have
this sense of connection with others.
It's one of the things that helps us to feel less alone in
the world, to help us feel less overwhelmed in the face of
challenges. And there are, you know, so many
of those that we see all of the time.
But having that connection, that conversation with others, so
valuable, so important to do that.
And if you think about it throughout, you know, the first
part of your life, you have some of that built in just because of
the way the education system works.
We often end up developing our first kind of informal network
through our education and our school.
But once you are working out in the world, it may take a bit
more intentional effort in order to create, establish and
maintain some of these relationships.
So that's why you'd want to do it.
And now let's talk a bit about how value the current
relationships that you already have.
Now, if you are like me and maybe the last three to four
years, some of those friendships and relationships have gone a
little stagnant. It is OK to choose today to
reignite and re engage in some of those friendships and
relationships. That's part of what I've been
working on too. In my own work in my own life is
reconnecting with folks that I worked with in the past and
different folks that I've known and starting to have
conversations around. Hey, it's been a while.
I'm sure there's a lot that's happened in your work and life
too. Would you like to have a catch
up call? And it doesn't have to be long,
you know, it could be 15 minutes.
It could be 20 minutes, but simply inviting someone, saying,
hey, it's been a while. I'm so curious to hear what
you've been up to, how you're doing, having that invitation to
connect and have a conversation that can be a very simple way of
engaging with your current network and adding value.
And when I say that, what I mean is by adding value, it's you're
adding this quality of attention that people value.
It feels good when someone says, hey, I've been thinking of you,
how are you doing? I'd love to hear what you're up
to these days. Like it can be just that simple,
that kind of human connection. I don't know if I've mentioned
this to you before, but I also am active on Insight Timer.
I think in my mind it is the best platform out there if
you're interested in meditation and mindfulness.
And I've been going live there on Fridays talking about
mindfulness at work and life and kind of starting to giving my
myself space to speak and teach more openly about mindfulness
and how that affects us in our work and our life.
And last week in the talk that I gave, I spent a lot of time
focused on how the quality of your attention is one of the
most valuable things that you bring into.
And in any relationship, whether it's personal relationship or
friendship or a colleague or a work relationship or with your
clients, the quality of your attention is so valuable.
And so it doesn't have to feel like this heavy lift when you
think about, oh, I have to add value to my to my network, that
sounds so transactional. But if you think about it on a
very human level, it's simply the willingness and the
intention to bring a quality of attention to someone to be
interested in them, this desire for connection and conversation
and hearing what they're up to. If you work in similar fields or
in similar industry, you can ask the question of I'd love to hear
what you're seeing in our industry.
I'd love to compare notes with you.
I'd love to chat with you about what you think about, you know
what what you're seeing in in the industry and that also is a
value because your perspective and experience is a little bit
different. So it's a it's a way to share,
you know what are we seeing And that additional perspective adds
value to that other person as well because the world is really
big, things move really fast. It's rather impossible to know
everything about everything. So instead of trying, think of
it like you get to learn and hold up perspective from your
corner of the world, and then you get to connect with and
share that with someone else and they may find it really
valuable. Just in that.
The same way that them sharing what they're doing and how
they're doing it and what they're seeing and thinking
might also really help illuminate something for you.
So just by being who you are in the world, the quality of your
attention, the perspective that you have, those are two very
valuable things. And that's what you can think
about, you know, when you're wanting to engage with your
network. So valuing the connections and
the relationships that you have right now, even if they've
gotten a little bit neglected, it's OK.
You can always reach out and just say, hey, I was thinking of
you, I would love to know what you're up to now.
Would you like to schedule a catch up call or a virtual
coffee something, something you know, something easy, something
light? The next thing to think about is
how you'd like to grow your network.
And this is really good, especially if you're thinking
about making a little bit of a pivot in your career or if
you're, you know, considering like, oh, maybe I want to do
something slightly different or maybe I want to go into a
different industry or a different organization.
If you're sort of, you know, re evaluating what you're doing now
and thinking about what else is possible out there and how can
you find out what it's like and what's out there and how you
might make your way there. You can always start looking for
people you'd like to connect with.
LinkedIn makes this really easy. You can look for people in
different specific organizations or industries, or with certain
job titles and responsibilities, and you can simply send a cold
e-mail. Hi, we haven't met, but I saw
this about your profile and I wanted to reach out.
Would you be interested? Would you be open to having a
brief conversation? I'd love to hear more about what
you do, how you got there. You know what you're seeing in,
you know XY and Z. It can be that simple.
The one thing you'll have to get over is the fear of bothering
people. If that's something that's
pretty active for you, remember that they can always just say no
or ignore you, so that's OK. And #2, you're still offering
them a high quality of attention when we're being very
intentional about who we reach out to and why.
So I would encourage you to not feel too reserved about that.
The other thing is that when you're at a conference and you
connect with someone there, definitely connect with them on
LinkedIn because that will make it easy to follow up later.
Don't follow up the next day because the next day everyone is
tired. Everyone gets lost in their
inbox. Everyone is like, oh right back,
back to the grind. But the following week or two
send them a note saying, hey, it was so great to meet you at this
conference. I'd love to chat a bit more and
learn more about you. I'd love to talk of, you know,
continue the conversation about XY and Z.
Would you like to have a virtual coffee?
Would you like to schedule like a 20 minute call to when when we
can talk a bit more. And what's nice about that is
that, you know, it can be so easy when we're at a meet up or
a conference to connect with somebody on LinkedIn and then
never go back. Go back.
Like in make this part of your plan, make it a strategy that
you'll follow up with them, invite them into more of a
conversation to learn more about them and to also share what
you're doing, who you are. And remember that what you're
doing and who you are is valuable.
It sometimes doesn't feel that way, especially if you are in a
work situation where you feel a bit overlooked or under
appreciated. It can become easy to kind of
take ourselves for granted if we're not feeling very
appreciated in the work that we're doing.
But remembering that bringing your perspective about the
industry, the work, the world is of value.
Just because like just because it is just because it's an angle
and a view that nobody else has the exact same perspective that
you have. Use that to, you know, like
motivate you or to remind you that it's OK to reach out.
It's OK to say, hey, would you like, you know, I'd love to
invite you to a conversation if you're open to it, if you'd like
to and to make it super easy. This is why I started doing is I
love Calendly. They're not a sponsor or
anything, but I just love the, I love the product.
I use it in my own coaching business and what I've started
to do is I now create this like virtual coffee, you know, 20
minute conversation and I'll say, yeah, here's my calendar,
find a time for that works and we'll chat.
And in the Calendly link, when they're going to schedule, there
is a question box that says remind me again of how we met.
And that's great because then that person will say, oh, we met
at this conference or we were introduced by so and so or oh,
we attended the same virtual meeting together.
People will put that into the booking link.
So when it's on my calendar, even if it happens 2 weeks later
when I see that calendar invite, I can read in the notes, oh,
this is How I Met this person. And it helps give me context.
It helps give them context. I've said this before, as a
human, you're very intelligent. As a human, you're also very
forgetful. So make it easy to remember how
you meet people just by having them put it in and it'll show up
right into the calendar invite. So let it be simple.
You know the how of building your network.
When you're at a conference or you're at an event and you meet
someone, simply ask them directly, hey, would you like to
connect on LinkedIn? They might say, oh I'm not on
LinkedIn are they? You know, are they going to say
sure. But just use that as the
starting point and then the following week or you know, a
little time after, reach out with a follow up.
It was great meeting you at this place.
Would you be interested or open to 20 minute virtual coffee?
Love to hear more about XY and Z and invite them to book a time.
And they might, They might not, but that is the invitation you
offer That makes it easier to start developing a more robust
relationship and network. So think about where you can do
this in your own life. Realize also.
That you're not just building your network outside your
organization, but you can also do this within your
organization. Especially if you work in a very
large organization. Be curious about what other
functions are doing. Be curious about the business.
Be curious about how it all works.
Building your internal network is also very valuable.
Just get to know who people are, what they do, what they care
about, what makes their job easier or harder, what they want
to do next in their career. Just be curious and learn about
other people from this place. And that is like, not just the
easiest but one of the most satisfying ways to build out
your relationships and your network.
So that is what I wanted to offer you today.
You know, especially if you're an ambitious person, especially
if you're in a leadership role, it becomes very useful to have a
well nurtured network. The higher you go, the more you
want to have relationships with others who can offer perspective
opportunities. Insights like that will be a
good thing for you to have. Oh, and you know what?
My other tip? Do not limit yourself to people
of your same generation. Think about expanding your
network in both directions with folks who are older than you and
with folks who are younger than you.
Because again, folks older and folks younger will have
different perspective, different experience, different ideas
about what they're seeing and the resources that they find
useful. And that is really valuable.
It's so great to have people that you know who are both in
the generation above and the generation incoming.
So make sure that you do that. So that is what I wanted to
share with you today. If you want to get a glimpse of
the conference I attended last week, then go to my TikTok.
My handle there is at Coach Kim Nickel.
I am still in my 30 day Challenge.
I am posting every day. I have to say I'm a little bit
proud that I am continuing to show up there.
It's a little bit different for me, but you know, we're learning
and growing and that's always a good thing.
So you can see some of the video from the event there on my
TikTok. If you want to connect with me
on more of the meditation mindfulness front, then you're
going to want to find my profile on Insight Timer.
I'll see if I can add that into the show notes as well and if
you want to work with me one-on-one.
If you're looking for leadership, coaching, career,
communication, life questions, like all of it, come and talk to
me. Book a consult.
I will be taking new clients and I'd love to talk with you about
what your goals are and help you understand your options with my
coaching engagements. So link to that is in the show
notes or just go to kimnickel.com.
All right, that's it for me today.
Have a great one and I will talk to you next time.
When you're more effective at work, you're happier in your
life, and when you're happier in your life, you're more effective
at work. I can help.
Go to my website kimnickel.com and sign up for a coaching
consult.