DulyeCo in the News for Fox Business - Lubin Seminar Handouts - 092914

8/11/2019 DulyeCo in the News for Fox Business - Lubin Seminar Handouts - 092914

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Conquering the Workplace, One Cup of Coffee at a Time

In this super-connected world we live in youd thinknetworking would be a breeze right? Well, the truth is, thereare not a lot of people who know how to do it really well.Sure, they may have hundreds of LinkedIn contacts andsocial media friends, but thats where it ends.

Nothing is better than a face-to-face conversation. Yes,they take more time than pressing send, but the connection

you create cant be replicated by any online exchange. Justask Eddie Walter, who upon graduating last Spring fromSyracuse University (go Orange--my alma mater too) made it his goal to connect with as many people aspossible at his new employer, JP Morgan Chase.

My initial motivation was that I wanted to quickly learn the company and the business, as well as growmy career here, Eddie told me in an interview. So I set out to meet as many people as I could by askingthem to join me for a cup of coffee.

He started with a realistic goal: two different people, meet for 30 minutes at a coffee shop where theywork.

The results were immediate.

After a few weeks, Eddie knew more people at his company than any other member on his team mostof whom had been with the company for years. His growing network was invaluable for networking acrossdepartments and getting work donefor him and his colleagues.

To date, he has had more than 200 cups of coffee with employees ranging from associates to executivedirectors and even a Vice Chairman.

So whats his secret to being a superstar networker? Heres his strategy:

1. Decide who you want to contact. Eddie went to the companys internal website and studiedfaces, names and titles. I prioritized contacts based on my job responsibilities. I also leveragedthe Syracuse alumni network here. I compiled at least 200 names, and from that started makingphone calls to invite people to coffee, starting at the junior level and then moving up the ladder.

When talking to junior level employees, Eddie asked more informal questions about their jobs,products and services they deliver, and in the end, that information helped him ask moresubstantial questions when he met with senior leaders.

2. Use what youve got and have an agenda. Eddie set out to have a master list of all the peoplehe wanted to meet for coffee. His approach of cold contacting, introducing himself and schedulinga coffee date, took about five minutes of time and netted more than an 80 percent success rate.The common ground shared by other SU alumni triggered a yes response every time. So thats agreat group to start with for anyone who tries this approach. Find other alumni from your college.


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In contacting othersby phone and a follow-up emailEddie explained his goal of quicklylearninglearning about the company, its people, and how they carved their career paths. Heultimately hoped that by making a good impression with the first candidate group for coffee, theywould be willing to introduce him to one or two more people. He was right. Doors opened todozens and dozens of new contacts.

3. Be prepared. Research, research, research. Eddie said he prepares for a coffee date with thesame intensity as working a project. He studies internal and external online directories forinformation about each person, gathering information on both professional and personal sides. Iwant to know their interests, where they went to school, and if they belonged to a fraternity orsorority. Armed with these details, Eddie develops a list of five questions that he really wants toask, plus some general questions for backup. Its not an interview, he said. Its informal, but itshould be treated like an interview so they can feel it is a valuable use of their time. As a rule,

his 30-minute coffee chats start on time (Eddie arrives at least 5 minutes early) and end on time,unless his guest offers a few more minutes.

4. Take notes. Dont rely on memory to capture the highlights of a conversation. Eddie brings a padand pen, and periodically jots down important facts that hes learned about the person and whatthey do. Dont use your smartphone to take notes--the optics look like you are checkingmessages and texting. Technology does have a role for storing notes. Transfer them into aCloud-based contact directory. Its important to stay organized, he advised.

5. Follow-up and ask for a referral. Immediate follow-up is a must. Eddie, real-time, sends a shortemail of appreciation and recaps a few of the conversations highlights. He includes a request fora recommendation of a colleague who Eddie, in turn, could meet. Referrals are great dooropeners, he noted. Theres nothing more valuable than someone saying, I just talked to Eddie,it would be great if you could meet him and give him some more insights. I would get a nearimmediate response.

6. Face-to-face trumps everything. Forget settling for an introductory email it needs to gofarther. You need to have that face-to-face opportunity, otherwise it won't help you get where youwant to go in your career. Regardless of all the technology we have at our fingertips, theresnothing like that personal connection of sitting across from someone over a coffee. Doors andopportunities open when people get to know you, Eddie said. And that cant happen through afew lines of email. People need to look you in the eye and see your smile. That connectionrequires no technology.

Eddies value to his team and the company has increased multi-fold. Despite his brief tenure at his firm,hes grown an extensive professional network and cultivated a shining reputation. People are astonishedat the breadth of knowledge that I've acquired and can leverage, Eddie concluded. You wouldn't suspectthat a few coffees can do that, but I've learned so much during these chats that make me better in myday-to-day job.


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Job Shopping? 6 Tips for Building a Strong Network

In less than five years, the average U.S. worker will get restless and change jobs. So says recentresearch from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

If youre among the go crowd and scouting out new prospects, the differencebetween landing the right new job or just settling can be determined by yourprofessional network.

Building a strong network should be a work-day constant. New opportunities can

arise anywhere and anytime--in a lunch line, on the train home or when placingyour morning latte order. Being able to see and seize the personal connectionthat builds a solid network takes skill and some polished techniques.

David Bartell is a pro at connecting with others. As Director of Development atSyracuse University and a close personal friend, Bartell is a road warrior whomeets hundreds of alumni, business leaders and community representativeseach month to discuss personal and corporate philanthropy. Career successhinges on cultivating a spark that fuels strong relationships.

With insights from Bartell, here are six tips for pumping up your professional network.

1. Untether yourself.Take off the headphones and put away your phone. Unplug from the zone ofGrateful Dead tunes. Pocket the smartphone. Dont make these devices your safety blankets.When your head is down and eyes affixed on a small screen, you cant engage anyone. Eyesinitiate connections. Keep your head up, smile and initiate a conversation. You can easily breakthe ice with a compliment about someones watch or tablet case.

2. Get real.Be yourself and own who you are. Authenticity resonates with people. Bartell advises,Be confident with your positive attributes, and dont dwell on negative attributes. That meansyou need to have self-awareness of all the positive things that you are. Make a list of your topfive positive traits. Then validate it. Canvas a few friends for their opinion. Youll likely discover anattribute that others value and youve overlooked.

3. Take time to prepare.Recalls Bartell, One trick I learned is to rehearse in front of a mirror. Youcan rehearse your introduction, elevator speech, and questions. You can do all these thingsbefore you walk into a conference room. Go one step further and record yourself so that you can

hear your voice and see your mannerisms. Actual visuals will unlock new awareness of how youconduct yourself. Consider the entire packageposture, tone, appearance and eye contact.Finally, practice your handshake. Get calibrated on the message you send with your grip. Does itconvey confidence or insecurity?

4. Quality, not quantity. Dont make networking transactional or task-oriented. Bartell used to keeptally. I thought the more people I shook hands with, the better I would be. Id wind up with a stackof business cards, but no story lines about the people behind the name and title. Thats notsuccessful networking. Less can mean much more when you focus on creating one or two solid


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connections through meaningful conversations that help you learn about and from the otherperson. Dont forget what youve learned. Record conversation highlights immediately afteryouve spoken, and create an appropriate follow-up strategy.

5. Most important person in the room: Think of that as a goal when making conversation in acrowded room. Says Bartell, I have a friend who connects instantly with others. He asksthoughtful questions and patiently listens to understand their opinions. His goal is to make themfeel like they are the most important person in the room. Enhance that special feeling with follow-up practices, such as a phone call or handwritten note a few weeks later to underscore how muchyou enjoyed the conversation and to recall a discussion point that was raised.

6. Dont lead with your resume. At some point in your career, you should have enough of a reachthat you dont need a resume to initially open doors. Your reputation and network will carveimpressions in others that keep you top of mind when job opportunities arise. Get others talkingabout you. Your network should be your marching band, Bartell insists.

Linda Dulyeis internationally recognized for helping many companies go spectator free. A former

communications leader for GE and Allied Signal, Linda established Dulye & Co. in 1998 with a practical,

process-driven approach for improving communications and collaboration through an engaged

workforcea formidable competitive advantage, that she calls a Spectator-Free Workplace.

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DulyeCo in the News for Fox Business - Lubin Seminar Handouts - 092914