Make the most of your time at STLE!
Edward P. Salek, CAE, Executive Director | TLT Headquarters Report May 2015
Follow the advice of these experts to maximize the many networking opportunities at this month’s annual meeting.
To get the most out of your networking at STLE’s annual meeting, experts advise getting plenty of rest and simply being true to yourself.
TO QUOTE OUR OWN MARKETING MATERIAL, “STLE’s Annual Meeting & Exhibition is the industry’s most respected venue for technical information, professional development and international networking opportunities.”
Most members who have attended an STLE annual meeting (this year’s event is May 17-21 in Dallas) would agree with that statement. Indeed, there’s been quite a bit written lately about the value of business networking, and some of it is particularly eye-catching.
For example, there was the January 2015 Harvard Business Review article titled “99% of Networking Is a Waste of Time,” by Greg McKeown. He is a business consultant, researcher and author of the New York Times bestseller called Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. More on his background is available at
http://gregmckeown.com/.
McKeown describes his point of view this way, “Almost everything in life is worthless noise. Very few things are exceptionally valuable. This is true in networking as in almost other area.”
His Harvard Business Review article offers a series of tips for making business networking more productive and less distracting. The authoritative source for this advice is Rich Stromback, a venture capitalist and entrepreneur known as “Mr. Davos.” He earned this title during the past 10 years attending the World Economic Forum in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, which is generally considered to be the Super Bowl of networking events.
Stromback is skeptical about traditional networking techniques that emphasize bright smiles and high energy. His approach emphasizes knowing what to attend and who to meet. He believes more happens at late night social events than formal business sessions. In fact, Stromback’s secret to networking efficiency is napping from 4-8 p.m. every day so you can be fresh for late-night conversations.
If you find that advice a bit unconventional, as I did, we can look to a more practical commentary on the art of networking by Tim Askew, a business owner who writes for INC. magazine. Consider following him on Twitter
@TimothyAskew.
As a person who’s generally insecure about his networking skills, I found Askew’s approach comforting. I find myself in total agreement with what Askew calls Tim’s Karmic Law for networking: “Real networking is simply a lifelong process of staying true to yourself and having the courage to consistently present your authentic self to the world. If you do that, the right people will find you.”
His corollary thought is even more apt: “There is only one form of networking that makes sense to me and that is networking with peers…hopefully through relaxed, open-ended personal conversations that allow development of relationship in a general atmosphere of collegiality.” Clearly, this is an endorsement for the type of networking that happens at an STLE meeting.
While these three experts that I encountered in my reading disagree a bit about the art of networking, there is one bit of shared space. According to Rich “Mr. Davos” Stromback: “Opportunities do not float like clouds in the sky. They are attached to people.”
Hope to see you in Dallas for STLE 2015. Let’s share some quality networking time!
You can reach Certified Association Executive Ed Salek at esalek@stle.org.