With after-work holiday parties behind you, did you feel the urge to let loose a little and share some personal stories with senior managers swigging their brews in your direction? It’s not a knee-jerk reaction. You weigh the risks of showing too much of your true colors with seizing an opportunity to make some serious connections; i.e. start opening a few doors that could lead who knows where, but anywhere other than where your career shoes are planted now, right?
So which is it? Do you mosey on over to an executive and introduce yourself or not? If it makes you feel better there’s a name for this kind of behavior. It’s called;
Humanize to Monetize
Forget about how your hair, dress or makeup looks during these social gatherings.
The best relationships you will make in your career are not in meeting rooms.
They are in kick-back relax events and perform best preferably over a glass of wine.
During these informal gatherings, take advantage of the opportunity for them to get to know you. No excuses, you’re walking away from some powerful change in your career.
You already know who they are. But they don’t know the smart motivated professional that you are.
Here’s a cheat sheet to get started. In your own authentic way, all you need to do is answer the following questions for them.
- Who are you?
- What is your role in the company? (not your position, that’s just a label. Why do you bring value?)
- Where do you want to be in the organization? (ask if they can point you in the right direction to get there?)
Follow up (Is it alright if I reach out to you sometime in the next few months for advice? ) Keep it very broad so they don’t feel cornered. It is a party after all.
In an ideal world, a good manager should be mentoring and supporting someone to raise their rank in that company. However, that’s not always reality as we all know. Therefore, you have to move the wall, get creative and start fishing for people in the company who will help you advance. Sometimes the best catch is the person who doesn’t really know you but whom you can make an impression on so that they want to learn more.
It it uncomfortable? Yes.
Does it feel aggressive? Probably.
Can you get the cold shoulder? Possibly.
But the fact remains:
The professional and the personal are one.
Go for it anyway, you have nothing to lose and isn’t it time to get out of your comfort zone a little? At the very least you will be memorable and that’s exactly what you want. So that the next time you run into this person in the hallway, you can feel free to stop, say hello and have a second quick conversation and see where that one goes. Not bad, this is a lot further than where you were before.
With love and lots of gutsiness,
