Discover Networking

I really have an interesting job. It’s full of surprises! One time it can be this, and another time it can be about that. This week had a particularly strong focus on networking. Although I am not a stranger to the concept of networking, actually having to find myself doing it surely did prove much of an uphill task to me!

We organized two industry work group meetings this week, of which employers from our member companies were attending. Besides the intended objective of announcing latest industry updates, one of the purposes were to network among the employers and hopefully create a strong awareness and interest to work with us on some of the various funding incentive schemes.

After the briefing, it was the time for refreshments and networking. Being a greenhorn in networking, I tried my best, but it still turned out quite shabbily. It’s really not easy to just strike up a continual conversation with managers and directors whom I have never had correspondence before.

It didn’t take long for me to find myself wondering around not knowing who to start talking to, and how to start the conversation with them. And the most difficult part is to know how to continue the conversation that would lead onto something of interest to both parties.

Indeed, I soon realized that networking is either a natural talent that comes naturally for some people (e.g. my Dept Head) or a hard-learnt skill from observing others and yourself having the actual experience of doing it. It’s like a fear of talking on stage, just that this is worse… coz it’s mostly a one-way communication on stage, but on the ground during networking, I actually have to establish a two-way, or sometimes even up to a four-way conversation between several parties at the same time!

I discovered that this really involved quick thinking and often even humor! The part about quick thinking isn’t too uphill a task to me (as this has become part of my job), but it’s the part about popping relevant humor that REALLY poses as a challenge to me. To crack a success joke or remark, really involves either strong charisma or a good deal of understanding of the other parties, such that they actually understand what I am commenting about. Now this is really difficult.

Furthermore, these managers and directors who are in the age of 40s and above, some probably having working experience longer than I have been alive so far. Thus, striking up a conversation and building a positive working relationship with such authority figures is no easy task… especially since I have a young look, plus they definitely have more knowledge content to discuss than a greenhorn like me.

Therefore, another essential attribute to learning the ropes of success networking is to have courage and confidence. It is about building a mindset of recognizing that I am junior, yet not without passion or interest in what it going on.

Another source of useful meetings, as I have also discovered this week, is the amount that I can learn from attending higher level committee meetings with the big shots. Of coz, this knowledge first begins as CONFUSION, as I clearly realized when I attended the 2nd employment subcommittee meeting for the persons with disabilities this week.

As I sat at the back row, away from the typical long boardroom table, I discovered that almost 80% of what was discussed sounded like Greek… or maybe I should call it Hebrew... to me. These are national policy issues and project initiatives being discussed… and I am so lacking in knowledge and exposure to comprehend what on earth was going on! But I steadied myself and tried to guess and figure out as much as possible. At the end, all my efforts of figuring out didn’t turn out very successful and comprehensible… but I wasn’t giving up yet. I tell myself that it takes time… exposure and experience takes time.

Yet I must comment that attending such meetings really broadens my mind about what are some of the possible issues that are brought up at director or CEO level. All these issues really stem from a larger picture, far from the ground level issues that operational people like me face. Even so, our feedback is important as it constitutes the successful implementation and adjustment for each particular project.

Reflecting about this on the bus home that evening, it really made me wonder how broad the scale of discussion is for the ministers of the country. Thinking back on the subcommittee meeting, at times I am just in awe of how many issues could be raised and the amount of intricate details that come into play. In short, it REALLY isn’t a bed of roses to manage a national-wide project… much less running a country. It’s serious business here. Wow…