Travelling on business, particularly as a woman, can be a lonely experience. I recently travelled to Houston, Texas to panel and run a session for the Women’s Global Leadership Conference in Energy and Technology. I spent 5 of my 5-day trip inside the hotel (where the conference was organised) with plenty of time to myself. I was hoping to expand my local network further, so prior to my arrival I had contacted the fabulous Girl Geek Dinners and the Global Dinner Network. Unfortunately either no events were organised in that time period were no local representatives located in Houston for either organisation.
With today’s technology, I was sure that there would be a fast and easy way to hook up with other professionals. Linked In is an obvious choice, but, again, it requires pre-preparation and time to spend joining groups and engaging in communication exchanges. Most of us time-constrained professionals don’t have the luxury of this prep time. There has to be an easier way, so in discussion with my business partner we have resorted to the power of Twitter.
Imagine being able to land in your business destination and following a twitter message being able to connect, there and then, with local professionals. Be it to arrange ad-hoc meetings or just socialise in the company of a like-minded individual. This is what Women in Business In Town, #wibit, allows you to do, which we launch today…
I am in Aberdeen next week, and have already started twittering with the #wibit hashtag.
Why am I doing this? Well, I am in the sphere of organisational development and diversity, and appreciate the power of connecting with business women, and businessmen, from a wide variety of fields. Here’s why:
Degrees of separation
In today’s interconnected world means that 6-degrees of separation is a reality, not just a saying.
It’s not what you know…
People do business with people they like – meeting them in advance gives your business development a boost.
Don’t underestimate
Even if you think that you cannot be of use to someone else, you will never know unless you ask them. Doing so face-to-face gets your creative brain working (and theirs too!).
Give and thou shalt get
How can I help you? Is such a simple sentence, yet so powerful. It increases trust in you, feel-good on your not-so-lengthy relationship and the all-time winner of the confidence in that you have others’ interests in mind (rather than just your own). Once you have deposited in another’s “emotional bank account” at Stephen Covey called it, the other person will be keen to help or connect you too. I find this a true recipe for success.
Cross-fertilise ideas
I often use new encounters as a way to think about new solutions to an existing problem or issue. I simply ask the person “what would they do if…”. I have not come across anyone who has not felt good about being asked their professional opinion on a subject – people appreciate the fact that you a) feel confident enough to ask them b) appreciate their views.
So, as you are about to head off on your business journey, or whilst hopping into your taxi at the airport, tweet that you are in townwith #wibit at the end of your message, and let the twittersphere lead you to your next impromptu meeting.
