Welcome back to Networking Unleashed, building
profitable connections. I'm your host, Michael
Foreman, speaker, strategist, and believer that
the right conversation can change your future.
Today's episode is a game changer. If you've
ever felt awkward walking into a room full of
strangers and unsure of how to make the first
connection, this one's for you. My guest is a
true master at taking the fear out of networking,
and replacing it with a simple, powerful, practical
step that can move you towards your next, whether
that's a new opportunity, partnership, or breakthrough.
Get ready for real talk, actionable advice, and
the kind of insight that turns handshakes into
high -impact connections. Let's dive in. Giselle?
How are you today? And welcome to the show. And
if you don't mind, give us a little bit about
your background and what you like to talk about.
Sure. Michael, thank you so much for having me.
Glad to be here. A little about my background.
I grew up in New York City, raised by a... My
parents separated when I was single digits. Of
course, I was single digits. I was primarily
raised by my mother and my grandmother in New
York City, in Harlem. The old Harlem, not the
new. And my mom always had me reaching for excellence,
right? So everything, I'll never forget like
growing up, if I would get a hundred on the test,
I would be able to go to this little store in
our neighborhood and get like a little prize.
And even once she took the incentive away, I
still wanted to be a superstar in terms of whatever
it was that I was doing. When I, after college
and all the things, she would always tell me,
when you go to work, keep your head down, be
the smartest person in the room. This is how
you get promoted. And I was like, I get that.
And then out of college, I go and work at what
was Anderson Consulting, it's Accenture now.
And I never forget the first time when I saw
a networking opportunity, someone had wheeled
out like a bar after work, it's like a Friday.
And I was like. clutching my pearls. I was like,
oh my God, people are drinking at work. I can't
be seen doing that. So I'm like trying to be
on the peripheries so that no one sees me. And
I'm trying not to be seen with a drink in my
hand. And then also numerous occasions where
employees would say, hey, we're going out after
work. You want to join us? I'm like, no, I'm
so busy. I have so much to do. I can't, I don't
have the time. How do they have the time for
this? I just didn't see it was important. And
then over time, Michael, I learned. that what
my mother told me wasn't exactly accurate about
you get the promotion by keeping your head down
and doing the work. I was like, I saw a lot of
people getting promotions, but I didn't see them
having their head down necessarily. So just on
my career journey, I learned that networking
is not a bad word and that it can help take you
from here to there. But I learned it at a late,
I feel like a late age. By the time I was 39
is like when it really cemented in. And because
of that, I enjoy sharing what I've learned with
others. I have a TEDx on the topic called Networking
Made Easy. And I just figured, hey, I'm going
to spread good cheer like you do in regard to
the hows of networking with practical tips that
people can use to really take the stigmatism
and the fear out of it. Fantastic. And I can
understand, first of all, I come from New York.
So I understand it. I come from Rockland County.
It's about 30 miles north of New York City. And
I spent my life, I moved down to Georgia about
seven years ago. It's a whole different life
down here. But I find that the networking that
you were talking about, it's true, your mother
was right. Okay, to a certain point, she was
to get you started to get you into the business
world. But knowing what we know, it's the social
activity, also keeping it in check. But that's
what helps get you ahead. So let me just start
off by asking. What's the most unconventional
networking strategy you've ever used that actually
worked? Unconventional that actually worked.
I would say the most unconventional is recognizing
people by doing something different about birthdays.
And what I mean by that, with social media now,
your birthday is everywhere. Facebook, LinkedIn,
et cetera, to the point that it's almost overwhelming,
right? That I can't even keep up with it all.
And what I came up with, I was like, well, the
field is really crowded. So I started doing these
half yearly birthday acknowledgements. So if
your birthday is in December, I'm reaching out
to you in June and I'm saying happy half yearly
birthday, Michael Foreman. And when you do that,
all of a sudden it's unconventional because first
of all, Michael, who's doing that? So it gives
you the opportunity to actually stand out. And
if you can be consistent in doing that, people
come to expect it. And it's a way to submit yourself
into the minds of others. And then to actually
help make that automatic and automated, there
is this application that I use called Send Out
Cards, where you can actually program it to send
cards. You don't even have to think about the
day. It just does it automatically for you. So
I think also some people sometimes forget that
networking is not just the physical, but sometimes
you can use automation to help you as well. I
love that you send out cards. I used handywritten
.com. Okay, it's the same concept, but handywritten
.com is one that I use for my thank you notes.
And I always use a thank you note for every event
coordinator or something else because that gives
that homey touch. That's part of my follow -up
that I always suggest because I have a secret
sauce for the follow -up. And I tell everybody
what it is. But I raise the possibility of getting
a response, positive or negative. But I raised
the possibility of a response to about 75%. Yeah,
so it's really incredible. So we'll go over the
secret sauce afterwards. Let me ask you another
question. How do you recommend people overcome
their initial networking anxiety or fear of rejection?
Sure. This is what I tell individuals. And this
can be, it's what I tell introverts, but it works
for anyone. And one way to overcome the fear
is to set a goal in mind. I happen to live here
in St. Louis. It's a very generous region. So
we have a lot of meal events, dinner events,
receptions on the front end. And people always
gathering. And sometimes it can be overwhelming
when you see groups of people that appear to
know each other that are chatting it up. And
then you're like on the outside looking in. And
what I tell people in that situation to take
the fear out, find someone like yourself, right?
So the other person that's in the room who isn't
talking to someone. It's thinking the same thing
you're thinking. Oh my gosh, don't want to do
this. Fearful of doing this. But when you're
approaching someone that's in the same situation,
it's not as difficult. And I can understand how
it's difficult to approach a group of people
who seem user -friendly with each other. So that's
one thing that I would suggest. The second thing
is in these type of situations to take the fear
out, give yourself a goal. Maybe that is you
meet two people. three people. And that's it.
And once you've done it, be done with it. And
then you can just check the box and enjoy the
rest of your evening the way that you want to
enjoy it. But I think the important piece about
that is if you focus on that two or three, then
what's going to be important is what you were
getting into before we were talking about handywritten
.com is to make sure that you keep connected
with that person somehow. We can talk about strategies
to do that because once you've made that introduction,
once you've broken that ice, do not be a one
-hit wonder. Make that work for you. And I feel
if you do that at every event, you know, you
will build up a network, particularly if you
follow up with them. That's very true. And I
always feel that the follow -up is probably more
important than even meeting the person, but it's
how you follow up. So when you first approach
that person in the networking event, that's like
you. Think about something other than the networking
event, other than, oh, something, Giselle, that's
a beautiful blouse you have on. Say, oh, where'd
you get that? And just break the ice that way.
And you'll have a small talk, a laugh. and say,
hey, who are you looking for around here? Oh,
I'm just looking for X, Y, Z. You know, what
do you do? And have them start talking about
themselves because you and I both know that people
love to talk about themselves. And I have a very,
have something called F -O -R -M that I remember
whenever I'm trying to build rapport with somebody.
It's family, occupation. recreation, and a message.
I just think of that word form. And it goes with
foreman. Isn't that interesting? And it goes
with foreman. That's right. So it's very easy
for me to remember. Okay. So how about first
impressions? What are your top tips for making
a memorable first impression at networking events?
So one of those, it gets back to what you're
sharing that people like to talk about themselves.
So one way to make an impression, if you're at
an event where, because sometimes this does happen,
where they give you a list of the people that
are going to be there, right? So one way to make
a great impression is to take that list and see
if there's someone that you're interested in
meeting. Then do what I call double click on
that person. Go. The internet is our friend.
There was a time when we didn't have this, but
now that we do, use it to your advantage. So
I'll go there, find out information about the
people that I want to meet. So maybe I pick three
or four and make sure I have their photo, look
for them and introduce myself. And individuals
love nothing more than to know something about
them. What a way to make an impression because
you've actually done some homework. So I would
say that's one way to make an impression. The
other is what you were saying, Michael, in terms
of when you meet individuals. I like that form,
the family occupation, recreation message. And
what was the M for? Message. A message that you
can get onto the same level as them. Correct.
So what you want to do is we, surprisingly, you'd
be surprised that you. very likely have something
in common with the other person. It's just a
matter of actually uncovering what that is. So
to your point about the first impression and
having these, what I call conversation starters,
so to speak. And one thing you have in common,
you're at the same event, right? So what brought
you here? So that's somewhere, something that
you can talk about. I like the recreation part.
What types of things do you enjoy? And once you
know these things about other people, it then
allows you to focus in on that thing and ask
them particular questions about that. Make them
know that you are sincerely and authentically
interested in them as a person. I think that
is a good way to make an initial impression because
people will remember that. Oh, I am into working
with youth and sports, for example. And if I
had a conversation with you about that, you'd
probably remember that. And people are being
bombarded with so much information today. So
in order for you to break that ice and make that
impression, it needs to be something that they're
going to remember. And it's more likely they're
going to remember something related to something
that they enjoy and that they love. And if you're
on the same page. That's very good. Very astute.
Very good. I have to tell you, when you brought
up youth sports. That's usually what I try to
get the people, depending on their age, what
I get them to because I was a baseball manager
for 16 years. I was an umpire for three years.
I coached three years of football, basketball,
because for my children, I did that. So if I
can get them to the youth sports. I can have
them talk all day long and I can give them something
intelligent, but that's what I try to do. And
one other thing that you said was you have to
be authentic, right? Because what happens if
you meet this person three months from now in
a different environment, are you the same person?
Are you as authentic? And if you're not, that
just shoots you in the foot right there. And
that'll, again, goes to your follow -up and how
important it is and how you do it. Let's move
the conversation a little bit to online marketing
or online networking. How has digital networking
changed the game and what are some best practices
for virtual connections? So it's changed the
game in that it helps you connect with people
faster than you could in person in terms of like
volume. So that's the plus. And it's so great
you're asking me this because we just did a podcast.
I'm in higher education. And at my institution,
we just had a session about networking specifically
related to online. So I'm so glad you're asking
this question. And one way, so it changes the
game in that it increases the number of people
you can get to know. However, let's go back to
your word authentic. Is it authentic? If you're
going after quantity and you don't know the people
that you're connecting to, I would suffice to
say that it's not necessarily an authentic connection.
And if you saw that person walking down the street,
would you be able to have a dialogue, know something
about them? You probably wouldn't. And I have
to say, what gets my goat is this. LinkedIn is
a platform that many of us use. People I subscribe,
whenever you connect to someone, send them a
note if you don't know who they are. Because
it happens to me all the time. People will get
linked. Send me a note. I say, oh, nothing. Just
say connect. And then I look and I see, oh, they're
connected to 20 people that I know. So in my
head, I'm thinking maybe I know them, don't remember
them. And I don't want to say something that
might turn them off. So then I go to two or three
people, shared contacts. I say, hey. Jim Smith
reached out to me in LinkedIn. Tell me how you
know them or how you know them. Maybe that's
how I know them. And they say, oh, I don't know
that person. That is not helpful at all. So I
pride myself on, in LinkedIn, I would say a good
95 % of the people I'm connected to, I'm going
to know something about them beyond the fact
that I'm connected to them. And let me tell you
a secret, Michael, you can't tell everybody,
but let me tell you, you and your listeners,
giving you this for free. And that is what I
do is I always make sure in that first LinkedIn
connection that I talk about how we met. For
example, I just finished teaching an executive
education class earlier this week. So there were
people who just linked and I remembered them.
So when I responded, I accepted and I said, it
was so great. having you in my inclusive leadership
course in executive ed yesterday. So at least
that starts with whenever I have to go back to
that person, I know how we met. Then I look and
see who else do we have in common? Ah, I see
so -and -so. I know them this way. So just trying
to further solidify. And then I often add, based
on what you do, let me know. how I might be helpful.
I'm in the higher ed space. I work in inclusive
leadership. However, I come from corporate, Fortune
250 companies, being a P &L owner where I ran
businesses up to $800 million. So if there's
anything that I can do to help you, let me know.
Or if there's someone in my network who can be
helpful to you, let me know. So it might be that.
Or depending on if it's someone who I want to
further advance the relationship with, I may
say, how about a virtual coffee? Or how about
a virtual tea, whatever your favorite daytime
beverage is. So that's how I believe that the
online networking kind of changes the game. But
I think it's up to us. It gets you so far, but
I think it's up to you to make sure that relationship
is authentic and to make sure that everyone that
you add to your network, that you're adding value
to them as well. It's really all about a two
-way relationship. Any relationship that's one
way, you can't use the word relationship. That's
true. And you keep going back to the follow -up
of the person. And we keep stressing that the
follow -up is just as important. And here's a
little tip that I give my listeners probably
every other podcast. But at a networking event,
when you finally get their business card, on
the back of their business card, write down the
date, the name of the function, and something
you talked about. because that will help you
in your follow -up. Now, I was in the mortgage
industry. I used to go to networking events.
I used to come home with a shoebox filled with
business cards. And I said, look how good I did.
And I'm like, I didn't do well at all, okay?
But now if you go to a three or four hour networking
event, come home with about 15 or 20 business
cards, but those are actually people you connected
with that you're gonna follow up with. And when
you follow up using LinkedIn, I'm a big LinkedIn
user, but you always find an article or something
and attach it and say, look, I thought you might
be interested in this. So anyway, yep. So that
falls right into my next question of follow -up
strategies. What's your foolproof method for
following up? after making a new connection.
You went into that, but delve into it a little
bit further. Sure. So this might be considered
old hat, what I'm going to say I do. And I welcome
you or any other listener to tell me how I can
be more efficient at doing it. So what I do,
because I know if I don't calendar it or write
it somewhere, it's not going to happen, right?
So what I do, I actually keep an Excel spreadsheet.
And as I meet individuals, I create a cadence
in terms of how often I'm going to get in touch
with them. So say I say I'm going to touch base
with this person quarterly. I'll put that in
my spreadsheet. And then I'll even, when I first
meet them, talk about how I'm going to do that.
So therefore I don't have to think about it when
the time comes. So maybe when I get in touch
with them three months from now, it may be that
I know something that they're interested in.
And like you, and you mentioned the article,
that's another thing I like to do too. Google
can be your friend or any other type of search
engine. And you can put in whatever that thing
is. Like I had a mentor who was into like triathlons.
So I would put, and he would do them all over
the world. So I would actually put that into
a Google search and then have it let me know
about these triathlons that are going on in places
around the world. And then I would just put myself
a note to say, if I haven't gotten any lately,
to just go online and see, are there any going
on abroad? And then I can just send a note and
say, hey, I see this is going on in Spain. Are
you participating? So that might be the first.
The second might be the half yearly birthday,
right? The third may be, how about you pick up
the phone? I recognize that it's so easy these
days to text, to email, but I do believe that
nothing replaces just a voice. And even if you
leave a voice note by way of text. It's a little
different. So something a little bit different.
Just say, hey, I was thinking about you, hadn't
talked to you lately. And then maybe that fourth
one is a virtual coffee. So I always just try
to lay out a cadence in terms of the how. So
when that time comes, I'm like, oh, what do I
do? What do I say? What have I done in the past?
Then I have a record also of what I have done.
Have you looked at CRMs? I have, but I haven't
found one that I feel is simple enough. Talk
to me, Michael. I use HubSpot. OK, now they have
a free version so you can get used to it and
see all the makings of it. But look into HubSpot
because that's what I use and it serves me pretty
well. And that serves me well because of my follow
up. OK, and how I follow up with the people.
And it has tasks. so that I set a task. So all
I do, the first thing every day is I go and I
set, I see all my tasks that I have to do for
that day. And it just keeps going and going.
So that is one that I would strongly suggest.
You heard it here first, listeners. You heard
it here first. Okay, quality versus quantity.
How do you balance building a large network with
cultivating meaningful relationships? The word
would just be intention. So I feel that if you
have quantity, it's difficult to be intentional
because it's too many people with which to keep
up with. So the quality component comes out of
the, I would call it the care and feeding that
you actually give to your network by ensuring
that they see that you see them, so to speak.
Quantity. If you are going for quantity, I guess
there are ways that you can make that work. So
say, for example, if these individuals are all
interested in a similar type of pastime, maybe
something like a meetup, you know, where you
invite these individuals and add others. So I
think from getting at big groups, if you find
something that everyone has a commonality around.
and structure something around, that could be
a way to get at quantity just based on a factor
or two of interest. But I would suffice to say
that's still a form of quality because you're
actually giving them something of value. I think
the quantity, I haven't seen someone, you tell
me, Michael, of how you make quantity successful
in terms of networking. Quantity really goes,
I equate that to customers. Okay. I have three
widgets. You should buy them. You bought them.
That's a customer. Okay. Ever since the pandemic,
we've gone to relationships rather than customers.
So that's where my mortgage thing was. I came
back with a shoebox full of cards. That was the
quantity. Now, the quality is where I've evolved
to, and that's the 15 or 20 business cards. And
I think you'll get so much further when you go
quality over quantity. Now, that's not for everybody,
but for a very good salesperson that sells X,
Y, or Z, quantity, that's perfect. But something
for you and I, quality is a whole different ball
of wax. Okay, let's go a little bit to personal
brand. How important is personal branding in
networking and how can one effectively communicate
their unique value? Good one. Personal branding
is also important. I think if we go back to your
question before about making a memorable impression,
branding is one way by which to do that. So for
example, I'm admiring your tagline, building
profitable connections, for example. I'm like,
oh. wow, I can actually, I'll remember that,
right? If I need something or a service that
would align with that. I worked with a marketing
company to help me with my branding. And when
I think of all the things that I've done and
how I combine what I do around inclusive leadership
at work, pulling in this networking expert piece
as well, at first I thought they were so diametrically
opposed. Oh, it's two different things. And by
working with a marketing person, she helped me
see a way to pull it together and came up with
the tagline, I make organizations hum. And I
said, that's perfect because it aligns with inclusive
leadership at the office. It aligns with my TEDx
on networking. And it aligns with when I think
about when I was in corporate and I've been like
a five -time general manager running businesses.
And I had a lot of success around turning around
failed relationships. So I make organizations
hum, fits there. You know, in higher education,
I teach all about inclusive leadership, belonging.
Again, that's really, it's people, right, that
make organizations work. So again, I make organizations
hum. When I meet individuals and they introduce
themselves, I say, you know, I'm Giselle Marcus.
I am in higher education. I teach around inclusive
leadership. And also networking is something
that along the way I've learned and have a TEDx
on that topic. And really, I work at the intersection
of inclusive leadership and networking, putting
the two together. And my tagline is I make organizations
hum. And oftentimes people say, oh, I really
like that. And if you go to LinkedIn, you'll
see that there as well. I think it helps you
be memorable. So it's important to brand yourself.
It's important to have that 30 second pitch so
that people can understand what it is that you
do and they can help identify how they can help
you and vice versa. If they have a brand as well.
That's very good. And the 30 second elevator
speech. Now, when I lived in New York, I had
two networking groups that I created. I created
two, one in New York, one in New Jersey, and
both had about 30 businesses in each. But the
whole idea with that branding, with your elevator
speech, is to not say the whole thing all at
once. Say the first half and just make the other
person say, what do you mean by that? What about
that? And once you get them into the conversation,
then you can expand your 30 second speech and
go into further what you talk about. So that's
all it is. You're just trying to grab the attention
of them and have them ask you a question. Once
they ask you a question, you really have them.
I like that because really what you're saying
is you're able then to make it more of a dialogue
than a monologue. Absolutely. Absolutely. Okay.
networking mistakes. You ready? Ready. What are
some common networking mistakes that you've observed
and how can listeners avoid them? One of them
is asking people for things and you don't know
them from a can of paint. And if you don't know
what I mean by that, that means if you don't
know the person, you probably shouldn't be asking
them for a favor, right? So sometimes People
have not yet done what we're talking about, developed
an authentic relationship, right? So let's say,
for example, someone wants to get their child
into some esteemed private school, right? And
you know how hard that can be, right? The list
along and you meet someone who has their child
at that school. You just met that person and
you grab their card. and you're on the fly at
a networking event, you reach out to them afterwards
and you say, hey, I met you at XYZ event. Hey,
I love, I know you're a kid at such and such.
I'd love to get my kid in there. Can you help
me with that? Do not ask people for favors when
you don't know them. So I think that's a networking
mistake because if you do that, I'm looking at
you with one raised eyebrow. So I think that's
a networking mistake. The other networking mistake.
is when you're reaching out to people that you
don't know, if you don't give them a reason to
grab onto why they should be interested, I think
that's a flaw. If you're going to connect with
someone, tell them why. And it could just be
something complimentary. Hey, I see that you
and I have a commonality in terms of we like
purple elephants. Give them something. I saw
you speak at. And I thought what you had to say
was amazing. Give them something. So those are
the two, what I would call, no, I add one more,
three, the threesome here. The third one is just
trying to collect as many contacts as you can.
This speed dating, I would call it, right? Speed
dating where you're just gathering information,
but you're not doing anything with it. And then.
Six months later, you decide that you're going
to open the shoebox with all these cards in it,
not knowing how you know this person and just
aimlessly reach out to them, not knowing how
you met them. So I think those are three fatal
flaws of networking. Michael. Very good. There
are so many points in all of those mistakes.
which I've made. Okay. I've made all of those
same mistakes and I've learned from them and
I've learned what not to do, but there is so
much I can't even go into it now. But we're going
to save the listeners time, right? Save the listeners
time. Okay. Because there's way too much for
me to say. Can you share a specific example of
how networking led to a significant professional
milestone for you or a client? I can. So this
is, yes, this is wow. Every time I think about
it, I get goosebumps. So when I was working at
Johnson Controls, I was a general manager and
I was so interested in, I wanted to work abroad
because I had an interest to be a general manager
running like a large global business. But I knew
my company wasn't going to allow me to do that
if I could not evidence that I'm able to work
outside of my home country successfully. So we
went through this whole diatribe where they were
like, hey, you're going to London. It was like,
you're going to Egypt. And both of those things
fell apart. Then, hey, you're going to South
Africa. And that one actually stuck. So I was
like, okay, great. But what I started thinking
about was, and this was supposed to be a year
to 18 months. So I was curious about, okay, so
I have to give up the role that I'm in now to
take on this role. So that's one thing. But when
I get back. How would I be edged back into a
role? Because clearly I can't go back to what
I'm leaving because they're going to put someone
else in this role and they're not going to say,
hey, we're just going to keep your seat warm
while you're gone. So I was just curious. I went
to my HR person. I said, how would I go about
finding, getting reoriented back into the company?
I said, because I'm a little concerned about
that, but I wouldn't want to say that out loud
to too many people. So I was hoping and saying
that to the HR person. She would give me some
nuggets that I could hold on to. And her answer
was, she said, you probably need to talk to Ian
Campbell. And Ian Campbell was this amazing leader
in my business who reported to our business unit
president. He was the person that signed off
on all the expat assignments. I came to know
him because he was the sponsor of one of our
employee resource groups. So I knew of him just
that way. She said, well, go talk to him. She
said, he can probably give you some advice. So
now I'm like, how do I ask this question? Because
I don't want him to think that. I don't know.
I just didn't want it to be negative. I didn't
want him to feel that I was worried, though I
was worried. And he's very high in the pecking
order in the company. So I go and I meet with
him and I tell him about where I'm going. And
he's like, yeah, I know. I'm excited because
South Africa is one of, he's from the UK. And
he said South Africa is one of the favorite places
for him and his wife. So that was a good opportunity
to have some great dialogue. So then I said to
him, I said, yeah, I said, I was thinking about
when I get back. How's the best way for me to
position myself? I said, I think about companies
like GE because traditionally a GE would tell
you you're going to have this role. Then you're
going to have this role. They can give you two
or three roles forward. And in my organization,
we didn't necessarily do that. I said, so what
would you advise? I said, because I want to make
sure that I position myself well when I return.
He said, so glad you asked. And he told me a
story, Michael, of someone talking about mistakes.
He told me about someone who went on an expat
assignment for three years. to Europe, came back
three years later. Leadership had changed. People
had pretty much forgot that he was away. So they
had to scramble around when he got back to find
him something. He had to wait until something
was found. So it was somewhat uncomfortable.
And I was like, oh my gosh, I really don't want
that. So I said, how can I avoid that? So he
said, what you should do, he said, because it's
really, things change quickly. He says, you want
to keep yourself in front of leaders. He said,
so come back every quarter and make sure that
you talk to your mentors and your sponsors. He
said, then he said, of which I will be one. So
he gave me the opportunity for him to be a sponsor,
which is amazing. That's a whole nother podcast,
right? So I said, okay, I'm going to do that.
So I did what he asked me to do. And then I knew
back to networking. He's someone that loves,
he's a triathlete. And every time, and then he
loves South Africa. So every time I would come
back every quarter, I would bring him something
like a water bottle about South Africa. FIFA
was in South Africa the year I was there. So
I brought him like a t -shirt back from that.
So just things that would resonate with him.
And he was reminding me, he said, then when you
get, when you know six months in advance, when
you're coming back, let me know. He said, because
we need to start thinking about roles for you.
He says, a lot of times we'll have things in
incubation. And we can start saying, hey, we
know Giselle's coming back. So I said, okay,
great. So I did all the things he asked me to
do. So that's the other thing I would say in
relationships, follow people's instructions,
right? When they give them to you. And what happened,
Michael, was amazing. I was concerned about having
a single job when I got back. I actually had
11 internal offers for roles. That's nice. That's
very nice. And it's so much more comforting when
you know you have something to come back to.
Correct. Because you can very quickly, especially
in the corporate world, you can be forgotten
about. And you don't want that ever to happen.
So very quickly, give me three actionable steps
our listeners can take today to improve their
networking skills. Give me three quick ones.
Sure. So the first one I would say is. make a
plan in terms of how you are going to follow
up with your network, your general plan, how
are you going to make it happen? I would start
with that. Second of all, I would think about
what is your goal or goals so that you can then
start to think about Where can I find individuals
that can assist me on this journey? That might
be organizations, that might be different geographies,
et cetera. And number three, I would say, begin
to think about the network you already have.
So for example, if you have an undergraduate
degree, those alum, that's a network for you.
Think about networks that are already easy for
you to actually get into. It could be if you
are in a, for example, I am in like a National
Black MBA Association, for example, and they
have 33 different chapters around the country.
So if I wanted to expand knowing people in that
industry, in a particular segment, I could use
that organization. So use what you already have
first. That is absolutely fantastic. You are
such a great guest. Giselle, if somebody wanted
to get hold of you, either for a talking speech,
even for you to coach them, how would they get
hold of you? Sure. You can find me on LinkedIn
at Giselle Marcus, G -I -S -E -L -E Marcus, M
-A -R -C -U -S. And I also have a website, www
.gisellemarcus .com. On Facebook, I am IamGiselleMarcus.
See you there. All right. That's good. Giselle,
I'll speak with you soon. Look forward to it,
Michael. Thanks for having me. This was awesome.
Well, hold on, folks. Don't go anywhere. Let
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