​In the ever-evolving professional landscape, networking remains a cornerstone for career growth, opportunities and professional success. It's an art that, when mastered, can open doors to new possibilities and forge lasting relationships. Below are our ten tips to help professionals navigate the networking maze confidently and efficiently.
 
1. Understand Your Networking Goals
Before diving into any networking opportunity, clarity is critical. Are you looking to find a mentor, new job opportunities or find potential new business? Setting clear goals will guide your efforts and help you target the right events and individuals.
 
2. Elevate Your Elevator Pitch
An elevator pitch is a concise, compelling introduction that explains who you are, what you do, and what you're looking for. Craft one that’s memorable and authentic. Practice it until it feels natural yet flexible enough to be tailored to different audiences. You only have one first impression, so make it count!

​As a public relations professional for more than 20 years, I have unfortunately become very familiar with how to deal with a crisis. Strikes, cybersecurity incidents, layoffs, employee misconduct – I’ve seen it all.
 
From first-hand experience, I can tell you that communicating about a situation that could negatively affect your business and its reputation is difficult. It’s time-consuming. It’s stressful. But there are ways to possibly make it at least at tiny bit easier.
 
What I’ve learned during my career is that good crisis communications begin well before a negative situation occurs. That’s why if you can’t completely avoid a crisis – and sometimes it can be out of your control – there are steps you can take to prepare. Here are seven:

Recently I came to an inflection point in my career.  Opportunities and new roles were revealed that led me to deep reflection on the role that being a formal leader has on my identity. I began to question. “How would it feel to not have formal leadership responsibilities?” While I envisioned some pluses (maybe aligned to year end processes), ultimately it led me to a powerful conclusion: Leading others is a passion and I wasn’t willing to give it up.

The question is WHY?

Leadership is hard.

In my almost 20 years of leading others, I have had some wins, losses and conversations I’d like to take back to do over. But to me the hard doesn’t come close to the joys and celebrations in seeing others grow, reach their potential and be better colleagues, leaders and people.