Bonding for networking

All of us, employed or having one’s own business would have to had to do the unpleasant task of “networking”. It is a very boring and sometimes futile exercise – people from various facets of business are called for a conference where business cards are exchanged, inane pleasantries exchanged and that’s that. Just like us, others too in the room just want to rush out and breathe freely. These meetings most of the time take you nowhere and rarely get you business.

But there is one “networking” meet which happened recently and participants said that it was one of the best – not just human-to-human but even fruitful businesswise. This happened in the US where Marie Claire arranged a networking meet of 200 CEOs, all women. Known as “PowerTrip” this was a 36-hour trip – top 100 women entrepreneurs flying from East coast to meet more 100 top women in West coast. It was a mix of 100 female CEOs and entrepreneurs in tech, politics, fashion, and entertainment. The best part about this ‘conference’ was that all 100 women boarded the flight from JFK airport to fly to Los Angeles. Thus in the six-hour flight, all 100 women, with no interruptions of Whatsapp, messaging and mobile calls, had no option but to move around, walk and talk with each other. The women ended up making great connections only because “everyone there was incredibly present.” Trip participants said that being in a small space with like-minded peers did indeed foster a unique kind of bond. 

McKinsey interviewed successful men and women from 60 US companies for its study. When the women were asked why they loved their jobs, most said because of the meaningful relationships they had developed at work. Indeed, the majority worried that advancing to the C-suite would require them to jeopardize relationships or compromise their personal integrity.

What does this mean – networking need not be a bad word and a boring affair – it can be made interesting and fruitful if given the right setting. Human is a social animal thus bonding comes naturally.