Redefining Networking:

Women, that means Go where the men are

The point is these networks, made up of movers and shakers, already up and running, well oiled and powerful can make the earth move for a particular individual or business.This is a far cry from getting someone's business card at a cocktail mixer.The other point that's important to note is that, however much we support and empathize with women networking together, we can not afford to overlook the traditional male networks

Everyone who has a career or owns a business knows by now that networking is an essential part of the process of attaining success. Perhaps the next step is for each of us to take a good hard look at how we go about networking and make some hard decisions about how to really make it work for us. In other words, do we want to be bush league networkers or do we want to break through to the next level and go for the gold.

Most of us network a lot of the time, at conferences, seminars, trade industry shows, associations and dinners. We get someone's business card and we give them ours. Voila! We now have a contact within a certain company, someone who can tell us,we hope, who's on first, who has the power, who to talk to about what, and which way to the water cooler. That's good. It's certainly better than not having that information. But it's also minmal.

To ratchet the game up a notch, more power comes when you tap into an existing network. Here, you have to remember, there are different kinds of networks which exert different levels of power. If you have a friend in an ad agency, he probably knows a good multi-media designer. If you have an associate who's an editor, you probably can tap into some good writers. Does that help you? Definitely. It's always good to be able to identify and locate talent.

If you have friends or associates in your own industry, you might be able to get an early heads up on job openings, contracts going up for bid, or new trends which you might profit from. Also good. But not quite at the white hot center of power.

Let's face it. Business is about money and the most powerful networks are the ones which are involved every time money changes hands all over the world, the ones which can make or break your career, with a nod a wink or an introduction. The big five accounting firms, the powerful, well-connected law firms, the large banks, investment bankers on Wall Street and throughout the country...... these are the people at the white hot center of power. These are the interconnected networks, often known as the old boys' networks, who can introduce you to each other, sponsor you, mentor you, guide you and usher you in to meet the people who can write the biggest checks and who might take a liking to your deal, particularly if their friends like it. After all, just as people promote in their own image, people like to hob nob, do business, chat and knock back a few scotch and waters, light up a few Cohiba cigars after dinner with others like them. Guys, mostly.

Yes, we all know this already. But sometimes awareness of these networks dims in our minds..... perhaps partly out of denial, and partly because women today are focusing on our work networks and we know it is an easier and more effective strategy at work to network with and be mentored by other women. Consider this:women received only 1.6 percent of the $34 billion in venture capital investments from 1991 to 1996, according to statistics released by the National Foundation of Women Business Owners. Why? No one can say with certainty, but it could have something to do with the fact that most venture capitalists are men. As of this date, there are five women oriented venture capital firms in the U.S., one of which is not yet operational, another of which is new, and a third only accepts deals from the East.

And, despite this, women-owned firms are the fastest growing sector of the U.S. economy, with seven-year revenue growth of 132 percent and $3.3 trillion in purchasing power. So women have overcome great obstacles, including lack of access to capital and lack of entry to certain money and power networks, and become successful in spite of them. In part, many women eventually choose entrepreneuring because they hit the "glass ceiling" in their career and are trying to balance child rearing or elder care or both at home, and want the flexibility they can achieve by owning their own business. But despite their well documented success, the journey has not been easy for women.

For this reason, women are starting their own networks, their own venture capital firms or angel groups, their own businesses every day. And we should all support and tap into these newly existing networks. The point is these networks, made up of movers and shakers, already up and running, well oiled and powerful can make the earth move for a particular individual or business. This is a far cry from getting someone's business card at a cocktail mixer.

The other point that's important to note is that, however much we support and empathize with women networking together, we can not afford to overlook the traditional male networks. Today, with women's rising power in the marketplace, we are not as shunned and excluded by them as we once were. As a lawyer recently said, in introducing a female client to his largely puzzled colleagues who were asking what she did, but were really trying to figure out what she had to offer, "It's about 3 letters," the lawyer said "I...P...O..." As women start to bring the bucks to the table, they are becoming increasingly welcome in the "old boy's networks".

In the workplace as well, as business becomes more diverse and global, women's skills emphasizing connection, and interdependence over status and independence, their heightened sensitivity to cultural difference and willingness to communicate and look at the entire context before acting, make women increasingly valuable players in any network. The fact that women in business are now a dominant market has increased women's role and visibility in the workplace since companies realize their customers want to deal with people like them and many of their most powerful customers are now women. So increasingly, work networks are open to women.

The answer which works best for women is to tap into the most powerful networks you can. Both the new women's groups, and the traditional male networks offer something which will get you a little way down the road: make the most of both.