This year, PMMI’s Packaging and Processing Women’s Leadership Network (PPWLN) launched a series of educational webinars called Learning Circles which highlight some of the skills that can help advance an individual’s career, regardless of role. How to network within your own organization and the larger packaging industry was the topic of the second Learning Circle which took place in June. Moderated by OEM magazine’s Stephanie Neil, the panel included Nancy Wilson, CEO of Morrison Container Handling Solutions, and personal branding consultant and self-marketing expert Melanie Denny. An excerpt of the discussion highlighting some strategies for effective networking follows:
Neil: Networking. It seems so simple, right? Not so much. Nancy, you’ve referred to networking as building a community. Can you explain what you mean by that?
Wilson: I talk about networking as a community because really, it's what you do, and it's who you are, and the people that you have [in your circle]. And I have many communities that I work with here at Morrison as well as through PMMI…but also in my local community and other manufacturing associations. So with those communities, you have a lot of opportunity to connect with others and connect other people to other people to help everyone get ahead. And what I would say about networking—it is work. It's not just getting together and enjoying a glass of wine when you're doing your networking, it's work. But it doesn't have to be hard work. Networking can be very fun. It’s how you choose to represent it and how you choose to go about figuring out what is right for you.
Neil: What do you mean when you say networking is work? Do you have to have a strategic plan in place?
Wilson: You do, you really have to decide what's important to you and have your own assessment of what you need, where you are going, and what are your goals. And once you have your goals, then it's figuring out what you need, how you get there, and who can help you. And it's not just about you, but who can you help along the way, as well. One of the most important things I learned in my [25] years at Ford [Motor Co.], was figuring out within an organization, especially a large organization, where is the power. Who's making the decisions, who has the ability to give knowledge to you, and who can you go learn from. And so it's about learning, it's about being open, but it's about also positioning yourself to be with the [right] people so that they can help bring you along. But you can also learn from them. And they know who you. In some big organizations just being known who you are is kind of important. So it's about being thoughtful in this process of figuring out. You can't just sit at a desk and wait for somebody to tap you on your shoulder and say, “Here, I have this big opportunity for you.” You have to go make those opportunities.
Neil: Melanie, how do you build your personal brand and create a presence within your organization?
Denny: I think it boils down to visibility. Like Nancy said, who knows you? You know how they always used to say “it's about who you know,” it's really about who knows you, right? Because there may be people [going to] bat for you because they've heard of some things you've done, or someone else brought you to their attention. And you may not know them, but if they know you, and they're in a good position of decision, they could potentially tap you on the shoulder. So it boils back down to how visible you are in the workplace. It's not about sitting at the desk getting your work done. That's wonderful. But it's not enough. When it comes to taking control of your career, you really have to be strategic, intentional, and really pinpoint who you want to align yourself with. And so it's about going to lunch with your colleagues from across departments and seeing how you can add value or help out. Or asking people straight out, “Hey, will you be my mentor?” And being proactive about talking to people, not just about work, but just getting to know folks because at the end of the day we're all just people. I always used to say find people, not jobs.
Neil: How do you approach people in a leadership role that you think could help you and you want to get to know?
Wilson: When you're trying to sit at the lunch table with the higher ranking person, most people are more than willing to share and to talk about their life experiences. Be curious, and then listen to what they have to say. And then ask them, what if you had this situation, what would you do? Or, can you tell me about how you got into this business? And there's always a power lunch bunch. Figure out how to be invited. Sometimes you might even be as bold as to ask if you can go along. And it isn't comfortable necessarily at first, it really isn't. But one of the mantras that I've said for many years, and I had to learn it over time is: “Feel your fear, but do it anyway.” Acknowledge that it's there and it’s going to be really uncomfortable, but this is what I'm going to do.
Nancy Wilson is the CEO of Morrison Container Handling Solutions and a former executive at Ford Motor Co. Wilson has won numerous awards for her work within manufacturing, including educating the future workforce and empowering other women in the community.
Neil: Nancy, you've been in two male-dominated industries, the automotive and the packaging businesses. How did you navigate that and move into a leadership role?
Wilson: You know, I have had a lot of good advice, a lot of mentors, and I just have learned over time to speak up. Many women know that when you're in meetings, for example, you'll say something and nobody pays attention. And then the guy says it and then it's a great idea.
You have to actually speak up and say, “that's what I just said.” Or, “how is that different?”
One of the other tips I would say is, when you walk into a room, you have to know your product. In a meeting try to be one of the first people that speaks, if you can. And if you can speak knowledgeably about that subject, speak up, be heard. You want to be memorable. And, and I've often said, you know, obviously I've grown up in a male-dominated world, especially my years at Ford. There's good and bad about that. And one of the very good things was I did stick out. I was memorable. I knew I could use that to my advantage and I think women could still do that.
Neil: Melanie, how do you make yourself memorable within an organization or within an industry?
Denny: Yeah, I think there's a bit of self-reflection that needs to happen. When your internal thoughts are telling you they're never going to respond, they're never going to accept me, or all these negative things that we are allowing to dictate our actions, we’ve got to really sit with some of those sometimes and get to the root of it. And determine, is this what I'm prioritizing over my career goals? And then really, like Nancy said, I have the same that mantra, feel the fear and do it anyway. Because it's bigger than your fear, right? This is about you progressing and adding value to the organization,
Neil: We're all working remotely now. So how do you network when you're not in the same office with your colleagues?
Wilson: I do think remote work has brought in a new set of challenges. But we also are all much more accustomed to having conversations like this over Teams. And you can reach out and use those groups to create an after-hours cocktail thing, or go to a luncheon with colleagues.
And know that mentors and people giving advice can be at all levels, they do not have to be somebody that's higher. [Anyone] can give you information, and information is so important.
Neil: There's a lot of online tools that we're all using now to communicate and collaborate. Melanie, you're a LinkedIn expert. Are there things that we can use to connect us to peers in our industry?
Denny: Absolutely. LinkedIn for sure. If there's a virtual event or if you go to the event and you do participate and mingle, afterwards you contact the people you spoke with and say, hey, had a great time at that event, would love to chat with you more. Here's my link, or here's some availability, I'd love to do a virtual coffee chat, or something like that. The sky's the limit, really, it's just a matter of being imaginative and creative, and just creating opportunities for yourself. LinkedIn is one of my favorite tools. And a lot of people are on LinkedIn. Messaging folks on LinkedIn may not necessarily yield a lot of results. But it definitely is a point of contact that you can use to move some of these relationships [forward].
Neil: Are there things you should never do when networking? For example, we’ve talked about trying to get invited to that lunch, but we also shouldn’t cross boundaries, right?
Denny: Yes, you have to be emotionally intelligent and read the room. But I think that you can definitely still do it without being pushy or disrespectful or just annoying. You know, if someone blows you off three or four times, maybe you're barking up the wrong tree. And then [consider] who else you can connect with.
Melanie L. Denny is a personal branding consultant, LinkedIn strategist, and the founder of the Empowered Presence program for executive women of color to build visibility and leadership without sacrificing authenticity.Melanie Denny
Wilson: I guess I would say you always have to be genuine. You always have to be yourself and be true to who you are and what your beliefs are. And I would say never cross that line. If it just feels yucky in your gut, don't do it. I think Melanie is right, read the room and figure out how you can be there. You know, if the guys want to go out and play golf, learn to play golf. You can do things like that…go take golf lessons, go learn how to be a part of that. But the single biggest thing before you do any of those other tricks is know your business, know your product, be a professional, be valuable at your workplace, and they'll seek to have you be a part of it. And that's kind of the secret—always look to be helpful.
Denny: It's really about adding value. And I would say something to never do is to take take take take and never give. The other thing I want to add very quickly is, don't expect to go to lunch tomorrow and then have a full blown promotion. This is the long game. This is about building and nurturing genuine relationships over time. So you know, when you think about networking, people are impatient, but it takes time to build those relationships. And for people to figure out, oh, you could fit great in this type of role or whatnot, or advocate for you and trust you enough to recommend you, and things like that.
Wilson: And it doesn’t have to be hard. Make it fun.
During the PPWLN Learning Circle, the panelists provided some tips and takeaways for effective networking.
Click here to access the full Networking Learning Circle.
