Companies want to hire people to wire into their network - Wire and Hire
Everyone agrees that Networking is critically important but it is now going to become more important than ever, particularly for getting your next job. In a totally disrupted world you are going to need your trusted contacts and they are going to need you. However schools and colleges don’t teach Networking and companies don’t have strategies for it.
The Irish Chamber of Commerce Singapore and the Irish Thai Chamber of Commerce joined forces on Zoom webinar to host Kingsley Aikins from The Networking Institute on Friday the 22nd of May 2020 to discuss the power of networking in a post covid world. We got to full capacity of 100 registrants very soon after the event went live and emails were still coming through to get a slot if anyone dropped out.
Our host and interviewer was Paul Scales, President of the Irish Thai Chamber of Commerce and Benita Meagher, Executive Director of the Irish Chamber of Singapore launched and curated the online webinar.
Kingsley Aikins is a recognised expert on networking where he runs workshops and presents to companies such as Google, Linkedin, Accenture, Deloitte, Intel, KPMG, PWC, leading law firms and government agencies. He was awarded a CBE for his work on British - Irish issues. He was an economics scholar at the Trinity College Dublin and he has lived in 6 countries where he found networking and building connection essential for making progress. He worked for 10 years for the Irish Trade Board and IDA Ireland. He then led the Ireland Funds for 17 years. In his time with the Funds over a quarter of a billion dollars was raised for projects in Ireland.
This webinar with Kingsley Aikins laid out a precise process on how to build and maintain a strong and diverse network. He outlined the changes in attitude, behaviour and skills which will be needed to bring this about.
The themes that Kingsley in his hour talk with us covered were:
- 5 actions you can take while in lockdown to help your business
- What is networking and why is it so important
- The importance of soft skills
- Your personal brand
- The importance of Dale Carnegie
- Problems with Networking
- Characteristics of great networkers
- The importance of social capital
- The role of Mentors and Sponsors
- The 4 step networking process
- The power of attention and listening
- Funnels of serendipity
- Strong and weak connections
A few snippets from the talk were that Kingsley recommended that you audit your network, take control and ownership of your life in terms of marginal gains, get comfortable talking to strangers, build a strong and diverse network and become known for something. He suggested that you find a way to alter your routine, intervene in your life to find opportunities to meet people you don't know. In essence, meet unlike minded people.
"That's why we join Chambers of Commerce and go to conferences. It gives us the opportunity to meet people we wouldn't normally meet. Your name tag at an event is a permission device to talk to strangers. With networking you replace cold calls with hot coffee" remarked Kingsley.
There were a lot of interesting questions raised:
How does one go about discovering and identifying "What is their Personal Brand"?
Given the Covid-19 impact on how we live, is networking challenged by a lack of high-touch networking and a shift to high-tech interaction?
Does Kingsley think that women network differently to men?
Check out the website www.thenetworkinginstitute.com or contact Kingsley directly on kingsley@thenetworkinginstitute.com or call him on +353 86 806 4665.”
To build your network and gain more insights, join the Chamber of Commerce today in Singapore or in Thailand by contacting Benita, the Executive Director at ed@irishchamber.com.sg to join.
