One of the critical challenges we all faced during WFH was connecting with people. It doesn’t matter whether you are an introvert or extrovert; you still want to change the environment and maintain existing connections and make new ones. We do not have the same privilege of chatting over coffee and knowing what’s new in the crypto world, startups, and technology. Does it impact our mental health and wellbeing? Of course, it does. Data shows how mental health has been affected hugely during the pandemics. We are into the digital era, and from now on, there will be more flexibility in doing work from home. How do we then make sure Networking is not left out? How do we do better at Networking from home?
A couple of months later, in 2019, I realized this when the WFH situation was new and would be extended. Everything was now on teams/zoom calls, and people were just a team’s call away. However, the funny thing is that now you need to plan the schedule before talking with anyone. Even though I tried setting up meetings with “Coffee/Chai talk” within my organization, there was an expectation of what to talk about since everyone is busy and occupied with many meetings. Sometimes people may not have the flexibility of turning on video. This is when it is extra hard to communicate since you can not see the other person in front of you! I thought this was not the same type of conversation I had when we were in the office and grabbing a coffee in the breakroom. How do we make it happen?
Then, I started looking up keywords for people I wanted to connect with on LinkedIn and directing my message to connect. These messages were like, ” I love the hackathon project you contributed recently and would love to connect to learn more,” or ” Looks like you also went to the same school. Can we grab a virtual coffee sometime? “. You might be curious if I got responses back. Not so well, in fact, in the beginning, but sending a message to 10 people and hearing from at least 2 of them was still a victory. You may be thinking, how did I manage to get this time? When we were in the office, we used to walk or go to the breakroom for a bit. Why not do the same thing here? Go for a short walk while you have 20 minutes meeting someone new outside your home or workplace. Or use a few minutes at lunchtime.
How did it go?
I found new mentors, people outside my workplace, leaders, folks who have taken their career to where I want to be, people who can use my guidance and learn new things. It made me so happy to help others and find connections to help me. You need to ask what you want and start building your wolfpack.
I also made sure to follow up with these connections by simply taking a minute to send a message. This was not the same as in-person but better than just being in your silo. I hope we all can leverage digital platforms to make new connections, get mentored or mentor others, find career opportunities or learn something new and have fun.
But, what do I tell you that there’s a unique and marvelous opportunity to connect with others? Not only that, it will be the perfect scenario to create new connections with people just like you. Eager entrepreneurs, business owners, and women in tech; willing to listen, learn and share with others. Well, I’m talking about WIC’s Annual Summit 2022.
As a Brand Ambassador, I’d love to encourage you to assist at the Annual Summit. Not only if you’re looking for new connections. It’s an outstanding opportunity to develop yourself both, professionally and personally in the hands and the expertise of more than 80 top leaders and executives from the tech industry. You can learn more about the Summit by visiting this link.
As you may be thinking, I definitely won’t miss the Summit. So I hope to meet you all there! Also, there’s a 15% OFF on your ticket’s purchase going on. The only thing you have to do is use the code 15-OFF.
Remember to join WIC’s digital network for more information about upcoming events, products, and promotions!
