This morning I was a guest at a Manhattan BNI (http://www.manhattanbni.com) chapter meeting. For those of you not familiar with BNI, it is a structured networking group with chapters around the world. The purpose? To learn about other members' businesses and share referrals.
I found the meeting exciting, well run, and interesting. One item that particularly caught my attention was a networking approach shared by several members. These members seek out events, meetings, and seminars geared towards industries different from their own to broaden their networks even more. For instance, if you're a real estate specialist, how exciting would it be to attend a seminar on the newest COBRA regulations? While the content itself might be "boring," the networking opportunities are invaluable.
How many times do we push ourselves outside our comfort zones? Do we tend to lock ourselves into our niche of "Human Resources" or "Insurance" or whatever our profession might be? Within our organizations, how often do we truly seek out cross-discipline projects to work on? Thinking outside the box and taking a chance can be instrumental in succeeding in both the short and long runs.
No comments:
Post a Comment