November 19, 2024 • 41 mins
You know you should be talking to people in your industry, but sometimes it can feel overwhelming or even transactional. In this episode, Gianna and Jamé give networking a rebrand. They chat with Gen Z content creator and LinkedIn Learning Instructor Morgan Young about how to shift your networking mindset from a tit-for-tat, one-time conversation to consistent community building.
Do you have any burning questions about work? We want to hear them! You can email us your questions at letstalkoffline@linkedin.com.
And thank you to Morgan Young for joining us this week! Follow Morgan on LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/itsmorganyoung).
For more, follow Gianna (http://linkedin.com/in/giannaprudente) and Jamé (http://linkedin.com/in/jamejackson) on LinkedIn and subscribe to Gianna’s weekly newsletter: https://linkedin.com/letstalkoffline.
Credits
Gianna Prudente - Co-host, Early Career Development Editor, LinkedIn
Jamé Jackson - Co-host, Community Manager, LinkedIn
Sabrina Fang - Producer, Western Sound
Maya Pope-Chappell - Director of Content & Audience Development, LinkedIn
Jessi Hempel - Chief Content Officer, LinkedIn
Savannah Wright - Senior Producer, Western Sound
Sarah Dealy - Associate Producer, Western Sound
Alex MacInnis - Engineer, Western Sound
Courtney Coupe - Head of Original Programming, LinkedIn
Dan Roth - Editor in Chief, LinkedIn
Ben Adair - Executive Producer, Western Sound
Katrina Norvell - Executive Producer, iHeartMedia
Nikke Ettore - Executive Producer, iHeartMedia
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
LinkedIn News.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
When I think about like when you're just starting college
and you don't really have that much to offer, It's like,
what am I offering? The bread roles? Like seriously, like
not a lot. But I like to challenge people with
that mindset because regardless of where you are in your career,
a lot of people feel like they don't necessarily have
a lot to offer. But I think that that's a
really misconstrued concept because we forget that we as people
(00:28):
having lived the unique life experiences that we have, that
is intrinsic value. You have intrinsic value in just like
being yourself.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
From LinkedIn News and I heard podcasts.
Speaker 4 (00:38):
This is Let's Talk Offline, a show about what it
takes to thrive in the early years of your career
without sacrificing your values, sanity or sleep. I'm Gianna Prudenti.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
And I'm Jamaye Jackson Gadsden. Networking, Am I right?
Speaker 3 (00:54):
Okay?
Speaker 2 (00:54):
That?
Speaker 1 (00:54):
Jokay? I mean love it, hate it? The truth of
the matter is networking can give you the but it's
also a really important part of advancing your career. Now. Look, networking, unfortunately,
is not just those happy hours and sliding into people's DMS.
Trust me, I wish it was that easy. The real
challenge is what comes after figuring out how to build
(01:14):
and maintain those relationships.
Speaker 4 (01:17):
Look, I'm sure most of us have exchanged numbers with
somebody at a networking event and just never follow it
up me or you know, had that coffee chat and
kind of ghost to the person double me. Also, you know,
I'm not here to tell you it's okay. The reality
is networking requires time and it can feel socially draining.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
So it probably stresses you out. I get it.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
We're going to talk today about how you can foster
those professional relationships and play the networking long game without
it feeling ichy.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Okay, guys, so today we are talking all about networking,
But honestly, our girl is a little bit of a
facelift Gianna, I mean botox, little filler. She's coming out.
She's coming out, she got a new attitude. Okay, we
need to give networking a rebrand. Now, let's just take
a step back. Okay, networking feels really daunting, but I
think even more so, it feels so transactional for people.
(02:15):
You know, you're approaching people thinking okay, what can this
person do for me? What do I even say to them? Like,
how do I even introduce myself? There's just so many
things that are always happening in our minds that makes
networking feel very anxiety inducing. You guys already know my
art pits are always weady, and they certainly gets sweaty
for networking. But the truth of the matter is mastering
(02:37):
the art of networking is really going to set you
up for success in your personal and professional life. So
we want you to start thinking more about networking as
a relationship building exercise and that you are also creating
this community for yourself.
Speaker 4 (02:50):
I love this rebrand and I like that you mentioned
this idea of networking feeling transactional because I definitely approach
networking that way when I was starting out, especially when
I was like full on on my job search as
a senior in college. And I think that transactional feeling
is what really stops you from taking the next step
in your networking efforts. So you know, it's easy to
(03:10):
go to an alumni event, for example, and exchange numbers
or connect on LinkedIn, but.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
Then you're like, what do I do with this?
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Right?
Speaker 4 (03:17):
You know, what's the next step that follow up and
maintaining the relationship hard gets a little bit tricky, So
a lot of those interactions, you know, end up being
these one and done meetings, like you got the coffee
and then that's it. But like you were saying, investing
in your network and those relationships is super important and
it's kind of a long term thing, right, Like you
(03:37):
have to have that mindset going in. So later in
the show, we're going to bring on gen Z content
creator and LinkedIn learning instructor Morgan Young, who's been documenting
her career journey on LinkedIn. What I love about Morgan
is that she's kind of mastered networking at an early
age and has kind of built her network and her
brand online and it's led her to all these opportunities.
So I'm excited for her to join us in a
(03:59):
bit to talk about, you know, playing that networking long game.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Oh look, a friend of Gianni's is a friend of mine.
I'm excited for that convo. But first, Gianna, let me
ask you, how have you approached networking? I mean, what's
your relationship with networking been?
Speaker 2 (04:12):
Like?
Speaker 4 (04:13):
Yeah, you know, networking is like it's like flirting, Like
it's awkward and people are good at it's some aren't
like oh, but like I was saying, when I started,
you know, full on job searching during college, I definitely
kind of view it as transactional because I thought, you know,
I need referrals, I.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
Need any money me sobbing any money you help me?
Speaker 1 (04:37):
No?
Speaker 4 (04:37):
But like, yeah, but I think the nature of our
industry too. You know, who you know is really important. Right,
That's the same across the board, right, It's not about
what you know, it's who you know.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
But especially in media.
Speaker 4 (04:50):
The reason why my parents wanted me to go to
a good journalism schools for that alumni network. They were like,
we have no connections, honey, so we can't help you.
Like if you want to be an account and like
we said, will help you, but in journalism you're out
on your own. So I definitely like was hardcore networking
when I was looking for jobs, just to get a
better understanding of like what roles are even out there,
what's it like to be in a certain industry. And
(05:12):
then also when I was applying to certain jobs, reaching
out to people at those companies or recruiters, you know,
expressing my interest. You know, I definitely didn't maintain those relationships.
It was a lot of those one offs like I
was describing before.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
But now I feel.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
Like when I'm reaching out, I will always send a
follow up after. You know, if I'm the one who
asked you for the coffee chat or asked you for
the call, I'm always going to follow up to thank
you for your time, because fifteen minutes out of a
day is a lot, honestly, Like everyone has fifteen minutes
to spare, but it's still asking something of another person.
And so people who I feel like I have, you know,
(05:49):
strong ties with, I kind of think about networking that way,
like weak ties strong ties. People who I have strong
ties with, I feel like I'm so connected with them
on LinkedIn that we're constantly commenting on each other's stuff,
you know, we're texting or messaging. And then there's like
the weaker ties of people who maybe I don't interact
with so often. And I think that's where I struggle
(06:12):
with networking, because you know, maybe I meet somebody at
a networking event who I think is great, but we're
busy and we don't really maintain the relationship, and something
comes up that I want to reach out to that person,
but it feels random to be like, hey, remember me
from like a few months ago.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
So yeah, but what about you?
Speaker 4 (06:30):
How do you kind of approach networking?
Speaker 3 (06:32):
How do you feel about it?
Speaker 1 (06:33):
Yeah, I mean a lot of things that you mentioned.
I was in the very similar boat. I was going
to have to get out there and I was going
to have to learn how to network and talk to people.
And it was really an encouraging thing because as someone
who tends to be a little bit more on the
choir or introverted side when it comes to being in
networking rooms, I know, right, but literally it's so anxiety
using it. But you know why, it was because I
(06:54):
always saw networking as transactional and I don't like I
don't like asking for help. I'm always open to giving help,
but I hate asking for it. And it was one
of those things where I was like, oh, gosh, I'm
going to go into this room and I'm gonna have
to ask them for a job or if they're gonna
be like, so what do you do, I'm like, I'm unemployed.
Can yeah, I work for you aspiring and we know
(07:15):
you don't like that time. I do not like aspiring. No,
listen to our personal branding episode guys. But I was like, Okay,
let me figure out how to talk to people, how
to market myself. I had to learn when I walk
into different rooms, what is the most crucial information about
myself that I present. One thing I will say is
that I have learned over my career that your network
(07:38):
is truly your net worth. I had an incident years
ago and a friend of mine who was like a
high sitting lawyer, like she's been in the game for
like thirty plus years. She was like, Oh, don't worry,
it's handled, called up one of her friends who was
also a lawyer, and her friend gave me like free
legal advice and help and got me out of a
(07:58):
very sticky situation. And I say that because I'm like,
you know what, when we say that your network is
so important, we're not just talking about your professional development.
We're talking about all realms of your life and that
personal board of directors of people who are going to
help you and help you get to the next step
and just help protect you. You know, we are such
(08:20):
a communal based entity. Humans are so like if you
think about it as building community versus a transactional what
can I do for you or what can I get
out of you? I think you get better now. One
thing I also add is that because I've had so
many jobs as like a contractor or a freelancer, my
network was extremely crucial because I would work on projects,
(08:43):
whether it was cover stories or smaller contract periods. And
I am banking that that editor will remember me, because
those editors are hopping to different places and they're gonna
hopefully take their people with them. And so all I
can say is that networking is so important. I get
it that it's cringey. I get it that it feels uncomfortable,
and it's going to feel that way right. Small talk
(09:06):
in and of itself is also very nerve wracking for
a lot of people. But I will say that if
you can master the art of networking, if you can
master the art of speaking about yourself, but also if
you can master the art of saying, I can offer
this to you and then we can figure out what
you can also do it as an exchange versus transaction,
I think you would be set up for success.
Speaker 4 (09:27):
And I think that's key. Right when you're early in
your career. I hear this all the time, What do
I have to offer this person if you're viewing networking
as transactional, then you're going to have that mindset. But
when you view it as you're bringing a perspective and
they're giving you advice or whatever it might be, in
that situation, you kind of start to approach networking differently.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
Absolutely, because I'm going to let you in on a
little secret, that feeling of what do I have to
bring does not stop once you get out of your
early career. I get in rooms now with people who
have been in their industry for twenty thirty years and
I feel the same way. And I'm sure they feel
it to people who are even more senior than them.
So that feeling, what I think, is kind of like
(10:06):
professional imposter syndrome. I don't want to say it never
goes away, but what I'm saying is if you can
learn how to master it early in your career, you
will know that any room you are in, you belong there,
and that anyone who you build a connection with it's
meant for you.
Speaker 4 (10:25):
We've all got those questions that run through our head
when it comes to networking. What should I say, when's
a good time to reach out? What do I even
have to offer?
Speaker 3 (10:33):
Well, don't worry.
Speaker 4 (10:34):
We're bringing in gen Z content creator Morgan Young to
teach us all about the art of networking that's next.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
So I know what you're probably thinking. Networking is so cringe,
and honestly I get it. But thankfully Jihan and I
have a heavy hitter in today's hot seat. We have
a guest star who is going to tell us all
about how you can network and make it a little
less friend to Gianna, who do we bring in this week?
Speaker 4 (11:11):
All right, We're bringing in Morgan Young, and I feel
like heavy hitter is the best way to describe her.
She's a twenty twenty four grad who recently joined Shopify
as an apprentice product manager, and how I first met
Morgan is through LinkedIn. She's a gen Z content creator
and LinkedIn learning instructor who helps professionals build their personal
brands and leverage LinkedIn. She's been documenting her journey on
(11:32):
the platform for quite a few years now and hopes
people can take away valuable insights from her story to
help push their careers forward.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
Hey Morgan, Ay Morgan, Hi, we are so excited, But
let's first start from the very beginning. What do you
tell people as far as how they should approach their
mindset when it comes to networking.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
Don't go into networking conversations and don't approach networking with
a transactional mindset or an agenda, because I think that's
what most people, especially in my generation, get wrong. I
get like that my generation's impatient. Everything for us is
all about getting things instantaneously. But that's not what networking
and that's not what relationship building is. It takes time,
and so the best way to approach networking is through
(12:14):
a relationship building mindset. It's all about the long term
and the long game. To give like a real example,
I went to my very first career for and I
had a speed lightning round interview with a CEO of
a local startup that wanted to interview me for an internship.
And I ended up leaving in a really big impression
on the guy, and he followed up with me later
and offered me the internship. Turned it down because I
(12:36):
had had another opportunity come my way. But then I
kept everything good, didn't burn any bridges, and stayed in
touch and I started posting on LinkedIn, and then he
reached out to me later and said, hey, like I
feel like you remind me a lot of me. And
even though I'm kind of salty, didn't you know take
the internship. I still have to be a part of
your journey somehow, So like, can I can I step
(12:56):
into a mentor role for you? Three and a half
years later, he's still my mentor and he has done
so much for me. He has written me letters of recommendation,
He has helped me get through like major life and
career decisions, and not only that, he was just the
first donor of my nonprofit that I just started. So
and but then again, I didn't go into that conversation
with him, and I didn't go into that meeting him
thinking of all that. It was just like I want
(13:19):
to form a relationship with this person, and that's how
it should go, Like always play the long game and
go into networking thinking to establish long term relationships, not
just trying to do transactional things.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
Yeah. I think that when you really go into these
conversations saying like what can I give to this person
or how can I help this person, it shows them
that you're genuine, but also that you probably have something
to offer. But let me ask you, I think that
a lot of people, especially when whether it's you're starting
out in a new job or you're just graduating, you
may not even know what you bring to the table,
(13:53):
like are we bringing like steak? Are we bringing the vegetables?
Speaker 2 (13:57):
Like?
Speaker 1 (13:57):
What are we bringing?
Speaker 2 (13:58):
You?
Speaker 4 (13:58):
Know?
Speaker 1 (13:59):
So, like what what advice would you give to someone
who is early in their career as to how they
can articulate what they can offer to a potential connection.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
I love what you use that analogy because when I
think about, like when you're just starting college and you
don't really have that much to offer, it's like what
am I offering the bread roules? Like seriously, like not
a lot. But I like to challenge people with that
mindset because regardless of where you are in your career,
a lot of people feel like they don't necessarily have
a lot to offer. But I think that that's a
really misconstrued concept because we as people having lived the
(14:30):
unique life experiences that we have, that is intrinsic value.
You have intrinsic value in just like being yourself and
your perspective is unlike anyone else's in this world because
no one has lived your life, and so starting there,
that's the intrinsic value that you have to bring. And
here's my thing in terms of networking, like networking up.
(14:51):
Chances are you might not have, you know, a lot
of value to give to that person. Chances are they
probably in that relationship and in that dynamic, they pro
probably have a lot more to offer you. But if
you can go into it just like you said, where
it's like offering that person like, Hey, my favorite sentence
to say in a networking interaction is if there's ever
(15:11):
a way that I can help you or support you
in what you are doing and what you're building, please
feel free to let me know, because that kind of
leaves the door open of like you don't necessarily have
to know what your value is. You can kind of
just open the door and say like I'm here to help,
I'm here as a resource, and then that puts it
on that person to say, like, oh, could you help
me with this? Not only is that a great way
(15:31):
to establish and deep in a relationship with someone, but
that could also help you figure out what your value
is because some other person might see it even if
you don't love that.
Speaker 4 (15:40):
So, Morgan, I kind of got a question for me.
What's your advice for people who might be more introverted
in nature and feel like a nuisance sometimes for following up.
Speaker 2 (15:48):
Absolutely, I think anyone gets anxiety from a follow up
because it's like, am I bothering this person? But number one,
following up is always a good thing, and it's almost
never a nuisance. For example, I did a venture capital
fellowship a year ago, and I got it kind of untraditionally.
I didn't apply like normally, like I actually just knew
someone in the fellowship and they referred me and this
(16:10):
and that and the person who was the director. I
emailed them once and it quite literally took me a
month of follow ups, like emailing her probably about every
four or five days, and she kept saying, thank you,
please keep bumping this. I'm so sorry, like I just
have so much work this month. I ended up getting
the fellowship, and that wouldn't have happened had I not
followed up with her quite literally five times. And so
(16:32):
it's not usually a nuisance. People do get really really busy,
and sometimes they need those friendly inbox bumps, those follow ups,
And as long as you're polite and friendly and warm
in the way that you approach the follow up, it's
never going to be received. Negatively and as far as
like just getting over the anxiety to like send the
message to begin with, people are always nice with me.
(16:52):
Think that's that's like a motto that I like to use,
and so that applies for both follow ups and just
like sending out the email to begin with and worrying
about annoying or you're pestering the person like it's it's
not like that. That's how we naturally feel the way
to get over that is to assume, just to assume
that people are nicer than you give them credit for.
Speaker 4 (17:10):
Yeah, I like to always call that like polite persistence,
and I think too when it comes to like that
anxiety piece, you really just have to like also think, yeah,
people are busy, So if you're not hearing back, like,
it's not rejection honestly, like people like have busy live
so just like don't let that from you know, deterring
you from moving forward with networking exactly.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
So now we have a really fun part where we
get to get questions from our listeners. Morgan, this is
Dear Work, Bestie, where we are answering questions from people
who listen to the show, and this week's question comes
from Ashley in Utah.
Speaker 5 (17:45):
Question that I have often when I'm trying to network
is who I should specifically be trying to reach out to.
Should it be hiring managers, recruiters, or someone in my
same position? Is there any kind of insights you could
give on that, Morgan, what do you think?
Speaker 2 (18:01):
I would say all of the above again, like, don't
like network when you need a job, always be networking,
Like don't. It's not like a It's not like a
one time thing out of a couple of years. It's
like a you should consistently make a habit out of this.
It's almost like working out, like you just have to
like build a habit out of it. And so I
think you should be reaching out to not only hiring managers, recruiters,
(18:21):
and people in your position, but a variety of people.
So in my LinkedIn learning course, I had this thing
called the thirty three thirty three thirty three role in networking,
which is where thirty three percent of the people that
you reach out to and talk to should be people
that are on your same level. Think like, for me,
I just graduated college, I'm starting a job, So for me,
that would be people early in their career, and those
(18:43):
are the people that are number one going to be
going through the same things as me, so they might
be able to like commiserate with me for lack of
better words, but also relate to everything that I'm going through.
The next thirty three percent of people that you should
network with are people that are above you, more advanced
than you, a lot further ahead in their career. For me,
that's a lot of people because I'm not that far
into my career, so it could be someone in a
(19:04):
mid level position, a senior level position, or even an
executive level position. And then the last thirty three percent
that you should network with is people that are behind
you in your career. For me, that's people like still
in college, still in high school. And in that dynamic,
you are probably the one that has more value to
give to them than they have to give to you.
And the reason that's important for me particularly is paying
(19:26):
it forward. I've asked all of the people that have
mentored me, you know, I don't pay them. They're just
in my life and they do all of these things
for me, and they look out for my best interests
because they want to. And whenever I ask them why,
they say the same thing, which is I just want
to be a part of your journey. I see your potential.
I want to make sure you hit that. And at
the same time, they've all hinted to me or said
(19:48):
to me outright, when you get to that age or
when you get to the ability of doing so, we
want you to pay it forward. And so for me,
I feel very lucky to have those people ahead of
me that are willing to give me their time, give
me their mentorship, and so I pay it forward to
the people that are a little bit behind me in
my career and I can help them in that way.
So that's like my how I strike a balance of
(20:09):
who to network with, not just hiring managers, recruiters, or
people that are in the career that you want to
be in.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
I love that framework.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
I want to know though, like for someone like Ashley
who wants to maybe get on the radar of let's say,
for instance, she's gone on LinkedIn. She has identified a
role that she thinks is really awesome and she sees
that there's the recruiter attached to it. Do you have
any language that you might suggest to someone on how
they can kind of do that cold email? Like, because
I would say, hey, big head, and I know this.
(20:38):
Not you make the cold email warm? Basically, how do
you mean how do you warm up the dish? Exactly?
Can you not tell me you don't have mistake?
Speaker 3 (20:46):
When it bread? It's breads?
Speaker 1 (20:49):
What do you offer.
Speaker 2 (20:52):
Butter? That's how you wore it up? But no, Actually,
Number one, don't ever use the phrase can I pick
your brain? I so agree that is like my biggest
pet peeve, and the reason is is it's so vague.
Number two, the way to warm up a cold emails
First of all, be personal. I feel like the art
(21:14):
of like greetings and pleasantries has kind of been lost
in this generation and I kind of get it. But
at the same time, I have a lot of friends
who are recruiters and work in the recruiting and hiring
like space, and it can be a very thankless and
unforgiving job. So even as simple how are you, how
is your day going? Can really do a lot. The
second thing is be specific and be concise. Do the pleasantries,
(21:35):
but also get to the point explain who you are
and give that person a little bit of context, because
remember you're a complete stranger to them. They don't know you.
And so the best way to warm up that relationship
is to help them get to know you, and so
do a greeting, you know, ask them a question about themselves,
do an intro that introduces who you are and kind
of what your objective is and what you're trying to do,
(21:56):
and then say like, hey, can I have fifteen minutes
of your time to speak to you about this? And
also I'm personally a really big fan of going the
extra mile beyond, like even like a LinkedIn DM like
if you can find a person's email, like most people,
surprisingly including myself, actually put their email in their profile,
like email them. If they have their email and their profile,
take that extra step and actually email them. But the
way to warm up a cold message is to just
(22:17):
sound like a human being and like you're talking to
another human being. You're not trying to get this person
to like give you a job or give you a referral,
Like you're just a human trying to have another conversation
with a human.
Speaker 4 (22:28):
I love that you said that because I think it's
so important just to be authentic in your outreage and
be personable. I feel like a lot of times people
reach out to me who are around my age, and
it's so formal, and I'm like, oh my god, like, no,
we give you friends. Like I was like, just like,
you know, it's intimidating when you're reaching out to people
who you don't know. And we feel like in the business,
you know world, we have to be so formal, and
(22:49):
yes you should be professional, but like just be yourself
and like add some flavor into it so you stand
out a little bit. But I really love those tips
on like being personal, being succinct, and making that ask.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
But on the flip side, ge I get a lot
of people who hit me up and they just start
talking to me too much. I'm like, goodness, you couldn't
say good morning, you couldn't say hello. Like it's almost
like if you just walked into a room and you
just started yapping. No, not with Jimmie.
Speaker 4 (23:13):
I'll say it again, Jamay is anti apping, and it
all comes back to apping.
Speaker 3 (23:17):
Okay.
Speaker 4 (23:18):
I really want to dive into this maintaining the relationship
aspect of networking. You know, a lot of gen zers
I speak to, honestly myself included, have a trouble maintaining
the relationships. You know, past let's say the first few
networking calls and like like you said before, no, networking
is not supposed to be transactional, but a lot of
(23:38):
times you do find job opportunities from people in your network,
So maintaining those relationships is important. And I'm just wondering, like,
how do you even go about that?
Speaker 2 (23:47):
Right?
Speaker 3 (23:47):
Like, is there any rule that you follow?
Speaker 2 (23:50):
Yeah, So there's a couple of different ways that I
do it. First of all, I'm a big app I
kit of posty on LinkedIn. But the reason being is
that you know, hopefully you're connected with these people that
you're networking with on your LinkedIn. If you're not, do that,
and if they're in your network, they will see the
things that you post. One of the reasons I started
posting was to keep my network updated on what I
was doing. And so that's a really good way. Think
(24:11):
of it as almost like like when you post on
LinkedIn to your network, it's almost like sending a Christmas
card of like, hey, I'm here, this is what I'm doing,
I'm alive. Still, I'm so relevant, and this is why
you should you know, read what I'm doing. The second
thing is keeping like a regular pace. Friendships are like
one of the first examples of relationships that we have.
You think that you have to like talk to the
(24:32):
person and see the person every single day to have
a relationship with them. That couldn't be further from the truth.
You don't need to like see someone or talk to
someone every day to maintain a relationship. It just needs
to be regular communication. And so the way that I
do it, and this is just an easy, like think
of it off the top of my head, is like
once a quarter, so four times a year, I'll usually
(24:54):
make a point to reach out to people that are
really in my close network circle at least once a quarter.
That's be a text, email, phone call, whatever if you
really want to like hone the relationship once a month,
but once the quarter is usually enough to do it.
Speaker 4 (25:07):
Yeah, I think that's a really great advice. And I
think too, like you don't have to maintain a relationship
with like fifty people, right, like find your poor group,
because I think it breaks down what can feel like
an overwhelming task when you think, oh, I have all
these people to reach out to.
Speaker 1 (25:22):
So Morgan, one of the things that I'm always talking
about with my friends is like the added pressure of networking,
particularly when you're a person of color, and it's always
interesting to me because whenever I chat with my mom,
who is like a boomer, she will always say that,
you know, the man who really helped change her life
and her mentor for many years was like a white
(25:44):
guy from the Midwest. And it really paints this picture
for me that the people in your wheelhouse, whether it's
a mentor, a sponsor, or even just your network, don't
have to look like you or come from the same
environments that you come from. But I think a lot
of people are nerves because they're like, well, I don't
even know how to necessarily initiate those conversations or how
to identify that. Do you have any tips or like
(26:06):
even experiences of your own of like how people or
communities of color or people from marginalized groups can navigate
building sustainable networks, even if it's like identifying people who
maybe don't come from their world.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
You know, I'm so so glad you brought this up,
because this has literally been like a special interest topic
that I've been mulling over in my head for months
because truthfully, as an Asian American neurodivergent woman in tech,
it's funny because everyone thinks that like all of my
mentors are like like me, and it's like, well, first
of all, twenty six I think it's like twenty six
(26:40):
to twenty seven percent of tech workers are women. So
it's like it's kind of hard to get you know,
when we're still the minority. It's kind of hard to
get that. And truthfully, only one of my mentors is
a woman, and a lot of them also happen to
be Caucasian. And the thing is is, like, you know,
people have a lot to say about that, but the
fact of the matter is that in a society where
(27:01):
people and in groups and industries where people are marginalized,
we really really need allies that are in positions of
power and influence to get you into those rooms that
you would normally never have access to. Having those mentors
and those allies that are in those positions to help
you and lift you up in ways that people who
(27:23):
look like you might not necessarily be able to do
is something that's really important to your career. But the
thing is it can be very scary and as you said,
very much outside of your comfort zone. I think the
thing to remember is number one, again, people are a
lot nicer than we give them credit for, and number two.
Just because they didn't necessarily come from the background that
(27:43):
you had, that doesn't mean they can't understand what you're
going through or that they can't help you with what
you're going through. Most likely, they actually can help you
with what you're going through. And as far as building
sustainable networks, I would say, like, I am proud to
say I have a very diverse network, and I would
say that's very, very intense. When I was working at
Disney a few years back, I used to hang around
(28:04):
the burgs, the business employee resource groups, mostly in the
Neurodivergent Burg, the AAPI Burg as well as the veterans
Burg and the Pride at Disneyburg. And because of that,
I got to hang around with a lot of different
people that looked like Some of them looked like me,
and some of them didn't look like me. Some of
them had the same background as me, some of them didn't.
And like I said, perspectives are unique and those in
(28:25):
and of itself bring value. There's so much that you
can learn from having a diverse network. So I think
like it's just striving to create a balance of people
that resonate with you in different ways. Because people that
don't have the same background as you can still very
much resonate with you, and just as much. I think
it's important to recognize when you are a member of
(28:46):
a marginalized group, or several marginalized groups, it's important to
find those allies, in those advocates, in those spaces of
privilege and influence, because they can probably really help you
and accelerate your career. And that's I feel like that's
something that's really not talked about enough.
Speaker 1 (29:01):
Yeah, I think a lot of people either feel shame
in bringing that up or again they don't know even
how to navigate those But I love what you said.
We are often more similar than we are different. So
thank you for sick sharing that that was really helpful.
Of course, thank you so much. We have had I
feel like we could just sit and talk with you
all day, because I do love I love big, bold,
(29:23):
audacious women, and I just love being around them. So
thank you that. Like, we had so much fun. I
certainly know I've learned a lot about how I can
show up in network even better and build community. But
before we go, where can people find you?
Speaker 2 (29:35):
Okay, so people can find me on my LinkedIn, my
LinkedIn like handle, after Thelinkedin dot com slash and slash
is it's Morgan Young on Instagram, I'm at It's Morgan Ashley.
I also have a website called that LinkedIn Girl, because
that's like my nickname and my moniker. And then I
also have another website for my nonprofit that I just
started called Innovator dot Io. Those are basically all of
(29:58):
the ways to find me. Quid be on LinkedIn, follow
me on Instagram, check out my website, do all the things,
and if this episode resonated with you, feel free to
reach out to me. Love it.
Speaker 4 (30:08):
Thanks Morgan, Thank you.
Speaker 1 (30:13):
Morgan gave so much great advice and after this episode
you can officially count three more people in your network. Morgan,
Gianna and Me coming up. I love a good workout,
but working out at work, let's discuss after the break.
Speaker 3 (30:40):
That was such a fun convo with Morgan.
Speaker 1 (30:42):
Oh my gosh, she's great.
Speaker 4 (30:43):
Yeah, you know, I really appreciated the advice she shared
on recognizing your intrinsic value when you're reaching out to people,
because I think that's something like we were saying earlier
on in the episode, that you forget right you don't
you forget that you're bringing in this unique perspective. I
also loved that she shared how she reaches out to people,
(31:04):
because listen, like I have gotten messages from people who
are around my age. I know other people have gotten
similar messages where somebody reaches out, you know, saying like
I need help, I need this advice and cold sending
their resume and leading with that ask. And this is
the first impression that they're getting of you to potentially
influence an opportunity, whether it be you know, connecting to
(31:25):
a mentor connecting to a job so or even just
sharing advice. Right, yeah, So you have to reach out
knowing that there's a human on the other end of
the line. Uh, don't just you know, share your resume
out of nowhere, give context around why you're reaching out,
and don't leave with the ask.
Speaker 3 (31:39):
It just makes it uncomfortable on the other end.
Speaker 4 (31:41):
So, you know, like Morgan was saying, lead with offering support,
being like, how can I help you, or here's what
I want to talk to you about, and here's how
that can both benefit us.
Speaker 1 (31:50):
Right yeah, I really love that. What I have taken
away from this conversation is that it pays so much
to go the extra mile and it honestly just makes
my week cold, millennial dead heart warm knowing that people
are still doing that. I know, but.
Speaker 3 (32:09):
Handwritten.
Speaker 4 (32:09):
Now.
Speaker 1 (32:09):
I certainly did every job interview. I certainly sent one.
Oh my gosh, I have so many more stories. Hire me,
give me the money. But seriously, if you guys can
go the extra mile, you know, finding their email, connecting
with them on LinkedIn, right, getting their email from that, uh,
just taking the extra step. I also know, picking your brain.
(32:31):
I think that that's just such a u And when
we think about this idea of like disbanding transactional commentary,
that is certainly one of them. Instead of saying pick
your brain, you know, going in, leading in with the hey,
here's where we met. You know, your story really interested
me because you pulled out blah blah blah. You guys
know what this requires, intentional listening, make sure you were
(32:53):
writing down what you took out of that conversation, how
that impacted you, and then maybe even offering up if
you have fifteen minutes informational I would love to follow
up or take you to coffee. Yeah, exactly. You can
use that as an opportunity to talk to people without
making it feel like you are poaching them for information.
And then the last thing I'll say is that frequent
check ins are necessary. It is one thing to make
(33:16):
an introduction with someone and have a great five minutes
in the sun. But how you really start to build
a meaningful network that is going to last through the
longevity of your career is by checking in on people,
hitting people up on their birthdays, when people get married,
when people start new jobs, maybe even have kids. There
are so many different life events that are happening that
will allow you to just check in, let people know
(33:38):
that you're thinking about them, without actually asking for anything
in return. This is so meaningful. It feels so big
or so small, but it actually is going to have
long term impact on your career.
Speaker 4 (33:48):
Yeah, I'd argue it is small, but it goes a
long way, so long it has a big impact.
Speaker 1 (33:52):
Yeah, speaking of impact, how are you going to speaking
of impact? You know what else is impactful?
Speaker 2 (34:00):
Guys?
Speaker 1 (34:01):
When I go in my purse and I pull out
the receipts and we have now showed the receipts. This
is a segment where we take a look at some
of the headlines or workplace trends, maybe even some office
myths and see if there's any truth to them. Gianna,
what are we talking about today?
Speaker 4 (34:15):
Okay, today we're talking about working out at work. So
this past year, Bloomberg published an article arguing that companies
should a lot of time for employees to incorporate exercise
into their day. Obviously, we already, you know, know the
benefits of working out. There's plenty of receipts for those.
And because of the benefits, companies are now investing in
(34:37):
providing fitness training and wellness opportunities for their employees. So
some examples, companies are building gyms at their offices. If
they can't build a gym, they're dedicating space for group exercise.
They're creating fitness challenges and incentivizing employees with prizes.
Speaker 3 (34:54):
People love a contest, you know.
Speaker 4 (34:55):
They're also offering discounts and memberships to gyms and fitness
programs like you know, class Past Soul Cycle. And what
I found interesting about this article was this idea that
workplace workouts have become a way for colleagues to actually
socialize and network with each other, interesting outside of, like
you know, their day to day tasks.
Speaker 1 (35:16):
So what do you think, how do you feel about it.
Speaker 4 (35:18):
I think it's great because, you know, gen Z has
such an emphasis on mental health, and when you think
about supporting the whole being of a person, exercise is
part of their life, right. So it's also tough, you know,
we think now with all these RTO mandates, to find
time to work out, if that's something that's important in
your life, it's challenging.
Speaker 1 (35:38):
Right, Yeah.
Speaker 4 (35:38):
So I like the idea that companies are providing space
for people to do that. Personally, I don't want anyone
to see me in my workout like I don't want
people to see me like in my sports were on
biker shorts. So I don't know that I'll be participating.
We do have benefits here at LinkedIn, we have a
(36:01):
wellness studio. I haven't, you know, done the trainings or
taking classes there.
Speaker 3 (36:05):
I do something on my own time.
Speaker 4 (36:08):
But I do really love the idea. But I don't
know that I'll be participating anytime soon.
Speaker 1 (36:13):
Yeah, so really quick, guys, want to clarify, Gianna brought
up OURTO mandates. That's return to office Just for those
of you who are like, what the heck is that
a lot of companies are starting to require employees to
come back into the office after years of working from home,
and so a lot of people who might have started
off as remote or hybrid are now moving back into office.
(36:35):
So this is actually an interesting conversation because I think
Gean and I have dissenting opinions. Dun dundune. I have
feelings about this because Number one, I feel like this
is the modern day golf course conversation. The idea of
like you close business deals on the golf course aready right.
So it's almost like, well, what happens when you are
(36:58):
someone who you know, maybe you have a family, or
you are taking classes after work and you can't build
that camaraderie with people. Are you now going to be
penalized because oh, when it comes time for promotion or
when it comes time for upper mobility, everyone's gonna remember,
oh yeah, we went to berries together.
Speaker 4 (37:15):
Like, I don't think this is like a mandatory thing.
Speaker 1 (37:17):
No, no, no, I'm not saying that. But what I'm saying
is it puts pressure on people to show because now
you feel what am I missing if I don't go.
Another thing I have about this is that I think
particularly we see this a lot in tech that they
will give you all of the amenities so that you
don't go home. And as much as that sounds no,
it is like there are other companies that they have
(37:38):
barber shops and salons on their campuses, dry cleaners, daycare,
Oh my god, Yes we can offline about that. Yes,
there are companies that will offer that. And as much
as it's a beautiful thing, because you're like, wow, like
I have a one stop shop, Well why would you
want to go home? If I offer you breakfast, lunch,
and dinner and I can clean your clothes, and I
(37:59):
can give you an opera tunity to work out, and
I can cut your caar movie. Well, we live in it, baby.
So I just say all of that to say, like,
although I totally can understand where this is meaningful and beneficial. Yes,
mental health, Yes, physical health is so important. I always
kind of look at, well, what is the trap or
what is the other incentive in that I think that
it kind of can displace people who don't want to
(38:20):
work out. I don't want to work out. I got
a booty. I don't need y'all seeing it up on
a standmen.
Speaker 4 (38:24):
Also, there's like accessibility concerns, like not everybody is, you know,
able to do that.
Speaker 1 (38:29):
Yeah, And I just think of the natural order of
like when there's a lot of people in community and
you're not there, what are you missing out on? So
although I think like it's great and definitely get your
you know, get your work out on, you know, you
want that body, yadda yadda, like I get it, I
just also kind of see, like, hmm, that's interesting. So
you know, I'll continue to go to yoga, pilates, all
(38:49):
that on my own. I'll meet y'all at the happy Est.
Speaker 4 (38:52):
Also, I just want to add I literally fell off
the treadmill ones and held on like you would see
in a movie. And that was so embarrassing and mortifying.
I never went back to that gym, so God forbid
that happen in a work setting, I would have to quit.
Speaker 1 (39:03):
You want to know my humbling story. The first time
I ever went to the gym, I got on the StairMaster.
Why did no one save me? Why did no one
tell me that? That is actually the worst thing to
episode Gianna. I literally had an asthma attack and I
starfished out in the middle of that gym. I was like,
good God, if this is the time to take me.
Everybody know, I love it.
Speaker 3 (39:23):
Will the company in company work out class.
Speaker 1 (39:28):
Workplace workouts are not for us anyways.
Speaker 3 (39:31):
Let us know your take.
Speaker 4 (39:33):
We would love Yeah, we kind of have opposing views
on this, but agree on something, So let us know
what do you think about workplace workouts?
Speaker 3 (39:42):
Are you here for it? Are you not?
Speaker 4 (39:44):
You can let us know in the newsletter this week
or share a post on LinkedIn tagas I would.
Speaker 1 (39:47):
Love that, and also we want to thank Ashley for
sending in their question. You guys can also send us
your questions. Okay, information on how to do that is
in the show description.
Speaker 3 (39:57):
You know I just mentioned the newsletter before.
Speaker 4 (40:00):
Make sure you guys are subscribed if you're not already,
it's called Let's Talk Offline. You can find the link
in the show description and it's also in my LinkedIn bio.
And while you're at it, another thing, make sure you
guys are following the show and rate it. We would
love love love to hear what you think, and if
you guys have any ideas, send them our away please
we're open.
Speaker 3 (40:18):
Ears.
Speaker 4 (40:19):
Before you go, remember Jimmy and I always got your back,
So if something comes up, Let's Talk offline.
Speaker 3 (40:25):
I'm Janna PRUDENTI.
Speaker 1 (40:27):
And I'm Jamaine Jackson Gadsden.
Speaker 4 (40:28):
Stay Thriving, Let's Talk Offline is a production of LinkedIn
News and iHeart Podcasts. The show is produced by Western Sound.
Our producer is Sabrina Fang. The show is edited by
Savannah Wright. Our associate producer is Sarah Dealey. Alex mckinnis
is our engineer, and Ben Adair is the executive producer.
Speaker 1 (40:48):
Executive producers at iHeart Podcasts are Katrina Norvel and Nikki Etour.
We got support from LinkedIn's Jesse Humple, Sarah Storm, and
Ayana Angel. Maya Pope shape Well is Director of Content,
Dave Pond is Head of News Production, Courtney Coop is
Head of Original Programming, and Dan Roth is the editor
in chief of LinkedIn
LinkedIn News.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
When I think about like when you're just starting college
and you don't really have that much to offer, It's like,
what am I offering? The bread roles? Like seriously, like
not a lot. But I like to challenge people with
that mindset because regardless of where you are in your career,
a lot of people feel like they don't necessarily have
a lot to offer. But I think that that's a
really misconstrued concept because we forget that we as people
(00:28):
having lived the unique life experiences that we have, that
is intrinsic value. You have intrinsic value in just like
being yourself.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
From LinkedIn News and I heard podcasts.
Speaker 4 (00:38):
This is Let's Talk Offline, a show about what it
takes to thrive in the early years of your career
without sacrificing your values, sanity or sleep. I'm Gianna Prudenti.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
And I'm Jamaye Jackson Gadsden. Networking, Am I right?
Speaker 3 (00:54):
Okay?
Speaker 2 (00:54):
That?
Speaker 1 (00:54):
Jokay? I mean love it, hate it? The truth of
the matter is networking can give you the but it's
also a really important part of advancing your career. Now. Look, networking, unfortunately,
is not just those happy hours and sliding into people's DMS.
Trust me, I wish it was that easy. The real
challenge is what comes after figuring out how to build
(01:14):
and maintain those relationships.
Speaker 4 (01:17):
Look, I'm sure most of us have exchanged numbers with
somebody at a networking event and just never follow it
up me or you know, had that coffee chat and
kind of ghost to the person double me. Also, you know,
I'm not here to tell you it's okay. The reality
is networking requires time and it can feel socially draining.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
So it probably stresses you out. I get it.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
We're going to talk today about how you can foster
those professional relationships and play the networking long game without
it feeling ichy.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Okay, guys, so today we are talking all about networking,
But honestly, our girl is a little bit of a
facelift Gianna, I mean botox, little filler. She's coming out.
She's coming out, she got a new attitude. Okay, we
need to give networking a rebrand. Now, let's just take
a step back. Okay, networking feels really daunting, but I
think even more so, it feels so transactional for people.
(02:15):
You know, you're approaching people thinking okay, what can this
person do for me? What do I even say to them? Like,
how do I even introduce myself? There's just so many
things that are always happening in our minds that makes
networking feel very anxiety inducing. You guys already know my
art pits are always weady, and they certainly gets sweaty
for networking. But the truth of the matter is mastering
(02:37):
the art of networking is really going to set you
up for success in your personal and professional life. So
we want you to start thinking more about networking as
a relationship building exercise and that you are also creating
this community for yourself.
Speaker 4 (02:50):
I love this rebrand and I like that you mentioned
this idea of networking feeling transactional because I definitely approach
networking that way when I was starting out, especially when
I was like full on on my job search as
a senior in college. And I think that transactional feeling
is what really stops you from taking the next step
in your networking efforts. So you know, it's easy to
(03:10):
go to an alumni event, for example, and exchange numbers
or connect on LinkedIn, but.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
Then you're like, what do I do with this?
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Right?
Speaker 4 (03:17):
You know, what's the next step that follow up and
maintaining the relationship hard gets a little bit tricky, So
a lot of those interactions, you know, end up being
these one and done meetings, like you got the coffee
and then that's it. But like you were saying, investing
in your network and those relationships is super important and
it's kind of a long term thing, right, Like you
(03:37):
have to have that mindset going in. So later in
the show, we're going to bring on gen Z content
creator and LinkedIn learning instructor Morgan Young, who's been documenting
her career journey on LinkedIn. What I love about Morgan
is that she's kind of mastered networking at an early
age and has kind of built her network and her
brand online and it's led her to all these opportunities.
So I'm excited for her to join us in a
(03:59):
bit to talk about, you know, playing that networking long game.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Oh look, a friend of Gianni's is a friend of mine.
I'm excited for that convo. But first, Gianna, let me
ask you, how have you approached networking? I mean, what's
your relationship with networking been?
Speaker 2 (04:12):
Like?
Speaker 4 (04:13):
Yeah, you know, networking is like it's like flirting, Like
it's awkward and people are good at it's some aren't
like oh, but like I was saying, when I started,
you know, full on job searching during college, I definitely
kind of view it as transactional because I thought, you know,
I need referrals, I.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
Need any money me sobbing any money you help me?
Speaker 1 (04:37):
No?
Speaker 4 (04:37):
But like, yeah, but I think the nature of our
industry too. You know, who you know is really important. Right,
That's the same across the board, right, It's not about
what you know, it's who you know.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
But especially in media.
Speaker 4 (04:50):
The reason why my parents wanted me to go to
a good journalism schools for that alumni network. They were like,
we have no connections, honey, so we can't help you.
Like if you want to be an account and like
we said, will help you, but in journalism you're out
on your own. So I definitely like was hardcore networking
when I was looking for jobs, just to get a
better understanding of like what roles are even out there,
what's it like to be in a certain industry. And
(05:12):
then also when I was applying to certain jobs, reaching
out to people at those companies or recruiters, you know,
expressing my interest. You know, I definitely didn't maintain those relationships.
It was a lot of those one offs like I
was describing before.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
But now I feel.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
Like when I'm reaching out, I will always send a
follow up after. You know, if I'm the one who
asked you for the coffee chat or asked you for
the call, I'm always going to follow up to thank
you for your time, because fifteen minutes out of a
day is a lot, honestly, Like everyone has fifteen minutes
to spare, but it's still asking something of another person.
And so people who I feel like I have, you know,
(05:49):
strong ties with, I kind of think about networking that way,
like weak ties strong ties. People who I have strong
ties with, I feel like I'm so connected with them
on LinkedIn that we're constantly commenting on each other's stuff,
you know, we're texting or messaging. And then there's like
the weaker ties of people who maybe I don't interact
with so often. And I think that's where I struggle
(06:12):
with networking, because you know, maybe I meet somebody at
a networking event who I think is great, but we're
busy and we don't really maintain the relationship, and something
comes up that I want to reach out to that person,
but it feels random to be like, hey, remember me
from like a few months ago.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
So yeah, but what about you?
Speaker 4 (06:30):
How do you kind of approach networking?
Speaker 3 (06:32):
How do you feel about it?
Speaker 1 (06:33):
Yeah, I mean a lot of things that you mentioned.
I was in the very similar boat. I was going
to have to get out there and I was going
to have to learn how to network and talk to people.
And it was really an encouraging thing because as someone
who tends to be a little bit more on the
choir or introverted side when it comes to being in
networking rooms, I know, right, but literally it's so anxiety
using it. But you know why, it was because I
(06:54):
always saw networking as transactional and I don't like I
don't like asking for help. I'm always open to giving help,
but I hate asking for it. And it was one
of those things where I was like, oh, gosh, I'm
going to go into this room and I'm gonna have
to ask them for a job or if they're gonna
be like, so what do you do, I'm like, I'm unemployed.
Can yeah, I work for you aspiring and we know
(07:15):
you don't like that time. I do not like aspiring. No,
listen to our personal branding episode guys. But I was like, Okay,
let me figure out how to talk to people, how
to market myself. I had to learn when I walk
into different rooms, what is the most crucial information about
myself that I present. One thing I will say is
that I have learned over my career that your network
(07:38):
is truly your net worth. I had an incident years
ago and a friend of mine who was like a
high sitting lawyer, like she's been in the game for
like thirty plus years. She was like, Oh, don't worry,
it's handled, called up one of her friends who was
also a lawyer, and her friend gave me like free
legal advice and help and got me out of a
(07:58):
very sticky situation. And I say that because I'm like,
you know what, when we say that your network is
so important, we're not just talking about your professional development.
We're talking about all realms of your life and that
personal board of directors of people who are going to
help you and help you get to the next step
and just help protect you. You know, we are such
(08:20):
a communal based entity. Humans are so like if you
think about it as building community versus a transactional what
can I do for you or what can I get
out of you? I think you get better now. One
thing I also add is that because I've had so
many jobs as like a contractor or a freelancer, my
network was extremely crucial because I would work on projects,
(08:43):
whether it was cover stories or smaller contract periods. And
I am banking that that editor will remember me, because
those editors are hopping to different places and they're gonna
hopefully take their people with them. And so all I
can say is that networking is so important. I get
it that it's cringey. I get it that it feels uncomfortable,
and it's going to feel that way right. Small talk
(09:06):
in and of itself is also very nerve wracking for
a lot of people. But I will say that if
you can master the art of networking, if you can
master the art of speaking about yourself, but also if
you can master the art of saying, I can offer
this to you and then we can figure out what
you can also do it as an exchange versus transaction,
I think you would be set up for success.
Speaker 4 (09:27):
And I think that's key. Right when you're early in
your career. I hear this all the time, What do
I have to offer this person if you're viewing networking
as transactional, then you're going to have that mindset. But
when you view it as you're bringing a perspective and
they're giving you advice or whatever it might be, in
that situation, you kind of start to approach networking differently.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
Absolutely, because I'm going to let you in on a
little secret, that feeling of what do I have to
bring does not stop once you get out of your
early career. I get in rooms now with people who
have been in their industry for twenty thirty years and
I feel the same way. And I'm sure they feel
it to people who are even more senior than them.
So that feeling, what I think, is kind of like
(10:06):
professional imposter syndrome. I don't want to say it never
goes away, but what I'm saying is if you can
learn how to master it early in your career, you
will know that any room you are in, you belong there,
and that anyone who you build a connection with it's
meant for you.
Speaker 4 (10:25):
We've all got those questions that run through our head
when it comes to networking. What should I say, when's
a good time to reach out? What do I even
have to offer?
Speaker 3 (10:33):
Well, don't worry.
Speaker 4 (10:34):
We're bringing in gen Z content creator Morgan Young to
teach us all about the art of networking that's next.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
So I know what you're probably thinking. Networking is so cringe,
and honestly I get it. But thankfully Jihan and I
have a heavy hitter in today's hot seat. We have
a guest star who is going to tell us all
about how you can network and make it a little
less friend to Gianna, who do we bring in this week?
Speaker 4 (11:11):
All right, We're bringing in Morgan Young, and I feel
like heavy hitter is the best way to describe her.
She's a twenty twenty four grad who recently joined Shopify
as an apprentice product manager, and how I first met
Morgan is through LinkedIn. She's a gen Z content creator
and LinkedIn learning instructor who helps professionals build their personal
brands and leverage LinkedIn. She's been documenting her journey on
(11:32):
the platform for quite a few years now and hopes
people can take away valuable insights from her story to
help push their careers forward.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
Hey Morgan, Ay Morgan, Hi, we are so excited, But
let's first start from the very beginning. What do you
tell people as far as how they should approach their
mindset when it comes to networking.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
Don't go into networking conversations and don't approach networking with
a transactional mindset or an agenda, because I think that's
what most people, especially in my generation, get wrong. I
get like that my generation's impatient. Everything for us is
all about getting things instantaneously. But that's not what networking
and that's not what relationship building is. It takes time,
and so the best way to approach networking is through
(12:14):
a relationship building mindset. It's all about the long term
and the long game. To give like a real example,
I went to my very first career for and I
had a speed lightning round interview with a CEO of
a local startup that wanted to interview me for an internship.
And I ended up leaving in a really big impression
on the guy, and he followed up with me later
and offered me the internship. Turned it down because I
(12:36):
had had another opportunity come my way. But then I
kept everything good, didn't burn any bridges, and stayed in
touch and I started posting on LinkedIn, and then he
reached out to me later and said, hey, like I
feel like you remind me a lot of me. And
even though I'm kind of salty, didn't you know take
the internship. I still have to be a part of
your journey somehow, So like, can I can I step
(12:56):
into a mentor role for you? Three and a half
years later, he's still my mentor and he has done
so much for me. He has written me letters of recommendation,
He has helped me get through like major life and
career decisions, and not only that, he was just the
first donor of my nonprofit that I just started. So
and but then again, I didn't go into that conversation
with him, and I didn't go into that meeting him
thinking of all that. It was just like I want
(13:19):
to form a relationship with this person, and that's how
it should go, Like always play the long game and
go into networking thinking to establish long term relationships, not
just trying to do transactional things.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
Yeah. I think that when you really go into these
conversations saying like what can I give to this person
or how can I help this person, it shows them
that you're genuine, but also that you probably have something
to offer. But let me ask you, I think that
a lot of people, especially when whether it's you're starting
out in a new job or you're just graduating, you
may not even know what you bring to the table,
(13:53):
like are we bringing like steak? Are we bringing the vegetables?
Speaker 2 (13:57):
Like?
Speaker 1 (13:57):
What are we bringing?
Speaker 2 (13:58):
You?
Speaker 4 (13:58):
Know?
Speaker 1 (13:59):
So, like what what advice would you give to someone
who is early in their career as to how they
can articulate what they can offer to a potential connection.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
I love what you use that analogy because when I
think about, like when you're just starting college and you
don't really have that much to offer, it's like what
am I offering the bread roules? Like seriously, like not
a lot. But I like to challenge people with that
mindset because regardless of where you are in your career,
a lot of people feel like they don't necessarily have
a lot to offer. But I think that that's a
really misconstrued concept because we as people having lived the
(14:30):
unique life experiences that we have, that is intrinsic value.
You have intrinsic value in just like being yourself and
your perspective is unlike anyone else's in this world because
no one has lived your life, and so starting there,
that's the intrinsic value that you have to bring. And
here's my thing in terms of networking, like networking up.
(14:51):
Chances are you might not have, you know, a lot
of value to give to that person. Chances are they
probably in that relationship and in that dynamic, they pro
probably have a lot more to offer you. But if
you can go into it just like you said, where
it's like offering that person like, Hey, my favorite sentence
to say in a networking interaction is if there's ever
(15:11):
a way that I can help you or support you
in what you are doing and what you're building, please
feel free to let me know, because that kind of
leaves the door open of like you don't necessarily have
to know what your value is. You can kind of
just open the door and say like I'm here to help,
I'm here as a resource, and then that puts it
on that person to say, like, oh, could you help
me with this? Not only is that a great way
(15:31):
to establish and deep in a relationship with someone, but
that could also help you figure out what your value
is because some other person might see it even if
you don't love that.
Speaker 4 (15:40):
So, Morgan, I kind of got a question for me.
What's your advice for people who might be more introverted
in nature and feel like a nuisance sometimes for following up.
Speaker 2 (15:48):
Absolutely, I think anyone gets anxiety from a follow up
because it's like, am I bothering this person? But number one,
following up is always a good thing, and it's almost
never a nuisance. For example, I did a venture capital
fellowship a year ago, and I got it kind of untraditionally.
I didn't apply like normally, like I actually just knew
someone in the fellowship and they referred me and this
(16:10):
and that and the person who was the director. I
emailed them once and it quite literally took me a
month of follow ups, like emailing her probably about every
four or five days, and she kept saying, thank you,
please keep bumping this. I'm so sorry, like I just
have so much work this month. I ended up getting
the fellowship, and that wouldn't have happened had I not
followed up with her quite literally five times. And so
(16:32):
it's not usually a nuisance. People do get really really busy,
and sometimes they need those friendly inbox bumps, those follow ups,
And as long as you're polite and friendly and warm
in the way that you approach the follow up, it's
never going to be received. Negatively and as far as
like just getting over the anxiety to like send the
message to begin with, people are always nice with me.
(16:52):
Think that's that's like a motto that I like to use,
and so that applies for both follow ups and just
like sending out the email to begin with and worrying
about annoying or you're pestering the person like it's it's
not like that. That's how we naturally feel the way
to get over that is to assume, just to assume
that people are nicer than you give them credit for.
Speaker 4 (17:10):
Yeah, I like to always call that like polite persistence,
and I think too when it comes to like that
anxiety piece, you really just have to like also think, yeah,
people are busy, So if you're not hearing back, like,
it's not rejection honestly, like people like have busy live
so just like don't let that from you know, deterring
you from moving forward with networking exactly.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
So now we have a really fun part where we
get to get questions from our listeners. Morgan, this is
Dear Work, Bestie, where we are answering questions from people
who listen to the show, and this week's question comes
from Ashley in Utah.
Speaker 5 (17:45):
Question that I have often when I'm trying to network
is who I should specifically be trying to reach out to.
Should it be hiring managers, recruiters, or someone in my
same position? Is there any kind of insights you could
give on that, Morgan, what do you think?
Speaker 2 (18:01):
I would say all of the above again, like, don't
like network when you need a job, always be networking,
Like don't. It's not like a It's not like a
one time thing out of a couple of years. It's
like a you should consistently make a habit out of this.
It's almost like working out, like you just have to
like build a habit out of it. And so I
think you should be reaching out to not only hiring managers, recruiters,
(18:21):
and people in your position, but a variety of people.
So in my LinkedIn learning course, I had this thing
called the thirty three thirty three thirty three role in networking,
which is where thirty three percent of the people that
you reach out to and talk to should be people
that are on your same level. Think like, for me,
I just graduated college, I'm starting a job, So for me,
that would be people early in their career, and those
(18:43):
are the people that are number one going to be
going through the same things as me, so they might
be able to like commiserate with me for lack of
better words, but also relate to everything that I'm going through.
The next thirty three percent of people that you should
network with are people that are above you, more advanced
than you, a lot further ahead in their career. For me,
that's a lot of people because I'm not that far
into my career, so it could be someone in a
(19:04):
mid level position, a senior level position, or even an
executive level position. And then the last thirty three percent
that you should network with is people that are behind
you in your career. For me, that's people like still
in college, still in high school. And in that dynamic,
you are probably the one that has more value to
give to them than they have to give to you.
And the reason that's important for me particularly is paying
(19:26):
it forward. I've asked all of the people that have
mentored me, you know, I don't pay them. They're just
in my life and they do all of these things
for me, and they look out for my best interests
because they want to. And whenever I ask them why,
they say the same thing, which is I just want
to be a part of your journey. I see your potential.
I want to make sure you hit that. And at
the same time, they've all hinted to me or said
(19:48):
to me outright, when you get to that age or
when you get to the ability of doing so, we
want you to pay it forward. And so for me,
I feel very lucky to have those people ahead of
me that are willing to give me their time, give
me their mentorship, and so I pay it forward to
the people that are a little bit behind me in
my career and I can help them in that way.
So that's like my how I strike a balance of
(20:09):
who to network with, not just hiring managers, recruiters, or
people that are in the career that you want to
be in.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
I love that framework.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
I want to know though, like for someone like Ashley
who wants to maybe get on the radar of let's say,
for instance, she's gone on LinkedIn. She has identified a
role that she thinks is really awesome and she sees
that there's the recruiter attached to it. Do you have
any language that you might suggest to someone on how
they can kind of do that cold email? Like, because
I would say, hey, big head, and I know this.
(20:38):
Not you make the cold email warm? Basically, how do
you mean how do you warm up the dish? Exactly?
Can you not tell me you don't have mistake?
Speaker 3 (20:46):
When it bread? It's breads?
Speaker 1 (20:49):
What do you offer.
Speaker 2 (20:52):
Butter? That's how you wore it up? But no, Actually,
Number one, don't ever use the phrase can I pick
your brain? I so agree that is like my biggest
pet peeve, and the reason is is it's so vague.
Number two, the way to warm up a cold emails
First of all, be personal. I feel like the art
(21:14):
of like greetings and pleasantries has kind of been lost
in this generation and I kind of get it. But
at the same time, I have a lot of friends
who are recruiters and work in the recruiting and hiring
like space, and it can be a very thankless and
unforgiving job. So even as simple how are you, how
is your day going? Can really do a lot. The
second thing is be specific and be concise. Do the pleasantries,
(21:35):
but also get to the point explain who you are
and give that person a little bit of context, because
remember you're a complete stranger to them. They don't know you.
And so the best way to warm up that relationship
is to help them get to know you, and so
do a greeting, you know, ask them a question about themselves,
do an intro that introduces who you are and kind
of what your objective is and what you're trying to do,
(21:56):
and then say like, hey, can I have fifteen minutes
of your time to speak to you about this? And
also I'm personally a really big fan of going the
extra mile beyond, like even like a LinkedIn DM like
if you can find a person's email, like most people,
surprisingly including myself, actually put their email in their profile,
like email them. If they have their email and their profile,
take that extra step and actually email them. But the
way to warm up a cold message is to just
(22:17):
sound like a human being and like you're talking to
another human being. You're not trying to get this person
to like give you a job or give you a referral,
Like you're just a human trying to have another conversation
with a human.
Speaker 4 (22:28):
I love that you said that because I think it's
so important just to be authentic in your outreage and
be personable. I feel like a lot of times people
reach out to me who are around my age, and
it's so formal, and I'm like, oh my god, like, no,
we give you friends. Like I was like, just like,
you know, it's intimidating when you're reaching out to people
who you don't know. And we feel like in the business,
you know world, we have to be so formal, and
(22:49):
yes you should be professional, but like just be yourself
and like add some flavor into it so you stand
out a little bit. But I really love those tips
on like being personal, being succinct, and making that ask.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
But on the flip side, ge I get a lot
of people who hit me up and they just start
talking to me too much. I'm like, goodness, you couldn't
say good morning, you couldn't say hello. Like it's almost
like if you just walked into a room and you
just started yapping. No, not with Jimmie.
Speaker 4 (23:13):
I'll say it again, Jamay is anti apping, and it
all comes back to apping.
Speaker 3 (23:17):
Okay.
Speaker 4 (23:18):
I really want to dive into this maintaining the relationship
aspect of networking. You know, a lot of gen zers
I speak to, honestly myself included, have a trouble maintaining
the relationships. You know, past let's say the first few
networking calls and like like you said before, no, networking
is not supposed to be transactional, but a lot of
(23:38):
times you do find job opportunities from people in your network,
So maintaining those relationships is important. And I'm just wondering, like,
how do you even go about that?
Speaker 2 (23:47):
Right?
Speaker 3 (23:47):
Like, is there any rule that you follow?
Speaker 2 (23:50):
Yeah, So there's a couple of different ways that I
do it. First of all, I'm a big app I
kit of posty on LinkedIn. But the reason being is
that you know, hopefully you're connected with these people that
you're networking with on your LinkedIn. If you're not, do that,
and if they're in your network, they will see the
things that you post. One of the reasons I started
posting was to keep my network updated on what I
was doing. And so that's a really good way. Think
(24:11):
of it as almost like like when you post on
LinkedIn to your network, it's almost like sending a Christmas
card of like, hey, I'm here, this is what I'm doing,
I'm alive. Still, I'm so relevant, and this is why
you should you know, read what I'm doing. The second
thing is keeping like a regular pace. Friendships are like
one of the first examples of relationships that we have.
You think that you have to like talk to the
(24:32):
person and see the person every single day to have
a relationship with them. That couldn't be further from the truth.
You don't need to like see someone or talk to
someone every day to maintain a relationship. It just needs
to be regular communication. And so the way that I
do it, and this is just an easy, like think
of it off the top of my head, is like
once a quarter, so four times a year, I'll usually
(24:54):
make a point to reach out to people that are
really in my close network circle at least once a quarter.
That's be a text, email, phone call, whatever if you
really want to like hone the relationship once a month,
but once the quarter is usually enough to do it.
Speaker 4 (25:07):
Yeah, I think that's a really great advice. And I
think too, like you don't have to maintain a relationship
with like fifty people, right, like find your poor group,
because I think it breaks down what can feel like
an overwhelming task when you think, oh, I have all
these people to reach out to.
Speaker 1 (25:22):
So Morgan, one of the things that I'm always talking
about with my friends is like the added pressure of networking,
particularly when you're a person of color, and it's always
interesting to me because whenever I chat with my mom,
who is like a boomer, she will always say that,
you know, the man who really helped change her life
and her mentor for many years was like a white
(25:44):
guy from the Midwest. And it really paints this picture
for me that the people in your wheelhouse, whether it's
a mentor, a sponsor, or even just your network, don't
have to look like you or come from the same
environments that you come from. But I think a lot
of people are nerves because they're like, well, I don't
even know how to necessarily initiate those conversations or how
to identify that. Do you have any tips or like
(26:06):
even experiences of your own of like how people or
communities of color or people from marginalized groups can navigate
building sustainable networks, even if it's like identifying people who
maybe don't come from their world.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
You know, I'm so so glad you brought this up,
because this has literally been like a special interest topic
that I've been mulling over in my head for months
because truthfully, as an Asian American neurodivergent woman in tech,
it's funny because everyone thinks that like all of my
mentors are like like me, and it's like, well, first
of all, twenty six I think it's like twenty six
(26:40):
to twenty seven percent of tech workers are women. So
it's like it's kind of hard to get you know,
when we're still the minority. It's kind of hard to
get that. And truthfully, only one of my mentors is
a woman, and a lot of them also happen to
be Caucasian. And the thing is is, like, you know,
people have a lot to say about that, but the
fact of the matter is that in a society where
(27:01):
people and in groups and industries where people are marginalized,
we really really need allies that are in positions of
power and influence to get you into those rooms that
you would normally never have access to. Having those mentors
and those allies that are in those positions to help
you and lift you up in ways that people who
(27:23):
look like you might not necessarily be able to do
is something that's really important to your career. But the
thing is it can be very scary and as you said,
very much outside of your comfort zone. I think the
thing to remember is number one, again, people are a
lot nicer than we give them credit for, and number two.
Just because they didn't necessarily come from the background that
(27:43):
you had, that doesn't mean they can't understand what you're
going through or that they can't help you with what
you're going through. Most likely, they actually can help you
with what you're going through. And as far as building
sustainable networks, I would say, like, I am proud to
say I have a very diverse network, and I would
say that's very, very intense. When I was working at
Disney a few years back, I used to hang around
(28:04):
the burgs, the business employee resource groups, mostly in the
Neurodivergent Burg, the AAPI Burg as well as the veterans
Burg and the Pride at Disneyburg. And because of that,
I got to hang around with a lot of different
people that looked like Some of them looked like me,
and some of them didn't look like me. Some of
them had the same background as me, some of them didn't.
And like I said, perspectives are unique and those in
(28:25):
and of itself bring value. There's so much that you
can learn from having a diverse network. So I think
like it's just striving to create a balance of people
that resonate with you in different ways. Because people that
don't have the same background as you can still very
much resonate with you, and just as much. I think
it's important to recognize when you are a member of
(28:46):
a marginalized group, or several marginalized groups, it's important to
find those allies, in those advocates, in those spaces of
privilege and influence, because they can probably really help you
and accelerate your career. And that's I feel like that's
something that's really not talked about enough.
Speaker 1 (29:01):
Yeah, I think a lot of people either feel shame
in bringing that up or again they don't know even
how to navigate those But I love what you said.
We are often more similar than we are different. So
thank you for sick sharing that that was really helpful.
Of course, thank you so much. We have had I
feel like we could just sit and talk with you
all day, because I do love I love big, bold,
(29:23):
audacious women, and I just love being around them. So
thank you that. Like, we had so much fun. I
certainly know I've learned a lot about how I can
show up in network even better and build community. But
before we go, where can people find you?
Speaker 2 (29:35):
Okay, so people can find me on my LinkedIn, my
LinkedIn like handle, after Thelinkedin dot com slash and slash
is it's Morgan Young on Instagram, I'm at It's Morgan Ashley.
I also have a website called that LinkedIn Girl, because
that's like my nickname and my moniker. And then I
also have another website for my nonprofit that I just
started called Innovator dot Io. Those are basically all of
(29:58):
the ways to find me. Quid be on LinkedIn, follow
me on Instagram, check out my website, do all the things,
and if this episode resonated with you, feel free to
reach out to me. Love it.
Speaker 4 (30:08):
Thanks Morgan, Thank you.
Speaker 1 (30:13):
Morgan gave so much great advice and after this episode
you can officially count three more people in your network. Morgan,
Gianna and Me coming up. I love a good workout,
but working out at work, let's discuss after the break.
Speaker 3 (30:40):
That was such a fun convo with Morgan.
Speaker 1 (30:42):
Oh my gosh, she's great.
Speaker 4 (30:43):
Yeah, you know, I really appreciated the advice she shared
on recognizing your intrinsic value when you're reaching out to people,
because I think that's something like we were saying earlier
on in the episode, that you forget right you don't
you forget that you're bringing in this unique perspective. I
also loved that she shared how she reaches out to people,
(31:04):
because listen, like I have gotten messages from people who
are around my age. I know other people have gotten
similar messages where somebody reaches out, you know, saying like
I need help, I need this advice and cold sending
their resume and leading with that ask. And this is
the first impression that they're getting of you to potentially
influence an opportunity, whether it be you know, connecting to
(31:25):
a mentor connecting to a job so or even just
sharing advice. Right, yeah, So you have to reach out
knowing that there's a human on the other end of
the line. Uh, don't just you know, share your resume
out of nowhere, give context around why you're reaching out,
and don't leave with the ask.
Speaker 3 (31:39):
It just makes it uncomfortable on the other end.
Speaker 4 (31:41):
So, you know, like Morgan was saying, lead with offering support,
being like, how can I help you, or here's what
I want to talk to you about, and here's how
that can both benefit us.
Speaker 1 (31:50):
Right yeah, I really love that. What I have taken
away from this conversation is that it pays so much
to go the extra mile and it honestly just makes
my week cold, millennial dead heart warm knowing that people
are still doing that. I know, but.
Speaker 3 (32:09):
Handwritten.
Speaker 4 (32:09):
Now.
Speaker 1 (32:09):
I certainly did every job interview. I certainly sent one.
Oh my gosh, I have so many more stories. Hire me,
give me the money. But seriously, if you guys can
go the extra mile, you know, finding their email, connecting
with them on LinkedIn, right, getting their email from that, uh,
just taking the extra step. I also know, picking your brain.
(32:31):
I think that that's just such a u And when
we think about this idea of like disbanding transactional commentary,
that is certainly one of them. Instead of saying pick
your brain, you know, going in, leading in with the hey,
here's where we met. You know, your story really interested
me because you pulled out blah blah blah. You guys
know what this requires, intentional listening, make sure you were
(32:53):
writing down what you took out of that conversation, how
that impacted you, and then maybe even offering up if
you have fifteen minutes informational I would love to follow
up or take you to coffee. Yeah, exactly. You can
use that as an opportunity to talk to people without
making it feel like you are poaching them for information.
And then the last thing I'll say is that frequent
check ins are necessary. It is one thing to make
(33:16):
an introduction with someone and have a great five minutes
in the sun. But how you really start to build
a meaningful network that is going to last through the
longevity of your career is by checking in on people,
hitting people up on their birthdays, when people get married,
when people start new jobs, maybe even have kids. There
are so many different life events that are happening that
will allow you to just check in, let people know
(33:38):
that you're thinking about them, without actually asking for anything
in return. This is so meaningful. It feels so big
or so small, but it actually is going to have
long term impact on your career.
Speaker 4 (33:48):
Yeah, I'd argue it is small, but it goes a
long way, so long it has a big impact.
Speaker 1 (33:52):
Yeah, speaking of impact, how are you going to speaking
of impact? You know what else is impactful?
Speaker 2 (34:00):
Guys?
Speaker 1 (34:01):
When I go in my purse and I pull out
the receipts and we have now showed the receipts. This
is a segment where we take a look at some
of the headlines or workplace trends, maybe even some office
myths and see if there's any truth to them. Gianna,
what are we talking about today?
Speaker 4 (34:15):
Okay, today we're talking about working out at work. So
this past year, Bloomberg published an article arguing that companies
should a lot of time for employees to incorporate exercise
into their day. Obviously, we already, you know, know the
benefits of working out. There's plenty of receipts for those.
And because of the benefits, companies are now investing in
(34:37):
providing fitness training and wellness opportunities for their employees. So
some examples, companies are building gyms at their offices. If
they can't build a gym, they're dedicating space for group exercise.
They're creating fitness challenges and incentivizing employees with prizes.
Speaker 3 (34:54):
People love a contest, you know.
Speaker 4 (34:55):
They're also offering discounts and memberships to gyms and fitness
programs like you know, class Past Soul Cycle. And what
I found interesting about this article was this idea that
workplace workouts have become a way for colleagues to actually
socialize and network with each other, interesting outside of, like
you know, their day to day tasks.
Speaker 1 (35:16):
So what do you think, how do you feel about it.
Speaker 4 (35:18):
I think it's great because, you know, gen Z has
such an emphasis on mental health, and when you think
about supporting the whole being of a person, exercise is
part of their life, right. So it's also tough, you know,
we think now with all these RTO mandates, to find
time to work out, if that's something that's important in
your life, it's challenging.
Speaker 1 (35:38):
Right, Yeah.
Speaker 4 (35:38):
So I like the idea that companies are providing space
for people to do that. Personally, I don't want anyone
to see me in my workout like I don't want
people to see me like in my sports were on
biker shorts. So I don't know that I'll be participating.
We do have benefits here at LinkedIn, we have a
(36:01):
wellness studio. I haven't, you know, done the trainings or
taking classes there.
Speaker 3 (36:05):
I do something on my own time.
Speaker 4 (36:08):
But I do really love the idea. But I don't
know that I'll be participating anytime soon.
Speaker 1 (36:13):
Yeah, so really quick, guys, want to clarify, Gianna brought
up OURTO mandates. That's return to office Just for those
of you who are like, what the heck is that
a lot of companies are starting to require employees to
come back into the office after years of working from home,
and so a lot of people who might have started
off as remote or hybrid are now moving back into office.
(36:35):
So this is actually an interesting conversation because I think
Gean and I have dissenting opinions. Dun dundune. I have
feelings about this because Number one, I feel like this
is the modern day golf course conversation. The idea of
like you close business deals on the golf course aready right.
So it's almost like, well, what happens when you are
(36:58):
someone who you know, maybe you have a family, or
you are taking classes after work and you can't build
that camaraderie with people. Are you now going to be
penalized because oh, when it comes time for promotion or
when it comes time for upper mobility, everyone's gonna remember,
oh yeah, we went to berries together.
Speaker 4 (37:15):
Like, I don't think this is like a mandatory thing.
Speaker 1 (37:17):
No, no, no, I'm not saying that. But what I'm saying
is it puts pressure on people to show because now
you feel what am I missing if I don't go.
Another thing I have about this is that I think
particularly we see this a lot in tech that they
will give you all of the amenities so that you
don't go home. And as much as that sounds no,
it is like there are other companies that they have
(37:38):
barber shops and salons on their campuses, dry cleaners, daycare,
Oh my god, Yes we can offline about that. Yes,
there are companies that will offer that. And as much
as it's a beautiful thing, because you're like, wow, like
I have a one stop shop, Well why would you
want to go home? If I offer you breakfast, lunch,
and dinner and I can clean your clothes, and I
(37:59):
can give you an opera tunity to work out, and
I can cut your caar movie. Well, we live in it, baby.
So I just say all of that to say, like,
although I totally can understand where this is meaningful and beneficial. Yes,
mental health, Yes, physical health is so important. I always
kind of look at, well, what is the trap or
what is the other incentive in that I think that
it kind of can displace people who don't want to
(38:20):
work out. I don't want to work out. I got
a booty. I don't need y'all seeing it up on
a standmen.
Speaker 4 (38:24):
Also, there's like accessibility concerns, like not everybody is, you know,
able to do that.
Speaker 1 (38:29):
Yeah, And I just think of the natural order of
like when there's a lot of people in community and
you're not there, what are you missing out on? So
although I think like it's great and definitely get your
you know, get your work out on, you know, you
want that body, yadda yadda, like I get it, I
just also kind of see, like, hmm, that's interesting. So
you know, I'll continue to go to yoga, pilates, all
(38:49):
that on my own. I'll meet y'all at the happy Est.
Speaker 4 (38:52):
Also, I just want to add I literally fell off
the treadmill ones and held on like you would see
in a movie. And that was so embarrassing and mortifying.
I never went back to that gym, so God forbid
that happen in a work setting, I would have to quit.
Speaker 1 (39:03):
You want to know my humbling story. The first time
I ever went to the gym, I got on the StairMaster.
Why did no one save me? Why did no one
tell me that? That is actually the worst thing to
episode Gianna. I literally had an asthma attack and I
starfished out in the middle of that gym. I was like,
good God, if this is the time to take me.
Everybody know, I love it.
Speaker 3 (39:23):
Will the company in company work out class.
Speaker 1 (39:28):
Workplace workouts are not for us anyways.
Speaker 3 (39:31):
Let us know your take.
Speaker 4 (39:33):
We would love Yeah, we kind of have opposing views
on this, but agree on something, So let us know
what do you think about workplace workouts?
Speaker 3 (39:42):
Are you here for it? Are you not?
Speaker 4 (39:44):
You can let us know in the newsletter this week
or share a post on LinkedIn tagas I would.
Speaker 1 (39:47):
Love that, and also we want to thank Ashley for
sending in their question. You guys can also send us
your questions. Okay, information on how to do that is
in the show description.
Speaker 3 (39:57):
You know I just mentioned the newsletter before.
Speaker 4 (40:00):
Make sure you guys are subscribed if you're not already,
it's called Let's Talk Offline. You can find the link
in the show description and it's also in my LinkedIn bio.
And while you're at it, another thing, make sure you
guys are following the show and rate it. We would
love love love to hear what you think, and if
you guys have any ideas, send them our away please
we're open.
Speaker 3 (40:18):
Ears.
Speaker 4 (40:19):
Before you go, remember Jimmy and I always got your back,
So if something comes up, Let's Talk offline.
Speaker 3 (40:25):
I'm Janna PRUDENTI.
Speaker 1 (40:27):
And I'm Jamaine Jackson Gadsden.
Speaker 4 (40:28):
Stay Thriving, Let's Talk Offline is a production of LinkedIn
News and iHeart Podcasts. The show is produced by Western Sound.
Our producer is Sabrina Fang. The show is edited by
Savannah Wright. Our associate producer is Sarah Dealey. Alex mckinnis
is our engineer, and Ben Adair is the executive producer.
Speaker 1 (40:48):
Executive producers at iHeart Podcasts are Katrina Norvel and Nikki Etour.
We got support from LinkedIn's Jesse Humple, Sarah Storm, and
Ayana Angel. Maya Pope shape Well is Director of Content,
Dave Pond is Head of News Production, Courtney Coop is
Head of Original Programming, and Dan Roth is the editor
in chief of LinkedIn
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