November 26, 2024 • 34 mins
Discover the inspiring journey of Rachel Rozen, a former chief customer officer who unearthed a natural flair for networking during a year-long sabbatical where she connected with 300 people. Learn how she exponentially expanded her network which led to her founding her business Connection Catalyst. Rachel’s story is a testament to the incredible opportunities that arise from following your instincts, even if it means embarking on a solo trip to Japan that fosters growth and adventure.
In this engaging conversation, Rachel and I discuss the art of building and nurturing professional relationships. We explore the impact of personalized notes and consistent engagement on platforms like LinkedIn to foster meaningful connections. Uncover the dynamics of turning professional interactions into genuine relationships, and how treating networking like a "net worth network" can be akin to building a lasting piggy bank of connections, moving beyond mere transactions to create enduring bonds.
Join us in this enlightening episode of the Resonate podcast and transform your approach to networking.
Connect with Rachel
LinkedIn: @rachel-rozen
Website: www.connectioncatalyst.me
Free Monthly Webinar: Book here
Thanks for listening! To book a free consultation with Aideen visit https://www.confidenceinsinging.com/contact/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Aideen Ni Riada (00:03):
Welcome to the Resonate podcast with Aideen.
I'm Aideen Nreida, and my guesttoday comes from New York.
Her name is Rachel Rozen andI'm really excited to introduce
you all to her.
Rachel is a former chiefcustomer officer who transformed
her career by connecting with300 individuals in a year,
(00:25):
leading to founding her businessConnection Catalyst.
Known for empoweringprofessionals to turn icky
networking into sticky, lastingrelationships, Rachel helps
individuals and teams grow theirnet worth network.
I'm really curious about howyou got to doing the work you're
(00:48):
doing now.
You mentioned in your bio andyour introduction that you took
a year and you met 300individuals in one year.
What prompted you to decide todo that and what was the pearl
of wisdom that you got from thatsituation?
Rachel Rozen (01:09):
Yeah.
So when I left my role as achief customer officer, I wasn't
sure what I wanted to do next,and so I traveled for a few
months and then the time that Itook off, I was calling it my
learning sabbatical.
I was trying to figure out whatwas next for me.
I've been hospitality my entirecareer, from cooking to running
restaurants and hotels from thefront of the house standpoint,
(01:29):
and then went to the tech sideof things, and I really enjoy
being around customers.
But I realized that it wassuper draining for me and I
didn't want to do that workagain.
So I wasn't sure what was nextfor me.
And then I realized I had beenworking so much that my network
(01:50):
wasn't very wide or very deep.
I only knew the people that Iworked with and I only knew my
clients, and that wasn't thatmany people when you really
think about it.
And so I had to start fromscratch to figure out what I
might want to do next.
Think about it.
And so I had to start fromscratch to figure out what I
might want to do next.
And I thought maybe I want tobe a chief of staff and work
(02:12):
directly for a CEO and seeleadership from a different
vantage point and then maybebecome a COO, because I'm very
operationally focused, but thechief of staff role is very wide
as well.
So I started by talking tochiefs of staff from Fortune 500
companies to nonprofit andeverything in between, and I
ended up talking to about 40different chiefs of staff.
(02:33):
And that was really thebeginning of my networking
journey, because from there Ijust kept getting connected to
more people, so I just keptgetting more introductions.
So for every one person Italked to, it introduced me to
maybe two more people.
So I just kept getting moreintroductions.
So for every one person Italked to, it introduced me to
maybe two more people, and so itjust kept multiplying.
And then I was also involved ina few different community
(02:54):
groups, specifically aroundcareer transitions, because I
was looking for my next role,and people kept coming to me and
saying, or sending people myway, saying you need to talk to
Rachel, she's been doing allthis networking, you need to
learn from her how she's doingthis.
And I realized that there wastruly a skill set around
networking and I didn't evenknow that I had it, but because
I had been in so manyrelationship-facing roles or in
(03:18):
the industries that I had beenin.
From a hospitality standpoint,it's all about making
connections with your guests.
And then when I was in customerexperience on the tech side of
things, it was a relationshipthat I was building with my
clients, and that's all the sameskill set, really, that leads
towards being great atnetworking.
(03:41):
I just didn't realize it and Inever thought that I was good at
it, so it just kept multiplying.
Okay, I meet one person or I'mgoing to meet somebody else, and
the more I did it, someone.
Then I'm part of CHIEF, which isWomen's Executive Network, and
someone within that group hadheard me speak about networking.
I'd been getting a bunch ofconsulting jobs as well.
(04:01):
And they said, rachel, can youdo a webinar on this?
And I never talked about itother than one-on-one
conversations.
I said, sure, I'll putsomething together.
And that was the beginning ofokay, there's something more to
this.
And so it started with just,you know, having conversations
to a webinar to then, okay,let's build a business around
this.
Aideen Ni Riada (04:22):
I love that.
It's so, so organic and, youknow, it's sometimes when we're
trying to decide what to do,it's like we come up with an
idea in our head and we try tomake it happen, when sometimes
what we, what we feel led to, orwhat's right in front of us,
can be guiding that process.
(04:42):
If we can let go of ourpreconceived ideas of what
should be or what we would wantit to be, we realize, oh, I'm
perfectly suited for this as arole or to, you know, start this
business.
Well, congratulations onfollowing through on that idea
and making it something.
You know that you, you know,are really serving people in
(05:07):
this way.
Do you have any interestingstories about, like, random
connections, you know, like,like or from a client?
Maybe you know how weird these,you know this investment that
we're making in whatever ourpiggy bank of, but do you have
any interesting stories aboutwhat can happen from that?
Rachel Rozen (05:29):
Yeah, so I'll tell a story that actually brought
me to New York City.
So when I turned 30, I wasliving in Seattle Washington,
working for Hyatt at the time,and we got free hotel rooms all
over the world.
I always traveled domestically,but I really wanted to take a
big international trip andcelebrate my 30th birthday.
So I ended up going to Japanfor 10 days and was all over the
(05:53):
country Was this with otherpeople.
Aideen Ni Riada (05:56):
I'm just curious.
It was by myself, okay.
Rachel Rozen (05:58):
By myself.
I wanted to take a big trip andI made a pact with myself when
I turned 30 that I was going togo to a different country every
year in my 30s, which I did, butthat's another story.
But on my 30th I was waitingfor the bullet train to go from
Tokyo to Kyoto.
And this was before iPhoneswere as good as they are today
(06:22):
and I had to get a special planto use in Japan.
And this girl comes up to meand she's super hungover and
we're standing on the platformwaiting for the bullet train and
she's like can I borrow yourphone?
My friends left me, I don'tknow where they are, and I was
really, you know, a littlehesitant to give her my phone.
But I said you know what sureyou can borrow my phone.
(06:46):
I don't know how she had theirnumbers, but her phone was dead
and we ended up talking theentire way on the bullet train
from Tokyo to Kyoto.
She was actually I just turned30 as well.
She was from Australia.
I was telling her my story, shewas telling me her story.
She had recently left herfull-time job and became a
(07:09):
freelancer.
I believe it was incommunications, and I had been
working for Hyatt for eightyears and I was just really
unhappy and didn't want to staythere because I didn't feel like
I had an opportunity to growwithin the company at that point
.
And she said to me Rachel,you're not married to Hyatt.
You could literally do anythingyou want to do.
(07:30):
And when I came back from thattrip a couple months later, I
ended up quitting, had no job,moved all the way across the
country to New York City, didn'thave a job at all.
It took me about a few monthsto find something no-transcript,
(07:51):
open myself up to say hey, yeah, you can use my phone, but on
top of that, we continue theconversation on the train as
well.
So it wasn't just atransactional interaction, we
actually had a conversation.
Unfortunately, I never met heragain, but she was someone that
came into my life for a reasonin that moment and really helped
(08:14):
change my trajectory, because Iwould have never be where I am
now if I didn't hear that pieceof advice.
Aideen Ni Riada (08:20):
That's amazing.
Yeah, the wisdom of strangers,exactly.
Yeah, that's awesome.
I worked for Japan Airlines fornearly five years as cabin crew
.
So I don't think I ever took thebullet train from Tokyo to
Kyoto.
Kyoto was one of those placesthat I somehow didn't get to.
But I, when you said someonewalked up to me, you know, on
(08:44):
the train station, I was like,well, it obviously was a
Westerner.
Like, cause, you know theJapanese, they wouldn't be
asking that Well, they would beless likely to be asking someone
, you know, who looked different, for help.
So, but you explained it allbeautifully.
That's such a lovely story.
Rachel Rozen (09:01):
But on the other, end, which is kind of also great
, was when I got to Osaka, whichis another city that I went to,
I was lost.
I had no idea how to get towhere I needed to go and this
girl helped me, who wasn't fromOsaka I don't remember what city
she was from.
She was a student and herEnglish was really good and she
(09:21):
was so excited to talk to me andpractice her English.
But she didn't know Osaka soshe couldn't help me get to
where I needed to go.
So she asked another couple tohelp me and they didn't speak
any English but they walked meall the way to where I needed to
go and I had to get on a busand made sure I got on the bus
because I had all my luggagewith me before I to make sure
(09:45):
that I got to where I needed togo.
And so you know, a lot of it isjust humanity and hospitality
and just helping one another,regardless.
If you can communicate withthem, it's how can you just make
an impact in someone's lifeLike?
I've never forgot those twopeople or those three people in
Osaka.
I don't know that I'll ever seethem again, but they saved me
(10:06):
because I would have never havegotten to my destination if they
didn't help me get to where Ineeded to go.
Aideen Ni Riada (10:11):
Yeah, we all need each other.
I think sometimes there's anattitude, especially in, you
know, in the Western kind ofculture, that you know you stand
on your own two feet and youfigure it out yourself and you
shouldn't actually need a lot ofhelp and that needing help was
a negative thing.
And I think that that's sodetrimental because, in reality,
(10:35):
the people who make big thingshappen, there's always a team of
people behind them.
There's at least one or twoother people that are 100 with
them.
So those relationships we have,they're like gold, like that
you say.
They're, you know, like havingmoney in the bank.
They are like gold.
They're it's like a treasure ofum, of a resource and um.
(10:58):
This concept that you're talkingabout, of seeing each
relationship as an investment,is just um, it's, it's, it's a,
it's a gem in in of wisdom.
And that I think, especially inbusiness, sometimes it's so
easy to forget because you justthink, oh, I go to an interview
and I do my interview and then Ieither get the job or I don't.
(11:19):
But these days we needrelationships to find where the
interviews are or get arecommendation, so that
different ways that people areinteracting are going to help us
to get where we want to go areinteracting are going to help us
to get where we want to go.
Rachel Rozen (11:37):
Absolutely, and even if you think about from an
interview perspective and thisis something that I coach people
on as well is, even if youdidn't get the job, try to stay
connected with the interviewersthat you had, because you never
know where they're going to goto next and the opportunity that
they had in the moment may notbe the right fit for you right
now, but it doesn't meansomething else isn't going to
come along, or the person thatthey actually offer the job may
(12:04):
say no, so maybe you might bethe next best candidate and they
offer you the job.
There's always opportunities toconnect with people and I wish
I knew that earlier in my career, because I really took it for
granted.
All of the jobs that I ever gotwas through networking in some
way.
This was the first time that Ididn't get a job through
networking, so when I left myrole as a chief customer officer
and I didn't know what I wantedto do next, I didn't have a
(12:26):
strong enough network to help meget there, so I had to build it
from scratch, becauseeverything was related to the
industries I had been in prior,but I wanted a change and I
didn't have anybody around me tohelp me get to that, so I had
to start all over again.
So I really recommend to peopleis don't just connect with the
people that are in your industryor in your role.
(12:48):
Try to broaden your horizonsand expand the network of people
that you know, and you can dothat not just from a business
standpoint, but it could be fromyour passions.
Like I mentioned earlier, youmight play pickleball, you may
be in a running club or a bookclub.
It could be anything that youenjoy doing, but what do those
people do for work?
How can you make connectionswith them as well?
(13:11):
Because you might need them atsome point in time as well, or
they might need you.
You never know.
Aideen Ni Riada (13:20):
So when it comes to, let's say, a practical
example, like you've been tothe interview and then you're
like, oh, how do I stayconnected with that interviewer?
What?
Like not everybody kind ofknows how to do this.
Please tell us a little bit ofwhat the advice would be to
someone who's pretty new tonetworking.
(13:40):
What would be their next steps?
Rachel Rozen (13:43):
So the best way today is, honestly through
LinkedIn.
So you should make sure thatyou're connected with them
through LinkedIn.
When you send a thank you note,I generally say send it through
an email, but you can also senda message on LinkedIn if you'd
like.
But whenever you're connectingwith someone on LinkedIn, always
connect with a note.
And the reason why I likepeople to connect with a note is
(14:05):
you can be specific on how youmet them, because you can go
back to that later.
So if I met you, aideen, Ithink we met through another
networking group and I probablyspecifically said this is the
group that we met in.
Can't wait.
I think we met through anothernetworking group and I probably
specifically said this is thegroup that we met in.
Can't wait to meet you orsomething along those lines.
So I know how we met and Irecommend the same thing.
(14:25):
So thank you for the interviewat XYZ Company, or great meeting
you through there.
But then the next piece isreally following their content,
talking to them through theposts that they are posting
about and providing your thoughtleadership on the information
that they're posting about.
Or, if you're following thecompany still, what are the
(14:47):
things or big things that arehappening in the company that
you can then have a conversationwith them about, whether it be
a congratulations or.
I saw this article that you canrelate back to the interview
that you had.
We talked about this.
I thought you might beinterested in this article as it
related to this topic that wetalked about in the interview.
(15:09):
There's lots of different waysin which you can continue to
connect with somebody.
It really is just dependent onhow invested you are in those
conversations and with thepeople that you have had those
interviews with, and you're notnecessarily going to click or
stay connected to every singleperson, but if it's important to
(15:31):
you, you'll find ways that theintersection of things that you
talked about or things thatyou're interested in can relate
back to them and just continueto have a conversation.
And again, most of the timeit's going to be through
LinkedIn, but there could beopportunities as well to say you
know, I didn't get this job,would love to continue to have a
(15:52):
30-minute conversation.
Aideen Ni Riada (15:56):
You know, maybe not related to that, maybe you
have advice for me or somethingexactly.
Okay, cool, that's really cool.
Um, something was coming up inmy mind about you know noticing
when you have a connection withpeople, because you know you
could have three people on aninterview board but one of them
might be just more warm or mayunder may show more
understanding or more interestin you and we're not always
(16:23):
noticing who would be an easierto kind of stay connected with,
because not everybody has thatlike.
Some people have a demeanor oflike don't contact me again.
How do you coach your clientsto kind of start to notice those
kinds of cues?
Rachel Rozen (16:40):
Yeah, I mean I think it's important to still
kind of treat everybody in thesame way, because you just don't
know what someone's goingthrough Like.
They could also just had a badday, you know, they could have
been lost in the count, theycould have their kids sick at
home.
I mean there could be a millionreasons why the interview just
didn't go well.
(17:01):
So when you're leaving thatinterview, I still want to treat
everybody in the same way,still make those connections.
But we also want to be payingattention to you know people's
demeanor and how they aretreating us.
And if you feel disrespected,then obviously that's not
someone that you want to stayconnected with because you're
not making that connection withthem at all.
(17:24):
But for the most part, if youcan continue to have at the bare
minimum connecting with them onLinkedIn with a note and
following their content, it'sjust a great way to have
continuous potential opportunityof connection.
Aideen Ni Riada (17:43):
Now I'm really curious about this idea of your
net worth network.
What in God's name do you meanby that?
And tell us more.
Rachel Rozen (17:52):
Absolutely so.
When you think about networking, I like to think about it from
a piggy bank concept.
We're always talking about thegive to get.
What can I give somebody?
What can I get back?
So every time that I'm givingto someone, I'm making a deposit
into my piggy bank or aninvestment, and when I need to
get something back from someone,that's when I'm getting a
(18:13):
withdrawal.
Okay, what you don't want tohappen is to go bankrupt.
So you want to keep makingthose deposits and meeting new
people.
But the people that you'remeeting, you want to continue
those relationships with themtoo.
It's not a one-time transaction.
It's a continuous opportunityto reengage with them and build
on that relationship over time.
(18:34):
And the more you build on thoserelationships, the more is in
your piggy bank and your networth will continue to grow,
because we really want theopportunity to have lots of
people around us, and peoplefrom all different perspectives,
so that we can help them whenthey might need it.
But also we know that we cancall on them if we need
(18:55):
something as well.
Aideen Ni Riada (18:57):
Do you think a lot of people underestimate the
value of connecting with newpeople, especially like we kind
of have our go-to people, butsometimes we stay in our small
zone and we don't really make aneffort with others?
Rachel Rozen (19:12):
Yeah, absolutely.
It's really interesting becauseif you think about how many
people you are connected with,it's actually hundreds of people
.
You interact with people allday long.
Whether you're going to thegrocery store or you're walking
down the street or at work,you're always interacting with
people.
But those are oftentransactions.
(19:33):
They're not necessarilybuilding relationships.
And it's interesting.
Esther Perel, who is arelationship therapist, was on
Brene Brown's podcast maybeabout six months ago or so, and
she recently was touring, Ibelieve, just the US, but she
was bringing people together inperson to really connect.
(19:53):
And one of the things that shesaid around social media is that
today many people havethousands of followers, hundreds
of thousands of followers, butwhen it comes time to go on
vacation, they don't have anyonethat can feed their cat.
(20:15):
And it's so important that webuild as possible that they can
help us whenever we needsomething.
But we don't always value thoseconnections that we have or
want to build upon thoseconnections as well, and so when
(20:36):
we're thinking about networking, it's not just the people that
are in our circle today, but whocan we keep adding into our
circle.
And it's interesting because weoften tend to spend time in the
same circles, and so if we'rein the same circles, we're
recycling ideas, versus if we goto find different circles or we
(20:58):
add new people into our circles, then new ideas start to
formulate as well.
Aideen Ni Riada (21:04):
Yeah, do a lot of your clients find undervalue
their own contribution, likethey don't realize how, how much
they have that would be usefulto others in relationships.
They might think, oh, nobodyneeds to know that, or, you know
, I won't bother doing thisbecause who cares?
(21:25):
Kind of thing.
Rachel Rozen (21:27):
Absolutely.
And the thing is that we allhave life experiences.
Everybody has gone throughsomething, have dealt with
something, have experiences andlearnings that could help
somebody else, and you neverknow what somebody else might
need or how you might be able tohelp someone.
So even when you go into aconversation, a lot of people
(21:49):
say have something to give back.
But I like to say if theconversation ends up being 90%
you taking and 10% giving,that's okay.
But if you're listening trulyto the conversation and learning
about that other person, youmay have something to give at a
later point in time.
So it doesn't always have to bein the very beginning.
(22:12):
And I have a framework calledthe three I's which goes around
the give to get theory, and thisgoes in both directions.
So when you're talking tosomebody, can you make an
introduction to somebody elsethat might be able to help them?
(22:33):
The second I is information Canyou provide them a resource,
whether it be a book, a podcastor advice that could help them
on something that they mightneed?
And the third I is aninvitation.
Can you invite them somewherethat's going to benefit them, so
that could be to anothercommunity, that could be out to
coffee, that could be to dinner,to a webinar, where is a place
or a space that might give themthe opportunity to benefit
(22:56):
whatever their needs might be?
And sometimes when you're in aconversation, you end up
speaking more than the otherperson so you don't get enough
information from them to makethose connections.
And that's where the follow-upoccurs and you might just say it
was so great meeting you.
Aideen, I know we didn't get totalk as much as we'd like.
(23:18):
I'd love to follow up withanother conversation.
Can we schedule another 30minutes and find another time to
connect?
Or, if you live in the samecity, see if you can go for
coffee, just finding the time tocontinue the conversation, so
it's not one and done, and thenthere's more opportunity to
learn about the other person.
Aideen Ni Riada (23:36):
That's just beautiful.
I mean those three points.
The other person that's justbeautiful.
I mean those three points.
So you have the introduction tosomeone else, information that
they may find useful and aninvitation to something.
Now what do you do?
If you're like me and I'm likewhat we call at home here is OCH
obsessive, compulsive helpful,which means that I'm always
(23:57):
offering people information andinviting them.
So sometimes you have to judgeit carefully to know what that
person would be open toreceiving from you.
Rachel Rozen (24:08):
Yeah, a big thing I like to say too is just stay
present in the moment.
Pay attention to people's bodylanguage, how they're talking.
Ask questions before you'regiving one of those three I's to
Fully understand what theirneeds might be, before you say
just do this, because peoplearen't always receptive to
(24:30):
feedback.
You get more receptive tofeedback once people hear you,
see you and value you as anindividual, and the more
questions you ask and be curiousto get to know them, the more
likely you're going to startbuilding that rapport with them
and then they're going to say ohyes, that makes sense.
I appreciate that information.
(24:51):
Whether they use it or not, itshows the value that you want to
provide to them, especiallywhen you're genuine, sincere in
the way of your delivery and notdoing it in a way of oh, I know
better than you or you need todo this because I've done it
this way and this is how it hasto be.
If you're really truly tryingto help them, they can see that
(25:14):
sincerity come through in theway that you're speaking.
Aideen Ni Riada (25:18):
I know that because I love to share stuff.
So I've got that that you knowinstinct.
Naturally not everybody does.
They need to learn how to do it.
But sometimes I'll saysomething like you know, would
you be interested in hearingabout this?
And before I go, oh, I have totell you all about the thing.
(25:38):
So at least that's a questionthat helps them to give me the
feedback as to what is right forthem at that time, because it
is a lot to do with timing.
When you you know maybe aninvitation to the CEO of a
company is too much for you,that day you know because you
don't feel like you have yourbusiness plan ready or you don't
(25:59):
have a proposal ready.
So timing can be an issue forpeople too, right?
Rachel Rozen (26:05):
Yeah, absolutely, especially with introductions.
I never do blind introductions.
I always like to do a doubleopt-in.
So if I was going to introduceyou to somebody else, I may say
Aideen, I think it'd be reallygreat for you to meet John Smith
and let me just connect withhim first and make sure he's
open to the connection as well.
So then I will talk to John andsay I just met a Dean, I really
(26:29):
think you'd make a greatconnection.
Would you be open to anintroduction?
And he might say you know,right now is not a good time,
can you come back to me?
Or he might say, yeah,absolutely happy for the
introduction, but always makesure that you check with the
other person first before youmake that introduction, because
you never know what's happeningon other people's calendars.
(26:50):
And the one thing that isprobably my biggest pet peeve is
when people say my network isopen to you, my network is not
open to you.
My network is my network.
I've built that network and mypeople that I've built within my
network.
I need to protect them.
In order to protect them.
I need to check in with thembefore I make an introduction to
(27:10):
somebody else.
Aideen Ni Riada (27:12):
I really like that Because.
Rachel Rozen (27:13):
I never know what's going on.
You never know what's happeningon their calendar.
Are they going on vacation?
Do they have a board meetingthey need to prepare for?
Are their kids schedule crazy?
There could be a million thingsgoing on in their life.
You don't know what's happeningand so you don't want to just
assume and make thatintroduction, because then it's
(27:33):
also a bad look on you.
When I introduced you to Johnand I didn't check with John
first, and then John neverconnects with you.
Aideen Ni Riada (27:41):
Yep, yep, I'm very aware of this as well, even
on social media, that you know.
There's a setting on Facebookwhere you can hide your friends
to like strangers.
So only people who are alreadyin your in that network see who
else is in that network.
And I always because I had asituation where I met someone in
(28:01):
person and mentioned briefly afriend's name um, because I
thought maybe they might beinterested in something to do
with this as well and thatperson went beyond me that they
kind of cut me off and wentdirectly to this friend of mine
and was like oh so Aideen saidyou might be interested in this,
when I hadn't introduced themat all.
(28:22):
So you have to.
Sometimes people do you know,step you know in in the wrong
way, or they can be tooenthusiastic as well.
So I like that idea whereyou're saying that you know you
want to protect your connections, you don't want them to feel
harassed by anyone and you wantto make sure that the timing of
(28:44):
the introduction is right forthem.
Rachel Rozen (28:48):
Yeah, exactly.
And if we go back to the piggybank scenario, for example, your
network is your net worth.
It'd be the same as just openingup your bank account and giving
someone your pin to your ATMand saying here, take whatever
amount of money you want, youdon't want to do that because,
then you're going to becomebankrupt because people are
going to lose trust in you,because a lot of networking and
(29:10):
building relationships is aboutbuilding that trust and if
people can't trust you, thenyou're really going down a slope
.
That's not not good.
You really want to be in goodgraces with the people that are
in your network you mentionedearlier about the importance of
you know meeting people inperson.
Aideen Ni Riada (29:31):
So because a lot of us have gotten quite
settled in our ways online, youknow, especially with covid,
kind of shutting everything down, um, do you tell people like
I'm sure you suggest to peopleto try and get out and meet
people in person, but what's theadvice you would give someone,
kind of starting that fromscratch.
Rachel Rozen (29:50):
Yeah, so I am a big proponent of meeting people
in person, but it's also abouthow much energy it takes for you
, and that's really dependent onthe individual.
So, for example, for myself, Iknow that I cannot do more than
two in-person events in a weekand that's my max.
One is really where I feel atmy best, because it's much more
(30:12):
energy draining for me to be outand about.
I live in New York City so Ihave to get ready, take the
train, get to the place, havethe event, take the train home,
decompress after.
It's a process to go out whenyou don't realize that before
COVID it was just a normal dailything, but I didn't realize how
draining it was and that's whyI was getting so burnt out was
(30:35):
because I was nonstop going.
Now I try to conserve my energyand so I do things, so I ensure
that I can be my best selfthroughout my entire week,
versus I'm burnt out by, let'sjust say, thursday and Friday.
I can't do anything.
I don't want that to be thecase anymore.
So I really try to help peopleindividually and what I tell
people is think about what yourenergy is like by the end of the
(31:00):
day and then by the end of theweek and then by the end of the
month, how are you feeling basedupon the events that you're
going to?
And what do those events looklike?
Are you going to very largeconferences?
Are you going to cocktailparties?
Are you going to happy hours?
Are you going to small dinners?
Where are the places?
And varying them can make adifference too, because you may
(31:22):
feel better in a situation whereit's maybe a group of eight to
10 people versus being in aplace where there's hundreds of
people and that's even moredraining for you.
So you don't have to doeverything, but you do want to
do trial and error, figure outwhat makes sense for you and
start with a goal.
Maybe it's I'm going to do oneevent a month, or I'm going to
(31:42):
do an event every other week andthen just keep building on that
and seeing how you're feelingwith that especially.
You know we're stilltechnically coming out of COVID
and in many ways, people aren'tback to their routines pre-2020.
And so we have to build back upto that again.
And what does that look like?
And it doesn't always have tobe business related events that
(32:03):
look like and it doesn't alwayshave to be business related
events.
It could be social events too,like going to a concert or going
to a pickleball game.
You know there's different waysin which you can get out there
and meet people and also,depending, you may just want,
you know, time on your own, andthat's totally fine too.
But finding that right balancefor yourself is really
(32:24):
individualized.
Aideen Ni Riada (32:26):
Well, I'm sorry to say, we're going to have to
wrap up now, and is thereanything, any last pearl of
wisdom that you'd like to say tothe listeners, or anything you
want to reiterate before wefinish?
Rachel Rozen (32:37):
up.
Yeah, I really appreciate theconversation, Aideen.
I mean, the one thing that Iwould say is that anybody can
network.
Even if you're starting fromscratch, you've had a network
for a really long time.
It's really about building thathabit and that muscle to
continuously be buildingconversations, meeting new
people and following up withpeople that you've talked to in
(33:00):
the past, that maybe you've lostconnection with, and that could
be as easy as just sending atext message and saying hey, I'm
thinking about you and startinga conversation.
You just never know who you'regoing to meet, when you're going
to meet them and how they canhelp you or how you can help
them.
Aideen Ni Riada (33:16):
I love that Like.
So notice what.
Who is in your kind of networkalready that you may be not
investing in?
With that you could people thatyou like, people that could
help you in the future, um, yeah, so that's a really lovely way
to start if you're starting fromscratch.
Absolutely.
Thank you to everyone who'sbeen listening.
(33:36):
We really appreciate your timeand if you have any questions
for me or for Rachel, we wouldlove to hear from you.
In the show notes, I'll begiving the the details for
Rachel's website and herLinkedIn profile and, of course,
she has a lovely opt-in for youas well if you'd like to
connect with her.
(33:57):
Thank you all for listening.
This is Aideen from theResonate podcast.
Take care, bye-bye.
Welcome to the Resonate podcast with Aideen.
I'm Aideen Nreida, and my guesttoday comes from New York.
Her name is Rachel Rozen andI'm really excited to introduce
you all to her.
Rachel is a former chiefcustomer officer who transformed
her career by connecting with300 individuals in a year,
(00:25):
leading to founding her businessConnection Catalyst.
Known for empoweringprofessionals to turn icky
networking into sticky, lastingrelationships, Rachel helps
individuals and teams grow theirnet worth network.
I'm really curious about howyou got to doing the work you're
(00:48):
doing now.
You mentioned in your bio andyour introduction that you took
a year and you met 300individuals in one year.
What prompted you to decide todo that and what was the pearl
of wisdom that you got from thatsituation?
Rachel Rozen (01:09):
Yeah.
So when I left my role as achief customer officer, I wasn't
sure what I wanted to do next,and so I traveled for a few
months and then the time that Itook off, I was calling it my
learning sabbatical.
I was trying to figure out whatwas next for me.
I've been hospitality my entirecareer, from cooking to running
restaurants and hotels from thefront of the house standpoint,
(01:29):
and then went to the tech sideof things, and I really enjoy
being around customers.
But I realized that it wassuper draining for me and I
didn't want to do that workagain.
So I wasn't sure what was nextfor me.
And then I realized I had beenworking so much that my network
(01:50):
wasn't very wide or very deep.
I only knew the people that Iworked with and I only knew my
clients, and that wasn't thatmany people when you really
think about it.
And so I had to start fromscratch to figure out what I
might want to do next.
Think about it.
And so I had to start fromscratch to figure out what I
might want to do next.
And I thought maybe I want tobe a chief of staff and work
(02:12):
directly for a CEO and seeleadership from a different
vantage point and then maybebecome a COO, because I'm very
operationally focused, but thechief of staff role is very wide
as well.
So I started by talking tochiefs of staff from Fortune 500
companies to nonprofit andeverything in between, and I
ended up talking to about 40different chiefs of staff.
(02:33):
And that was really thebeginning of my networking
journey, because from there Ijust kept getting connected to
more people, so I just keptgetting more introductions.
So for every one person Italked to, it introduced me to
maybe two more people.
So I just kept getting moreintroductions.
So for every one person Italked to, it introduced me to
maybe two more people, and so itjust kept multiplying.
And then I was also involved ina few different community
(02:54):
groups, specifically aroundcareer transitions, because I
was looking for my next role,and people kept coming to me and
saying, or sending people myway, saying you need to talk to
Rachel, she's been doing allthis networking, you need to
learn from her how she's doingthis.
And I realized that there wastruly a skill set around
networking and I didn't evenknow that I had it, but because
I had been in so manyrelationship-facing roles or in
(03:18):
the industries that I had beenin.
From a hospitality standpoint,it's all about making
connections with your guests.
And then when I was in customerexperience on the tech side of
things, it was a relationshipthat I was building with my
clients, and that's all the sameskill set, really, that leads
towards being great atnetworking.
(03:41):
I just didn't realize it and Inever thought that I was good at
it, so it just kept multiplying.
Okay, I meet one person or I'mgoing to meet somebody else, and
the more I did it, someone.
Then I'm part of CHIEF, which isWomen's Executive Network, and
someone within that group hadheard me speak about networking.
I'd been getting a bunch ofconsulting jobs as well.
(04:01):
And they said, rachel, can youdo a webinar on this?
And I never talked about itother than one-on-one
conversations.
I said, sure, I'll putsomething together.
And that was the beginning ofokay, there's something more to
this.
And so it started with just,you know, having conversations
to a webinar to then, okay,let's build a business around
this.
Aideen Ni Riada (04:22):
I love that.
It's so, so organic and, youknow, it's sometimes when we're
trying to decide what to do,it's like we come up with an
idea in our head and we try tomake it happen, when sometimes
what we, what we feel led to, orwhat's right in front of us,
can be guiding that process.
(04:42):
If we can let go of ourpreconceived ideas of what
should be or what we would wantit to be, we realize, oh, I'm
perfectly suited for this as arole or to, you know, start this
business.
Well, congratulations onfollowing through on that idea
and making it something.
You know that you, you know,are really serving people in
(05:07):
this way.
Do you have any interestingstories about, like, random
connections, you know, like,like or from a client?
Maybe you know how weird these,you know this investment that
we're making in whatever ourpiggy bank of, but do you have
any interesting stories aboutwhat can happen from that?
Rachel Rozen (05:29):
Yeah, so I'll tell a story that actually brought
me to New York City.
So when I turned 30, I wasliving in Seattle Washington,
working for Hyatt at the time,and we got free hotel rooms all
over the world.
I always traveled domestically,but I really wanted to take a
big international trip andcelebrate my 30th birthday.
So I ended up going to Japanfor 10 days and was all over the
(05:53):
country Was this with otherpeople.
Aideen Ni Riada (05:56):
I'm just curious.
It was by myself, okay.
Rachel Rozen (05:58):
By myself.
I wanted to take a big trip andI made a pact with myself when
I turned 30 that I was going togo to a different country every
year in my 30s, which I did, butthat's another story.
But on my 30th I was waitingfor the bullet train to go from
Tokyo to Kyoto.
And this was before iPhoneswere as good as they are today
(06:22):
and I had to get a special planto use in Japan.
And this girl comes up to meand she's super hungover and
we're standing on the platformwaiting for the bullet train and
she's like can I borrow yourphone?
My friends left me, I don'tknow where they are, and I was
really, you know, a littlehesitant to give her my phone.
But I said you know what sureyou can borrow my phone.
(06:46):
I don't know how she had theirnumbers, but her phone was dead
and we ended up talking theentire way on the bullet train
from Tokyo to Kyoto.
She was actually I just turned30 as well.
She was from Australia.
I was telling her my story, shewas telling me her story.
She had recently left herfull-time job and became a
(07:09):
freelancer.
I believe it was incommunications, and I had been
working for Hyatt for eightyears and I was just really
unhappy and didn't want to staythere because I didn't feel like
I had an opportunity to growwithin the company at that point
.
And she said to me Rachel,you're not married to Hyatt.
You could literally do anythingyou want to do.
(07:30):
And when I came back from thattrip a couple months later, I
ended up quitting, had no job,moved all the way across the
country to New York City, didn'thave a job at all.
It took me about a few monthsto find something no-transcript,
(07:51):
open myself up to say hey, yeah, you can use my phone, but on
top of that, we continue theconversation on the train as
well.
So it wasn't just atransactional interaction, we
actually had a conversation.
Unfortunately, I never met heragain, but she was someone that
came into my life for a reasonin that moment and really helped
(08:14):
change my trajectory, because Iwould have never be where I am
now if I didn't hear that pieceof advice.
Aideen Ni Riada (08:20):
That's amazing.
Yeah, the wisdom of strangers,exactly.
Yeah, that's awesome.
I worked for Japan Airlines fornearly five years as cabin crew
.
So I don't think I ever took thebullet train from Tokyo to
Kyoto.
Kyoto was one of those placesthat I somehow didn't get to.
But I, when you said someonewalked up to me, you know, on
(08:44):
the train station, I was like,well, it obviously was a
Westerner.
Like, cause, you know theJapanese, they wouldn't be
asking that Well, they would beless likely to be asking someone
, you know, who looked different, for help.
So, but you explained it allbeautifully.
That's such a lovely story.
Rachel Rozen (09:01):
But on the other, end, which is kind of also great
, was when I got to Osaka, whichis another city that I went to,
I was lost.
I had no idea how to get towhere I needed to go and this
girl helped me, who wasn't fromOsaka I don't remember what city
she was from.
She was a student and herEnglish was really good and she
(09:21):
was so excited to talk to me andpractice her English.
But she didn't know Osaka soshe couldn't help me get to
where I needed to go.
So she asked another couple tohelp me and they didn't speak
any English but they walked meall the way to where I needed to
go and I had to get on a busand made sure I got on the bus
because I had all my luggagewith me before I to make sure
(09:45):
that I got to where I needed togo.
And so you know, a lot of it isjust humanity and hospitality
and just helping one another,regardless.
If you can communicate withthem, it's how can you just make
an impact in someone's lifeLike?
I've never forgot those twopeople or those three people in
Osaka.
I don't know that I'll ever seethem again, but they saved me
(10:06):
because I would have never havegotten to my destination if they
didn't help me get to where Ineeded to go.
Aideen Ni Riada (10:11):
Yeah, we all need each other.
I think sometimes there's anattitude, especially in, you
know, in the Western kind ofculture, that you know you stand
on your own two feet and youfigure it out yourself and you
shouldn't actually need a lot ofhelp and that needing help was
a negative thing.
And I think that that's sodetrimental because, in reality,
(10:35):
the people who make big thingshappen, there's always a team of
people behind them.
There's at least one or twoother people that are 100 with
them.
So those relationships we have,they're like gold, like that
you say.
They're, you know, like havingmoney in the bank.
They are like gold.
They're it's like a treasure ofum, of a resource and um.
(10:58):
This concept that you're talkingabout, of seeing each
relationship as an investment,is just um, it's, it's, it's a,
it's a gem in in of wisdom.
And that I think, especially inbusiness, sometimes it's so
easy to forget because you justthink, oh, I go to an interview
and I do my interview and then Ieither get the job or I don't.
(11:19):
But these days we needrelationships to find where the
interviews are or get arecommendation, so that
different ways that people areinteracting are going to help us
to get where we want to go areinteracting are going to help us
to get where we want to go.
Rachel Rozen (11:37):
Absolutely, and even if you think about from an
interview perspective and thisis something that I coach people
on as well is, even if youdidn't get the job, try to stay
connected with the interviewersthat you had, because you never
know where they're going to goto next and the opportunity that
they had in the moment may notbe the right fit for you right
now, but it doesn't meansomething else isn't going to
come along, or the person thatthey actually offer the job may
(12:04):
say no, so maybe you might bethe next best candidate and they
offer you the job.
There's always opportunities toconnect with people and I wish
I knew that earlier in my career, because I really took it for
granted.
All of the jobs that I ever gotwas through networking in some
way.
This was the first time that Ididn't get a job through
networking, so when I left myrole as a chief customer officer
and I didn't know what I wantedto do next, I didn't have a
(12:26):
strong enough network to help meget there, so I had to build it
from scratch, becauseeverything was related to the
industries I had been in prior,but I wanted a change and I
didn't have anybody around me tohelp me get to that, so I had
to start all over again.
So I really recommend to peopleis don't just connect with the
people that are in your industryor in your role.
(12:48):
Try to broaden your horizonsand expand the network of people
that you know, and you can dothat not just from a business
standpoint, but it could be fromyour passions.
Like I mentioned earlier, youmight play pickleball, you may
be in a running club or a bookclub.
It could be anything that youenjoy doing, but what do those
people do for work?
How can you make connectionswith them as well?
(13:11):
Because you might need them atsome point in time as well, or
they might need you.
You never know.
Aideen Ni Riada (13:20):
So when it comes to, let's say, a practical
example, like you've been tothe interview and then you're
like, oh, how do I stayconnected with that interviewer?
What?
Like not everybody kind ofknows how to do this.
Please tell us a little bit ofwhat the advice would be to
someone who's pretty new tonetworking.
(13:40):
What would be their next steps?
Rachel Rozen (13:43):
So the best way today is, honestly through
LinkedIn.
So you should make sure thatyou're connected with them
through LinkedIn.
When you send a thank you note,I generally say send it through
an email, but you can also senda message on LinkedIn if you'd
like.
But whenever you're connectingwith someone on LinkedIn, always
connect with a note.
And the reason why I likepeople to connect with a note is
(14:05):
you can be specific on how youmet them, because you can go
back to that later.
So if I met you, aideen, Ithink we met through another
networking group and I probablyspecifically said this is the
group that we met in.
Can't wait.
I think we met through anothernetworking group and I probably
specifically said this is thegroup that we met in.
Can't wait to meet you orsomething along those lines.
So I know how we met and Irecommend the same thing.
(14:25):
So thank you for the interviewat XYZ Company, or great meeting
you through there.
But then the next piece isreally following their content,
talking to them through theposts that they are posting
about and providing your thoughtleadership on the information
that they're posting about.
Or, if you're following thecompany still, what are the
(14:47):
things or big things that arehappening in the company that
you can then have a conversationwith them about, whether it be
a congratulations or.
I saw this article that you canrelate back to the interview
that you had.
We talked about this.
I thought you might beinterested in this article as it
related to this topic that wetalked about in the interview.
(15:09):
There's lots of different waysin which you can continue to
connect with somebody.
It really is just dependent onhow invested you are in those
conversations and with thepeople that you have had those
interviews with, and you're notnecessarily going to click or
stay connected to every singleperson, but if it's important to
(15:31):
you, you'll find ways that theintersection of things that you
talked about or things thatyou're interested in can relate
back to them and just continueto have a conversation.
And again, most of the timeit's going to be through
LinkedIn, but there could beopportunities as well to say you
know, I didn't get this job,would love to continue to have a
(15:52):
30-minute conversation.
Aideen Ni Riada (15:56):
You know, maybe not related to that, maybe you
have advice for me or somethingexactly.
Okay, cool, that's really cool.
Um, something was coming up inmy mind about you know noticing
when you have a connection withpeople, because you know you
could have three people on aninterview board but one of them
might be just more warm or mayunder may show more
understanding or more interestin you and we're not always
(16:23):
noticing who would be an easierto kind of stay connected with,
because not everybody has thatlike.
Some people have a demeanor oflike don't contact me again.
How do you coach your clientsto kind of start to notice those
kinds of cues?
Rachel Rozen (16:40):
Yeah, I mean I think it's important to still
kind of treat everybody in thesame way, because you just don't
know what someone's goingthrough Like.
They could also just had a badday, you know, they could have
been lost in the count, theycould have their kids sick at
home.
I mean there could be a millionreasons why the interview just
didn't go well.
(17:01):
So when you're leaving thatinterview, I still want to treat
everybody in the same way,still make those connections.
But we also want to be payingattention to you know people's
demeanor and how they aretreating us.
And if you feel disrespected,then obviously that's not
someone that you want to stayconnected with because you're
not making that connection withthem at all.
(17:24):
But for the most part, if youcan continue to have at the bare
minimum connecting with them onLinkedIn with a note and
following their content, it'sjust a great way to have
continuous potential opportunityof connection.
Aideen Ni Riada (17:43):
Now I'm really curious about this idea of your
net worth network.
What in God's name do you meanby that?
And tell us more.
Rachel Rozen (17:52):
Absolutely so.
When you think about networking, I like to think about it from
a piggy bank concept.
We're always talking about thegive to get.
What can I give somebody?
What can I get back?
So every time that I'm givingto someone, I'm making a deposit
into my piggy bank or aninvestment, and when I need to
get something back from someone,that's when I'm getting a
(18:13):
withdrawal.
Okay, what you don't want tohappen is to go bankrupt.
So you want to keep makingthose deposits and meeting new
people.
But the people that you'remeeting, you want to continue
those relationships with themtoo.
It's not a one-time transaction.
It's a continuous opportunityto reengage with them and build
on that relationship over time.
(18:34):
And the more you build on thoserelationships, the more is in
your piggy bank and your networth will continue to grow,
because we really want theopportunity to have lots of
people around us, and peoplefrom all different perspectives,
so that we can help them whenthey might need it.
But also we know that we cancall on them if we need
(18:55):
something as well.
Aideen Ni Riada (18:57):
Do you think a lot of people underestimate the
value of connecting with newpeople, especially like we kind
of have our go-to people, butsometimes we stay in our small
zone and we don't really make aneffort with others?
Rachel Rozen (19:12):
Yeah, absolutely.
It's really interesting becauseif you think about how many
people you are connected with,it's actually hundreds of people
.
You interact with people allday long.
Whether you're going to thegrocery store or you're walking
down the street or at work,you're always interacting with
people.
But those are oftentransactions.
(19:33):
They're not necessarilybuilding relationships.
And it's interesting.
Esther Perel, who is arelationship therapist, was on
Brene Brown's podcast maybeabout six months ago or so, and
she recently was touring, Ibelieve, just the US, but she
was bringing people together inperson to really connect.
(19:53):
And one of the things that shesaid around social media is that
today many people havethousands of followers, hundreds
of thousands of followers, butwhen it comes time to go on
vacation, they don't have anyonethat can feed their cat.
(20:15):
And it's so important that webuild as possible that they can
help us whenever we needsomething.
But we don't always value thoseconnections that we have or
want to build upon thoseconnections as well, and so when
(20:36):
we're thinking about networking, it's not just the people that
are in our circle today, but whocan we keep adding into our
circle.
And it's interesting because weoften tend to spend time in the
same circles, and so if we'rein the same circles, we're
recycling ideas, versus if we goto find different circles or we
(20:58):
add new people into our circles, then new ideas start to
formulate as well.
Aideen Ni Riada (21:04):
Yeah, do a lot of your clients find undervalue
their own contribution, likethey don't realize how, how much
they have that would be usefulto others in relationships.
They might think, oh, nobodyneeds to know that, or, you know
, I won't bother doing thisbecause who cares?
(21:25):
Kind of thing.
Rachel Rozen (21:27):
Absolutely.
And the thing is that we allhave life experiences.
Everybody has gone throughsomething, have dealt with
something, have experiences andlearnings that could help
somebody else, and you neverknow what somebody else might
need or how you might be able tohelp someone.
So even when you go into aconversation, a lot of people
(21:49):
say have something to give back.
But I like to say if theconversation ends up being 90%
you taking and 10% giving,that's okay.
But if you're listening trulyto the conversation and learning
about that other person, youmay have something to give at a
later point in time.
So it doesn't always have to bein the very beginning.
(22:12):
And I have a framework calledthe three I's which goes around
the give to get theory, and thisgoes in both directions.
So when you're talking tosomebody, can you make an
introduction to somebody elsethat might be able to help them?
(22:33):
The second I is information Canyou provide them a resource,
whether it be a book, a podcastor advice that could help them
on something that they mightneed?
And the third I is aninvitation.
Can you invite them somewherethat's going to benefit them, so
that could be to anothercommunity, that could be out to
coffee, that could be to dinner,to a webinar, where is a place
or a space that might give themthe opportunity to benefit
(22:56):
whatever their needs might be?
And sometimes when you're in aconversation, you end up
speaking more than the otherperson so you don't get enough
information from them to makethose connections.
And that's where the follow-upoccurs and you might just say it
was so great meeting you.
Aideen, I know we didn't get totalk as much as we'd like.
(23:18):
I'd love to follow up withanother conversation.
Can we schedule another 30minutes and find another time to
connect?
Or, if you live in the samecity, see if you can go for
coffee, just finding the time tocontinue the conversation, so
it's not one and done, and thenthere's more opportunity to
learn about the other person.
Aideen Ni Riada (23:36):
That's just beautiful.
I mean those three points.
The other person that's justbeautiful.
I mean those three points.
So you have the introduction tosomeone else, information that
they may find useful and aninvitation to something.
Now what do you do?
If you're like me and I'm likewhat we call at home here is OCH
obsessive, compulsive helpful,which means that I'm always
(23:57):
offering people information andinviting them.
So sometimes you have to judgeit carefully to know what that
person would be open toreceiving from you.
Rachel Rozen (24:08):
Yeah, a big thing I like to say too is just stay
present in the moment.
Pay attention to people's bodylanguage, how they're talking.
Ask questions before you'regiving one of those three I's to
Fully understand what theirneeds might be, before you say
just do this, because peoplearen't always receptive to
(24:30):
feedback.
You get more receptive tofeedback once people hear you,
see you and value you as anindividual, and the more
questions you ask and be curiousto get to know them, the more
likely you're going to startbuilding that rapport with them
and then they're going to say ohyes, that makes sense.
I appreciate that information.
(24:51):
Whether they use it or not, itshows the value that you want to
provide to them, especiallywhen you're genuine, sincere in
the way of your delivery and notdoing it in a way of oh, I know
better than you or you need todo this because I've done it
this way and this is how it hasto be.
If you're really truly tryingto help them, they can see that
(25:14):
sincerity come through in theway that you're speaking.
Aideen Ni Riada (25:18):
I know that because I love to share stuff.
So I've got that that you knowinstinct.
Naturally not everybody does.
They need to learn how to do it.
But sometimes I'll saysomething like you know, would
you be interested in hearingabout this?
And before I go, oh, I have totell you all about the thing.
(25:38):
So at least that's a questionthat helps them to give me the
feedback as to what is right forthem at that time, because it
is a lot to do with timing.
When you you know maybe aninvitation to the CEO of a
company is too much for you,that day you know because you
don't feel like you have yourbusiness plan ready or you don't
(25:59):
have a proposal ready.
So timing can be an issue forpeople too, right?
Rachel Rozen (26:05):
Yeah, absolutely, especially with introductions.
I never do blind introductions.
I always like to do a doubleopt-in.
So if I was going to introduceyou to somebody else, I may say
Aideen, I think it'd be reallygreat for you to meet John Smith
and let me just connect withhim first and make sure he's
open to the connection as well.
So then I will talk to John andsay I just met a Dean, I really
(26:29):
think you'd make a greatconnection.
Would you be open to anintroduction?
And he might say you know,right now is not a good time,
can you come back to me?
Or he might say, yeah,absolutely happy for the
introduction, but always makesure that you check with the
other person first before youmake that introduction, because
you never know what's happeningon other people's calendars.
(26:50):
And the one thing that isprobably my biggest pet peeve is
when people say my network isopen to you, my network is not
open to you.
My network is my network.
I've built that network and mypeople that I've built within my
network.
I need to protect them.
In order to protect them.
I need to check in with thembefore I make an introduction to
(27:10):
somebody else.
Aideen Ni Riada (27:12):
I really like that Because.
Rachel Rozen (27:13):
I never know what's going on.
You never know what's happeningon their calendar.
Are they going on vacation?
Do they have a board meetingthey need to prepare for?
Are their kids schedule crazy?
There could be a million thingsgoing on in their life.
You don't know what's happeningand so you don't want to just
assume and make thatintroduction, because then it's
(27:33):
also a bad look on you.
When I introduced you to Johnand I didn't check with John
first, and then John neverconnects with you.
Aideen Ni Riada (27:41):
Yep, yep, I'm very aware of this as well, even
on social media, that you know.
There's a setting on Facebookwhere you can hide your friends
to like strangers.
So only people who are alreadyin your in that network see who
else is in that network.
And I always because I had asituation where I met someone in
(28:01):
person and mentioned briefly afriend's name um, because I
thought maybe they might beinterested in something to do
with this as well and thatperson went beyond me that they
kind of cut me off and wentdirectly to this friend of mine
and was like oh so Aideen saidyou might be interested in this,
when I hadn't introduced themat all.
(28:22):
So you have to.
Sometimes people do you know,step you know in in the wrong
way, or they can be tooenthusiastic as well.
So I like that idea whereyou're saying that you know you
want to protect your connections, you don't want them to feel
harassed by anyone and you wantto make sure that the timing of
(28:44):
the introduction is right forthem.
Rachel Rozen (28:48):
Yeah, exactly.
And if we go back to the piggybank scenario, for example, your
network is your net worth.
It'd be the same as just openingup your bank account and giving
someone your pin to your ATMand saying here, take whatever
amount of money you want, youdon't want to do that because,
then you're going to becomebankrupt because people are
going to lose trust in you,because a lot of networking and
(29:10):
building relationships is aboutbuilding that trust and if
people can't trust you, thenyou're really going down a slope
.
That's not not good.
You really want to be in goodgraces with the people that are
in your network you mentionedearlier about the importance of
you know meeting people inperson.
Aideen Ni Riada (29:31):
So because a lot of us have gotten quite
settled in our ways online, youknow, especially with covid,
kind of shutting everything down, um, do you tell people like
I'm sure you suggest to peopleto try and get out and meet
people in person, but what's theadvice you would give someone,
kind of starting that fromscratch.
Rachel Rozen (29:50):
Yeah, so I am a big proponent of meeting people
in person, but it's also abouthow much energy it takes for you
, and that's really dependent onthe individual.
So, for example, for myself, Iknow that I cannot do more than
two in-person events in a weekand that's my max.
One is really where I feel atmy best, because it's much more
(30:12):
energy draining for me to be outand about.
I live in New York City so Ihave to get ready, take the
train, get to the place, havethe event, take the train home,
decompress after.
It's a process to go out whenyou don't realize that before
COVID it was just a normal dailything, but I didn't realize how
draining it was and that's whyI was getting so burnt out was
(30:35):
because I was nonstop going.
Now I try to conserve my energyand so I do things, so I ensure
that I can be my best selfthroughout my entire week,
versus I'm burnt out by, let'sjust say, thursday and Friday.
I can't do anything.
I don't want that to be thecase anymore.
So I really try to help peopleindividually and what I tell
people is think about what yourenergy is like by the end of the
(31:00):
day and then by the end of theweek and then by the end of the
month, how are you feeling basedupon the events that you're
going to?
And what do those events looklike?
Are you going to very largeconferences?
Are you going to cocktailparties?
Are you going to happy hours?
Are you going to small dinners?
Where are the places?
And varying them can make adifference too, because you may
(31:22):
feel better in a situation whereit's maybe a group of eight to
10 people versus being in aplace where there's hundreds of
people and that's even moredraining for you.
So you don't have to doeverything, but you do want to
do trial and error, figure outwhat makes sense for you and
start with a goal.
Maybe it's I'm going to do oneevent a month, or I'm going to
(31:42):
do an event every other week andthen just keep building on that
and seeing how you're feelingwith that especially.
You know we're stilltechnically coming out of COVID
and in many ways, people aren'tback to their routines pre-2020.
And so we have to build back upto that again.
And what does that look like?
And it doesn't always have tobe business related events that
(32:03):
look like and it doesn't alwayshave to be business related
events.
It could be social events too,like going to a concert or going
to a pickleball game.
You know there's different waysin which you can get out there
and meet people and also,depending, you may just want,
you know, time on your own, andthat's totally fine too.
But finding that right balancefor yourself is really
(32:24):
individualized.
Aideen Ni Riada (32:26):
Well, I'm sorry to say, we're going to have to
wrap up now, and is thereanything, any last pearl of
wisdom that you'd like to say tothe listeners, or anything you
want to reiterate before wefinish?
Rachel Rozen (32:37):
up.
Yeah, I really appreciate theconversation, Aideen.
I mean, the one thing that Iwould say is that anybody can
network.
Even if you're starting fromscratch, you've had a network
for a really long time.
It's really about building thathabit and that muscle to
continuously be buildingconversations, meeting new
people and following up withpeople that you've talked to in
(33:00):
the past, that maybe you've lostconnection with, and that could
be as easy as just sending atext message and saying hey, I'm
thinking about you and startinga conversation.
You just never know who you'regoing to meet, when you're going
to meet them and how they canhelp you or how you can help
them.
Aideen Ni Riada (33:16):
I love that Like.
So notice what.
Who is in your kind of networkalready that you may be not
investing in?
With that you could people thatyou like, people that could
help you in the future, um, yeah, so that's a really lovely way
to start if you're starting fromscratch.
Absolutely.
Thank you to everyone who'sbeen listening.
(33:36):
We really appreciate your timeand if you have any questions
for me or for Rachel, we wouldlove to hear from you.
In the show notes, I'll begiving the the details for
Rachel's website and herLinkedIn profile and, of course,
she has a lovely opt-in for youas well if you'd like to
connect with her.
(33:57):
Thank you all for listening.
This is Aideen from theResonate podcast.
Take care, bye-bye.
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