Motivational

Traditional networking is mostly ineffective. We’re either time poor and don’t know where to find quality connections, or we leave a networking event with a stack of business cards but no solid relationships. Here are eight unconventional strategies to nurture a powerful network: 1. Do the work. No magic fairy will wave her wand and […]

In 2017, I read an editorial in The New York Times with one eye on the paper and the other one rolling in the back of my head. (Metaphorically, that is. Do not try this at home!) The piece, written by Professor Adam Grant of the Wharton School, is called “Networking Is Overrated.” The essence

Since starting my own company in 2014, networking has been the lifeblood of my new business development, and online networking has been a huge component. By online networking, I don’t mean seeing how many LinkedIn connections you can get, “liking” lots of other people’s posts or having accounts on every new social media channel that

When I was 6 years old, my father bought me a violin. It was a life-changing gift. I wouldn’t say I was a mind-blowing talent, but I was good with music and I enjoyed spending time studying it. At the age of 10, I started to perform small concerts. At first, they were just for

Working for someone else often comes with stability and security. Yet as a management consultant, Kate Flynn was slipping further away from her core desire: time with family and friends. She also found the work unfulfilling and often logged long hours. In 2017 she drove a few hours south of her San Francisco office to

For many young professionals, attending a networking event sounds about as fun as going to the dentist. Necessary? Yes. Enjoyable? Not so much. Attitudes like this are understandable—the pressure is high, you’re not sure who to approach first and conversations can range from awkward to downright embarrassing—but they’re also shortsighted. Networking remains one of the

Sunbathing while tending to his garden, house music playing lightly in the background while the leaves dance to the beat. His definition of success? He pauses and answers questions thoughtfully, giving off the same ease as a musician playing his biggest hit. “Waking up in the morning with nothing hurting too bad.” Has Ron Finley

My first ever “speaking engagement” was at my childrens’ kindergarten. I was so nervous my knees were shaking and my fingers fumbled through the copious notes I kept referring to. It’s fair to say I was far more focused on myself—making a good impression and not making a fool of myself—than on the people in

“Hell isn’t a place, it’s other people,” is a quote loosely translated from French philosopher Jean-Paul Satre’s one-act play No Exit. Keynote speaker Todd Davis got a chuckle from the SUCCESS Live Long Beach crowd when he asked if anyone could relate to this quote. The response of the crowd stems from the fact that

“The art of communication”—I like that phrase. Because communicating is an art. When we’re attempting to get our message out to others, it’s as though we start with a giant blank canvas and then begin to paint a picture, any picture we desire. Now, most people assume that when painting a picture, they have only