I've been learning that all these relationships can be (and probably should be) part of one big, crowded, network. I've tended to keep my life fairly compartmentalized. But when they are integrated, life is better, easier, and a whole lot more fun. I think this is what guys have known all along - they don't separate their friends like we do.
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| my friend BB |
- My best and oldest friend, BB Webb, has become a powerful business maven in the Athens area. We have seen the best and worst over the years. And we now support each other in our business dealings as well as offering advise about our love lives.
- My old boss, current mentor and friend, introduced me to Stephanie Roppolo who had recently arrived in Atlanta from Denver and wanted to start building a network. We took our kids to the zoo and spent the entire time talking about business. We quickly became friends and we have helped each other with business ideas, expanding network, selling services, hosting fund raising events, and even providing emotional support during the darker days.
- I had this incredibly bright and talented woman on my team at Deloitte. She was funny and such a great problem solver. We ended up becoming business friends, slowly became real friends, and now Paige Riley is my business partner. Having a best friend as a business partner is great.
- Saturday night I hosted our neighborhood dinner club. I was talking with one of the women who is starting to look for a new job. We realized after a year of knowing each other that we do very similar things and that I could introduce her to some key people to help her get out more. Why did it take a year before we knew this?
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| my oldest support group |
We shouldn't be afraid to talk business with neighbors, or to talk kids with business colleagues, or to mix it up and really get to know the whole person. And I don't think it should take years to do so!
We have to speed this up if we are going to take care of ourselves in this crazy environment.
Great perspective...can I throw in a technical term? Integration. I think that we should definitely integrate our networks...just like you did at your dinner club. The problem comes in what is the bane of the business women’s existence, and that is "taking it personally". Being "friends" at work only works to a certain extent and after than it really takes mature women to pull it off (I say this since we're best friends and business partners and very mature IMHO)! Women are notorious for mixing up business and personal feelings and that's always a recipe for hurt feelings and disappointment. I know from which I speak...believe me, I know…So wise sage of the blogisphere…how can avoid taking it personally when to us work is personal!?!
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