Super Bowl XLV: A Networking Guide for Newcomers

Welcome Super Bowl visitors! ! !  Maybe you'll like Dallas/Fort Worth so much, you'll want to stay. 

You won't be alone.  Texas is teeming with new transplants these days.  No surprise.  Folks are attracted to our open and welcoming culture, attractive cost of living, favorable economy and promising future.  In fact, Dallas leads the nation in job creation, according to this impressive graphic from SMU's Michael Cox, former economist at the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank. 

The Texas Superstate cover story of Newsweek, above, was the eye-opener and impetus for me.  Here is the complete story, as recounted in D Magazine's 119 Reasons Why We Love Dallas issue.  Soon, my two sisters followed and later, even my mother. 

It was fertile ground for pursuit of successful business careers, for which we are very grateful.  Not to mention the side benefit of meeting tall, handsome Texas husbands.  Dallas has been very good to these girls from Altoona, PA! 

If you're new in town, here are some orientation tips:

1.  Cultural context.  Rent the movie Giant to catch the pioneering spirit of Texas.  Scope some episodes of the TV show Dallas.  J.R. Ewing is a bigger-than-life oilman.  Note the shoulder pad fashions of the 80s and the changing skyline of the city.  ESPN's Pony Excess covers the SMU football scandal, against the backdrop of local business, media and politics. 

2.  Media coverage.  Peruse the websites, blogs and archives of Dallas Morning News, Texas Monthly, D Magazine and D CEO.  Note the new neighborhood video channel You+Dallas. 

3.  Daytime beverages.  At a weekday business lunch, you will likely order iced tea or Dr Pepper (regular or diet).  As a corporate even planner once noted, "Dallas doesn't drink at lunch, but these men expect their glass of wine at 6 pm."

4.  Gotta have Art.  Take in an arts event at the venues of our internationally renown Arts District -- DMA, Nasher, Wyly, Meyerson or Winspear.  And, yes, we have sports, too.  Two pro team owners have Pittsburgh ties -- Mark Cuban and Chuck Greenberg.

   

5.  Find a tribe.  Join something.  Whether it's a neighborhood group, professional organization or non-profit initiative.  Take on a leadership role.   Women In Communications  was my port of entry.  I became the Job Placement chairman, an excellent way to meet others and match them with new opportunities!  (Program chairman is another productive and visible role in an organization.)

6.  Team up.  Don't go it alone.  Find another newcomer and network together.  One of my first friends in town was NYC transplant Erika Sanchez, then a reporter at the Dallas Morning News.  We would do a regular lunch during those early days and both invite a new person that we thought the other would like.  We're still friends and members of an excellent book club!

7.  Fashionability.  You will notice how attractive the women and men are here.  The weather is warm much of the time, so people are outdoors and less bundled-up than in the North.  Not to mention the Neiman Marcus influence of beauty and style. Fitness outlets also abound. 

8.  Be nice.  People are friendly and happy here.  Smile!  Relax!  Be polite!   Say please, thank you and excuse me.  No elbow-jabbing or pushing. 

9.  Go blonde.   You will note being surrounded by beautiful blondes.  At some point, many brunettes give into the temptation and, at minimum, experiment with highlights.  Go ahead, give it a try.  You can always go back to your natural color.  Live the life of a Dallas blonde.  Even the senior citizens do.  (My mother included!)  You can count the number of gray-haired women here on a single hand. 

10.  (Bonus tip for single women.)  Take up golf.  We have a nice long playing season here and, as the realtors say:  Location, location, location.  It's where the men are.  Even if you only go to the driving range, it provides an excellent venue.  It works.  I can tell you of a particularly noteworthy tournament that yielded two weddings out of two foursomes.  Do you need a more compelling testimonial?  I didn't think so.

So, to all....Welcome.  Enjoy.  Go Steelers! ! ! !    

Synergy



Christine Breck, founder of Texas Wall Street Women, called this week with an invitation to present at the Dallas chapter's October meeting. 

We brainstormed critical topics to address:  leadership, career management and networking -- all wrapped up under the umbrella of busy career time constraints. How does one cope with work, home, family, fitness, a touch of social life and still find time to sleep??? 

It's risky to have all of one's eggs in one basket.  A byword of career planning is to network before you need to.  And advancement often requires relationships and outreach in industry circles beyond one's immediate department, according to author and career expert Dr. Helen Harkness.  Yet, in a post-downsized world, bandwidth is limited.  It's not uncommon for an individual to be doing the work of more than one. 

What's the solution?  Women in particular need a career and relationship strategy that delivers efficiencies.  It's all about synergy -- mixing business and personal realms.

Men have been doing it for years.  Drinks at the 19th hole after a game of golf.  Football and baseball outings.  Poker groups.  We now have executive women golf initiatives.  But you don't have to undertake sports if you're not athletically inclined.  There are many other paths.

Here are some points that I will address:

1.  People do business with those they like.  Become friends with your clients.

2.  Saying no is an important as saying yes.  Don't get saddled with commitments if they are not going to give you an effective ROI.  Or if they're not enjoyable.

3.  Delegate and outsource -- don't try to be the homemade cupcake goddess if you are a time-crunched  road warrior. 

4.  Seek alliances that can deliver multiple outcomes. 

5.  Find fitness outlets with friends.

6.  Target organizations where your customers are -- and your competitors are not.

When I was single in my 30s, I always built relationships with the wives of male clients.   My pro bono community work was always in support of their special charities.  When I married, my husband and I became friends as couples with many longtime clients and co-workers.  We are trusted advisors to one another.  We network.  We refer business.  We help each other.     

On Saturdays, I always look forward to Lisa Ann McCall's Body Balance class.  It's a wonderful regime and as a bonus, it's a catch-up session with friends and colleagues from Texas Women Ventures (4 of us), Second Wednesday Book Club (3 of us) and Women's Leadership Exchange (4 of us), as well as a women's financial breakfast series where I first met Lisa Ann!

Texas Women Ventures Fund has been highly rewarding.  We are a mezzanine fund that invests in women-led businesses.  It's an impressive network of professional women -- and some men, as well -- who provide funding as well as expertise and connections, as needed, by the portfolio companies.  It's a for-profit organization for the investors, but one which also does good, as the companies are creating hundreds of jobs in their local economies.  Many friendships and business relationships have been forged, as the group prepares to raise a third fund this year. 

The key is to find The Perfect Fit of outreach initiatives that work for you and your career goals.

Copyright!

If you have a creative bent,you likely have a storehouse of content -- ditties you've written or drawn.  If you are in the professional services sector, it might be a backlog of thought leadership.

It's the New Year.   A perfect time to try something new!  Dig into the archives.  Take a fresh look at your output.  Maybe you can package, leverage -- or simply share -- something that might be of interest and value to others. 

Here's a wonderful holiday song inspired by our little dog Chanel. 

Children love it.  It's easy to sing -- with a nice story about untapped skills that lie within.  There are product extension possibilities.  I'm storyboarding a picture book.  And, of course, it would be an adorable plush toy -- or even screenplay. 

Don't hesitate to shoot me an email regarding commercial possibilities.  It's my creative side project of the year. 

I just changed the name of the little dog to avoid conflict with the Chanel design house.  Sending it off for copyright approval via LegalZoom.com.  Enjoy!

Noelle’s Merry Christmas

There once was a dog....

And her name was Noelle.

She went with her family

Where some trees they would sell.

They all got so excited

About the Christmas tree.

They got into the car.

“AND THEY FORGOT ABOUT ME!!!!”

Poor little dog!

Left all alone!

So far away from home.....’

Just to wander and to roam.

She walked along the highway.....

She went from street to street.

When daylight turned to darkness,

THE LITTLE DOG BEGAN TO WEEP. (Oh noooo….)

Then what to her teary

Little eyes should appear

But Santa and his little team

Of merry reindeer.

They said, “Come on and join us!!

“We’ll travel through the sky.

“You’ll see your Mom and Dad again...”

“BUT I DON’T KNOW HOW TO FLY!!!!”

She practiced and practiced....

Tried to flap her little paws.

With Santa and his reindeer

Looking on with applause.

She said, “I’ll never do it!”

Her ears turned ‘round and ‘round.

The next that she knew it....

SHE WAS LIFTED FROM THE GROUND!!!!

(Touch your fingertips together and raise them above your head!)

With Dancer and Prancer

And the rest of them she flew....

Up in the air

In the winter sky so blue.

They landed on the driveway.

She scampered to the door.

Noelle’s back with her family....

MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERMORE!!!!

© Nancy Keene 2011