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Lois Webster

February 2009 - TD Magazine

Leaving Nothing to Chance

Scott Pitts has spent nearly two decades in the learning and organization development professions, 16 of which have been in the financial services industry. Prior to his current role as a learning strategist for a major financial services firm, he created and led a learning department for the largest bank in Missouri not headquartered in a metro market. Currently, he partners with executives to recommend firm-wide learning and organization development solutions. Scott has performed and led nearly all learning functions as defined by ATD.Scott is also an associate adjunct professor of training and development, as well as organization development and change, at the Walker School of Business at Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri. Scott is also serving as a captain (promotable) in the United States Army Reserves for the 7th Psychological Operations Group in Mountain View, California. Scott is active in serving the Army and his local community by training local educators, clergy, and behavioral health professionals on suicide intervention. He also serves on the Business Education Advisory Board for Mineral Area College in Park Hills, Missouri, where he advises department leaders on curriculum enhancements to train future business leaders in Southeast Missouri.Scott's idea of good self-care is sitting on his porch on his six acres of Missouri woods with cold beverage in hand, Darius Rucker playing, and his kids exploring the woods.

Scott Pitts

We’ve all heard it a million times: “Networking is the best way to find a job” or “70 to 80 percent of people find their jobs through networking.” But in the last five years, networking has gotten a bad reputation. During the downturn, with so many good people out of work, networking was at a fevered pitch. And, because so many people don't know how to network, those who were being “networked,” became burned out on the concept.So, how do you break through? By understanding yourself, being better prepared, and by having something to offer in return.What Is Networking?Here is one definition of networking from the Merriam Webster dictionary: “the exchange of information or services among individuals, groups, or institutions; specifically the cultivation of productive relationships for employment or business.” Note the use of the word exchange, which is defined as “the act of giving one thing in return for another.” So, one of the first rules of networking: It is a two-way street. You need to be constantly thinking about what you can do for the people with whom you wish to network. During a recent ATD webcast, “Stand Out: Networking,” presenter Dorie Clark said that one of her pet peeves was when people say, “I’d like to pick your brain,” because it sounds like a one-way extraction of information.So, before you ask someone for a networking meeting, think about the WIIFM (what’s in it for me) for the other person. You may have information or contacts that are useful to them. You may be able to provide them with publicity, visibility, or help with a volunteer project. The possibilities are endless, so be alert for what you will be able to offer in exchange for their help.How Do I Network?Networking is not scary. We do it all the time. If you’re looking for a new doctor or a plumber, you might ask a friend or neighbor for recommendations. These days, you might look it up online, but you’ll want to see reviews, which are just another form of networking via online crowd-sourced recommendations. This brings me to my second rule of networking: People hire people. Computers don’t hire people. When people need to hire a new employee, they would much rather hire someone who has been referred to them by a trusted source, than by taking their chances with an unknown quantity.Consequently, if you are looking for a position, it’s important to let lots of people know that you are available and what you are looking for. That way, if they hear about something, they will think of you—especially if you have impressed them and found ways to help them (see rule # 1).This leads to the third rule of networking: You are not really networking until you are talking to people you don’t know. Most people do not start getting results from networking until they have expanded beyond their inner circle of friends, neighbors, and colleagues to their third layer of contacts, which comprises friends of friends of friends.This is because it’s unlikely that your friends will happen to know the person who is hiring at a particular company you may be interested in. However, they might know someone who works at that company, who might know the hiring manager. More likely, they might know someone who knows someone who works at that company. You get the idea.How do you approach someone you don’t know? To answer this question, I refer you to the blog post, “How to Ask for a Networking Meeting.”For more information on networking, see Part II of this series on networking next week as well as the latest TD at Work collection on Career Management.

3 Rules for Networking Success

Barbara Carnes is a pioneer in the subject of training transfer, having written three books and a PhD dissertation on the subject. Her experience includes more than 30 years of training with Sprint North Supply and Carnes and Associates, the training company she founded in 1982. Currently Carnes teaches human resource development graduate courses at Webster University, plus doctoral courses for The University of Phoenix. She regularly conducts train-the-trainer workshops and presentations, is actively involved with both ASTD and SHRM, and writes a newsletter, Sticky Notes. Barbara Carnes resides in St. Louis, Missouri.

Barbara Carnes

David Meier, born in Western New York in 1933, enjoyed a long, classical education. He holds an A.A. Degree from Concordia College in New York, a B.A. and an M.A. from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. In addition he did graduate work at Washington University in St, Louis and the University of Chicago. He worked as a teacher and parish pastor for six years. He then held positions as a training specialist for RCA and GTE. His interest in improving teaching and learning led him to established The Center for Accelerated Learning in 1980 as a teaching, consulting, and research organization. Since then, he has trained more corporate training professionals in accelerated learning than anyone else worldwide. He is considered a pioneer and world leader in developing techniques for greatly speeding 2 and enhancing learning for all types of organizations. He was chosen "Trainer of the Year" by the American Society for Training and Development and has served on the board of the International Alliance for Learning, a consortium of accelerated learning educators and trainers from around the world. He is the author of The Accelerated Learning Handbook, an industry best seller published by McGraw-Hill, now translated into Arabic. His clients include a long list of major industrial, financial, high tech, academic, governmental and healthcare organizations in North America and overseas such as Intel, Apple, Saudi Airlines, The US Government, the Canadian Government, AT&T, Royal Dutch Shell, Boeing, Harley-Davidson, Hewlett-Packard, and many, many more. He lives in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, with his wife and two sons – who are all full-time partners in the work of The Center for Accelerated Learning.

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