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Welcome to the Executive Connect podcast, a show for the new generation of leaders.

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Join Melissa R. Skog as she speaks to a wide variety of guests that bring new insights into

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leadership, prosperity, and personal growth.

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While now it has all the answers, by building a community of open-minded and

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gauge leaders, we hope to give you the tools you need to help you find your own path to success.

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[MUSIC]

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Welcome to the Executive Connect podcast.

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I'm so excited to have my birthday sister and friend here with me today,

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named Susan.

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Susan, would you introduce yourselves to the listeners?

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Yes, hi, Melissa.

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So excited to see your face today.

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I'm Susan Stoklosa.

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I am currently calling in from New York City.

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I'm happy to see my birthday sister here on live stream.

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In Austin, Texas, I currently am in New York City and I work in corporate in a retail environment.

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I am a vice president of planning an allocation for G3 retail group.

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And G3 is really known as to be kind of a powerhouse about 30 owned in licensed brands,

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where they're manufacturing, designing, and distributing to lots of major retailers.

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And I'm focused in on our retail business, which oversees our stores and e-commerce.

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But I work for companies such as Tori Birch, Westown, Colhahn, just to name a few of companies

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in my background, but all in the same type of role.

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I love it.

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And when I think networking, I think you, Susan, which is why today I've asked you to join,

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and we're going to talk a little bit about networking.

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So in your experience, how crucial is networking in today's professional landscape?

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And what specific benefits have you witnessed or personally gained from nurturing professional connections?

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Yeah, no, I mean, I think it's very important.

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It's really critical for everyone.

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And honestly, for myself, I'd never really thought about it as networking.

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It's really just a bit about making genuine connections.

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And I think for me, that that's just kind of come a little bit naturally about making,

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you know, that I'm connecting with people that are really supporting me in every environment that I'm in.

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But I think what I've found over time is that some of the opportunities that can come from

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networking with people is really job opportunities and career advancement.

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I definitely have myself recommended people for job opportunities or

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recommended them to people that they should connect with if they're thinking about transitioning

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and within a role.

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I also, myself, have gotten roles and a lot of career coaching through networking and a lot of different environments.

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I think there's learning opportunities also as well, you know, coming,

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talking to people in different industries, really connecting with people across the horizon.

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A lot of different perspectives also too that you can learn from that.

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Some skill development, like you might not even think that you need some different skill development in soft,

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or, you know, some kind of technical skills that you may need that will really come from

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networking, some problem solving and collaboration.

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It really helps you really hone in on, you know, things that may be happening in your existing role

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that you definitely want to make sure that you can talk through with someone.

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There's a person there.

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There's some also access potentially to resources, things that you didn't maybe not know that were available

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to you certain courses or online information that you can go through that actually would really

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help you. So there's a lot of different ways that I think networking is really crucial and can help people.

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But for me, it's been really about making those genuine connections just all along

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so that you feel really natural in terms of connecting with people while you're on your journey.

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Well said, I love that. I agree. I think I, myself, have also had a job come to me through somebody I had

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networked with and had I not been friendly and engaging of them. I would have never taken a role.

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So I think that's a really important point is you never know when you might need a connection

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or connector to other things which can be interested in the future.

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So when you're out networking, can you share some strategies or approaches that you have

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personally when you're expanding your professional network and that helps you create meaningful

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connections with those that you're meeting? Yeah, I mean, I honestly think for me, it's really,

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again, as I mentioned, genuine relationships that I've been building over time. But even when I'm

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meeting someone new specifically is really just about interest in the person, you know, kind of

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their overall life. I mean, we are real people and we want to help real people. So I definitely feel

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that making those genuine connections and relationships and keeping in contact with people in that way

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really kind of starts the whole thing going, which I think especially after what we've been through

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over the last several years, the human connection has really been kind of the best part

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about coming out of this for everyone as well. I think there's also opportunities just in defining

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your goals about connecting. So even if you're making these genuine connections, it's like, what is it

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that you really want to hone in on? What are your goals? Is it career advancement? Is it a

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vice? Is it mentorship? Different things like that that I think that will help you define what type of

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networking that you may decide that you are looking for? Online presence in terms of LinkedIn, not everybody,

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it's as familiar with posting on LinkedIn, different types of things. But there's a lot of people out there

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who read people's LinkedIn posts. It doesn't even have to be specific to your industry. It could be an

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insight that you came across some industry news where you can actually collaborate with people

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within your industry to learn more about what's happening out there that I think that that's been

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another really good way as well. The tried and true attending networking events for sure has been

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one thing that people automatically go to, but I put that towards Trostback and not that that's not

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important because it is, but I think it becomes a hyper environment for you to feel like you're

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making connections in and some people feel uncomfortable in that way. So I like to try and make sure

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that people do it on their own path about how they feel most comfortable, but I think networking

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events also is a really incredible way to make meaningful connections with people. And then as I

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mentioned slightly before is mentorship opportunity. There might be just someone within your

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organization that you'd like to mentor or be a mentee for that, you know, for someone to really help

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kind of elaborate and pull out some of the skill sets that you have. I'm really honing on maybe

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where your career direction could be going, maybe an opportunity that you didn't think of for yourself

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that could be a potential blind spot. So I really think there's a lot of ways to make meaningful

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connections that's not just your tried and true networking events, but it's really kind of looking

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at the landscape of what are you looking to do, where are you looking to go, and kind of honing in

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on how you can start chipping away at that. And I found that people are very receptive when you do

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go and talk to them and try and, you know, just just really be a little bit clear about your

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objectives that I found people are very open to definitely leading you in the proper direction.

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Yeah, well, very well said. I, I want to hone in on something you mentioned, LinkedIn.

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I mean, LinkedIn is a must must must professionally, whether you're

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love your job, looking for a job or engaging and keeping and maintaining relationships. I know I

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personally have not always been a fan of LinkedIn and getting out there all the time, but

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I'm reading articles to stay aware and abreast of what's going on in my industry and the things

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I'm interested in. And so I find that sharing those articles, people are people don't have time to

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go through all kinds of media and it looked at these. When you find something that's really, really great,

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sharing it out with your network or other people is huge. I've had people that I don't know if halfway

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across the world and I've shared a random article, they're like a third connection, right? But are

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now like a first connection because they're like, hey, this is great. I didn't know this. So I think

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you're, you're spot on with the LinkedIn, like it's a must connect with people, use it,

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and, and build and maintain relationships off that tool. No, I agree. I honestly, that was the last

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thing I think I would leverage in the past. And I've just started dabbling in it this year. And I

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found it to be really rewarding more so than I thought. And I really continue to support people that

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are out there putting out the content because it can feel scary, especially initially putting it

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out there. But I really feel like people are looking for those types of connections. And I think that

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it's really important to continue down that path either within your industry if you're

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want to learn about something new and engaging in any of those conversations. I love that you said

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that because I too have been dabbling in it. I've just increased my dabbling to like,

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well, time dabbling in LinkedIn. I love it. So from your perspective, what challenges or misconceptions

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do people often face when it comes to networking? And how can individuals overcome these hurdles

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to establish genuine and mutual connections with people? So it's one thing to like, like a post,

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and it's a whole nother thing to like have an actual conversation, right? No, absolutely. I feel like

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there's both challenges and misconceptions I'll talk about the challenges initially. I think a lot of

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people are a fear of judgment or being rejected and kind of thinking like if I put myself out there

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either like face to face with people in person on LinkedIn that they may not be interested in my content

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or I might be bothering this person. And I think that's something that we kind of have to put

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that in the backseat for a little bit and just really be clear about your reasoning for reaching out

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or also engaging with that person. I think that's one of the challenges most people find. For sure,

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lack of time. We're all so busy, super, you know, all like everything going, you have children,

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you have family, you have work, you know, so I think that that also is a hindrance for people,

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but also just carving out time just like you do for meetings. Actually 20 minutes,

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five minutes a day will actually really help you in terms of creating that time and you'll start

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to feel energized and it'll increase and increase more over time. I definitely feel like potentially to,

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you know, honing in on your communication skills, this actually will really help, but I think some

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people feel like I may not have the right words, I don't know exactly what to say. I think just

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starting with something very simple because if people have lack of time, it's great to get them to

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hone in on a one, two, three sentence type reach out. So I think that's another thing not to necessarily

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be afraid of or have a challenge for you and just follow up. Like, you know, some people reach out

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and then there's a lack of follow up. That's just also another crucial point for people,

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making sure that they could continue to stay connected. I think that you put it out there and then

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you start to feel again, like, oh, I'm being rejected or judged by what I put out there, but just

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following up and having another simple follow up, I think is really critical as a part of some of

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the challenges that I've seen. From a misconception perspective, I think people think networking is just

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only about getting something like I'm coming to you because I want something and there is sometimes

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there is that transactional piece to it, but I also think that there is, it's a two way street and

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that you may learn something from someone who's reaching out to you from a networking perspective

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that you do not realize, which was coming. So I think there's a lot of beautiful benefits out of that.

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So I think that people also should get that misconception out of their brain. And then

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networking is for extraverts is another thing that I've come across, I technically am not an extra

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to learn from that that you don't have to be an extravert to network. It can come from any place.

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There's so many different avenues of information coming towards people with social media,

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linked in as we mentioned before, day to day connections with people that I think there's you

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people be able to bring something to the table, even if you feel a little timid about talking to the

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person as an example. And I think also networking people think is just for in-person events or

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attending events only. Like, oh, I'm only going to go to this specific, you know, retail event. We're

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actually, that's not the case. You can network no matter where you are. And any point in the day in

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terms of having good and concrete conversations with people, which I think is fantastic. And just

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again, that networking is transactional because it's not. I don't think it really ever fully ends.

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I think it continues to evolve over time with people. Even if your connectivity maybe takes a little

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bit of a break, I think you can always kind of come back to that person at any point if you've made

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that genuine connection. And you both have gotten some really valuable feedback or conversations out

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of it. Anybody, people are open to kind of coming back to that at any time. So I think that those

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those are some of the misconceptions that I've kind of come across. I love it. I remember the first

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time I was networking in college as an engineering student, very introverted, very uncomfortable

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walking into a room by myself. So I would be the one that would walk in a room and stand by myself.

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And I would drink my drink and eat my food and just kind of stand there. And I think the older I got,

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the more comfortable and maybe the right word is confident I got with walking in the room and

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walking up to another person standing by himself, Hey, I'm Melissa. What's your name?

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Have you been to this event before? No, my first time too. And just breaking the ice that way,

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just with name or have you attended the event? Or are you part of this association? And just really

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like you mentioned already genuinely get to understand and know people. And I think when you keep

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an open mind and it's genuine people will meet you like you mentioned halfway there. And who knows?

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I think of this one networking event I'm talking about one of the people that I had approached.

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I still talk to them today even 20 years later after college. Exactly. Both absolutely nervous,

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both engineers. You know, he was older, going to school older and I was younger, nervous.

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And we're still best friends over 23 years later. Still talked in regularly. And that was two people

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that were nervous to talk to each other at a networking event. So you never know how and what will

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come up of it. No, exactly. I mean, we met at a networking event you and I and it was just like,

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you know, I was also at the start of that like, oh, I'm going to go in and just start talking to people.

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You don't never know how that goes in here we are today. Yep, it's so true. I think

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I don't know who said it so I didn't make this up, but they but somebody much smarter than me came up with

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this this quote, your net work is your net worth. So if you want to be better in anything whatever,

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whether it's speaking or your business or you want to be a better family person, it is important to

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find those people that have what you want and network with them and say, hey, I'm thinking about doing

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X, right? I'm kind of nervous. Can you shed any information? I think most times when people have

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approached me regularly, hey, can you help me with this? I am always open to giving people time.

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If not at that moment, scheduling it down the way. So I think asking too is another important part of

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working? No, absolutely asking the question very critical part. So I kind of gave a little example.

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So from your perspective, is there any when you're networking anything that's come up unexpected or

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like a significant career advancement or a partnership or any opportunities that have come up for

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you or a story you can share with our listeners that maybe that happened to you? Yeah, I mean, there's

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like countless. Some I'm going to talk about right now, I really relate it to my career growth

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over time. One was when I was very young, junior, I was interviewing for a role that I didn't get,

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actually, I mean, but they really liked me. They wanted to place me within the organization. They

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thought I'd be a real value ad, but it wasn't the right role. And as disappointed as I was, I was

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just kind of like, okay, well, it didn't work out. And when you're younger like that, you may not

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fully really think through what that could happen, that what that could be really in the long run.

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Turns out that this recruiter really remembered me the whole time that I after I interviewed and

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came back to me for a role that was a perfect fit for me a year later. And was like, I've had you in

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mind this whole time for a role that I think would be really beneficial for you. And I actually really

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launched my career into exactly what I'm doing right now. And if I didn't have that really robust

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conversation with him, it worked field, you know, disappointed that I didn't get the role and not

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want to talk to this particular company anymore, it could have sent me in a completely different path.

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So I think I view these things as when the door opens, kind of moving forward from a networking

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perspective that that does really help you. And another perspective too, same with another boss

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that I had who I've now worked for at three different companies that she has been very valuable in

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not only my career growth, but really in coaching and development, which sometimes come, you know,

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as a piece that comes along with the networking that does really help people excel in their career

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in a very different way. I've definitely give her a lot of thanks for the help that she's been to

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me. And she's still a confident all-on-word friends now. And that's another beautiful part that comes

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apart of networking and meeting people that you don't really expect kind of what's coming, but she now

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is a friend and a trusted partner for me that I can go to for a lot of different things. I think

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there's a lot of different value along with advice that you may meet with someone you're like,

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I've been thinking about X and they come back to you, like, hey, here's two people that you can actually

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talk to when you think that they've they're done with the conversation they've moved on. I mean, people

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are people really do want to help you. And they're thinking about you after the fact. I don't think

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anyone really wants to, you know, have a conversation with you where there may be an ask or a genuine

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connection and conversation and not come back to you with something. So I think that people really

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need to remember that. And also, again, just following up with them, great conversation, even if it's

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not really with anything at the very end of it in terms of just making sure to know that that

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you value their time and their conversation. I love it one point you made. So the door was opened

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for you and you walked through it. I think it's one thing to just hear the opportunity and it's a

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nest next kind of piece of it as the walk through the door. It's both the opportunity. Whether it's

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right or wrong, we don't know now, right? So sometimes opportunities present themselves, what do they

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say when the students ready, the teacher will appear? Random opportunities present themselves or

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people come into your life for a reason for a purpose. And it's up to us to make the connection. And

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even ask people sometimes, is there anything I can help you with? Is there anything you're looking for

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in your life right now? And you know what they're going to do? 90% of the time, I would say, they're

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going to say back to you, how can I help you? Yeah. Well, when you give first, you'll find that it's

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reciprocated, I think, as well when networking. No, I absolutely agree. And I think one other thing

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that people don't realize is that your connection goes on, meaning you've had a great conversation

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with someone. They are going to not forget you. They're probably actually going to pass you on

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to someone else or let me tell you this so it keeps going. Another thing that I like to do is also

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bring my connections together. Like, let's just all meet up. We're in the same industry. You guys

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don't know each other from this company or this company, but I think we all have the same types of

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opportunities ahead of us. Let's just get together. So I also am not afraid to mix my network

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and my connections up. I think that that actually was really important for everyone's learning

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along the way. And I actually really enjoy seeing the fruits of that kind of come through on the other side.

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Oh, I love it. Paying it forward. I love it. I love it. Now one kind of similar question, what

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valuable lessons have impacted your life from networking as far as building these relationships

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and season the opportunity? So you mentioned that your job applying, opening the door, walking through.

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Is there any other maybe experiences or lessons you maybe thought one way negative,

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positively or negatively? I'll leave it open ended and they turn into something better. Maybe

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maybe somebody crushed you in a weird way, like, oh, wow, that's awkward. So I guess my question is,

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that's a long-winded question. Is there any key lessons that you can share with our listeners?

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When we top take away from networking from your perspective?

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As I think is when my common thread through is that relationships really do matter.

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Professional, personal, the connectivity with people. I think sometimes when you're talking to

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people, we live in a busy world. You make people feel like they're disengaged, they're not listening,

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they're not getting your full story. When matter, in fact, they probably actually really are. So not

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to let that discourage you. I think we get discouraged because we kind of live in our own brains,

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our own minds about what we think is right for ourselves, but I think there's things unfolding for you

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that you may not yet see. And so I think always about kind of time and truth, our friends,

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meaning that like the time is going to come where you're supposed to be and what you're supposed to

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do, we're going to come together. And I think that you have to just really be encouraged by that

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you're going to be on that path. So stay on the path, continue the authenticity that you're having

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in your conversations, utilize your professional development, your network, LinkedIn, your college

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network as well as some places for you to continue to leverage people in any opportunity that you may have.

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And the continuous follow-up and I'm going to call it maintenance, which is not really maintenance,

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but just on the relationships that you currently do have. So I think there's so many beautiful avenues

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to the networking piece that I don't think everyone really realizes until you're actually fully

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on the path forward with it. Yeah. And forges in the follow-up too, like that connection may not

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respond, engage, reply at that moment. It doesn't mean they are disengaged, they're not interest,

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people get busy, they open emails accidentally, they open messages accidentally, they mean detects,

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like I know I'm guilty of this all the time, I mean to send something out and that someone calls me

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and I go into my draft and I forget to go back and send it. So I think to your point, following up

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and you know, don't just do it one time and give up, if it's something you really really want,

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maybe it's a job, maybe it's help with whatever you're going after, don't just give up after one

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message. I would say follow up and say, you know, hey Susan, I sent you a message, last

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week was great to meet you at the networking event, I love the calendar some time to explore XYZ and

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here's why, and give them, make sure they know why you're connecting with them. Absolutely.

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You met them last week at XYZ and they mentioned something that was particularly interesting and

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would like to explore it further with them. So I think being clear like you mentioned earlier with

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what your intentions are, Jenny and me and how you're going to support them as well. Yeah, consistency is

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key, like keeping these, you know, like even if you simple it down to a one, two, three, these are the

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three steps that I'm going to do with follow up being one of the steps, the connections being one

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and the, you know, all of that connected, I think that that really makes a huge difference to

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just simplify it for yourself, but to also, you know, make sure that you're saying consistent in

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your connection with the existing people that you've been connecting within your network or even

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new people as you come along down the path. Yeah, and I think I also think like a board of directors,

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you know, when you're out networking, maybe you're, we're coming to the end of the year, we're getting

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close, taxes are upon us, maybe you need a new CPA and you're out at a networking event and

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when you're talking to people, hey, you know, do you know any good CPAs in the area? I think keep

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them your board of directors and things you need, not just professionally, but personally in your life is

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key and asking people for referrals as well when networking, whatever you're looking for, right? Referrals

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for a doctor or, you know, babysitter, whatever things you're looking at. You do that in your personal life.

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I need a dry cleaner, I need a, you know, a seamstress, I need, you know, all these different things,

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you know, what's the best grocery store to go to? Those also translate into these type of

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professional development opportunities. Yes, well said. So in closing up any final thoughts or any

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snippets you want to share that we haven't covered so far on our podcast today? Yeah, I just want

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to say that it is a, it's a great journey. Like I've been on this path of networking, which I didn't

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realize if that's what I was doing, but because I just like social connection and meeting people,

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but it's been such a great reward back to me of connecting people or being connected or pushed in

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the right direction that I'm so thankful for. And I feel like if I stayed in my introvert self and not

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really wanted to push myself out there, that I would not be benefiting in the way that I am right now,

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and not just benefiting for myself, but benefiting to see others in the connection. So it's really full

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circle for me and it's been an incredible, incredible journey for me and I encourage anyone to continue

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to do so for themselves. Do the things we fear, right? We're going into the new year, new rules, new goals,

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so maybe adding network to one of your to-do's next year, one networking event is key.

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I want to thank you so much for being here today. I adore you. I love you. I'm so glad to call you my

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friend and thank you. I'm so feel the same. So if you could just share with the listeners, if they,

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how are they connected with you? If somebody is something resonating with what you said,

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how can people connect with you best? Yeah, I think the best way to connect is via LinkedIn, Susan

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Elstoklosa, STOK, LOSA, as you see on my podcast here below that you've best way to connect with me,

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as well. Thank you so much, Susan. I appreciate you being here and that's it for today on the

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Executive Camera podcast. You've been listening to the Executive Connect podcast. If you have questions

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or ideas on how to bring leadership to your next level, email us at ExecutiveConnectPodcast@gmail.com.

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And don't forget to subscribe so you can catch every new episode. Until next time.