Get out of the office and attend a local event!
When I was coming up in PR, I made it a point to attend key events related to my clients and their business, as well as anything related to PR. Over the course of 14 or so years, I met some of the most important and helpful people in my career – many of whom are still part of my circle of friends and business associates.
Somewhere along the way, I got too busy running things at FutureWorks and keeping things moving and shaking for our clients, and I found networking events slowly dropping out of my calendar. Instead, I was encouraging teammates to attend industry mixers and events, but when you lead by example, those around you mirror your actions – or in this case inactions. While we were busy making things happen in the trenches, the world around us was changing, new associations were forming, alliances were forging, and tomorrow’s leaders were shaking hands with those who would eventually help them succeed and grow together.