Offline Networking in the Digital Age

The holiday season is upon us and with the advent of the advent which starts rather late this year I was reminded of the high quality of offline networking. Did you also miss holiday events, dinners, and Gluhwein at the Christmas markets and just realize that you are in for a treat in 2023? I know that the world has significant issues and that we are steering towards even more difficult geopolitical tension and environmental challenges than ever. However, living in an expat bubble and focusing on living God’s will through your daily work might just mean doing it anyway despite everything that is going on around us.

Modern society has evolved in many regards, especially in how we interact with each other. A significant amount of these interactions now happen in digital social spaces than real ones. One excuse I get a lot these days is that you can’t “network” because it’s very difficult to meet other people in person, especially people you don’t know.

Digital spaces are revolutionary and have brought people at great distances together but if you are like me you probably feel entirely ready to leave the house and meet a stranger in person. I have started to chat a bit longer with the bakery lady and the guy who fixes my doner kebab. It’s weird but necessary because human interaction has become so scarce and I also feel that we all deserve a bit more love these days. Don’t get me wrong: I’m generally not a very chatty person unless I’ve known someone for a long time. I rather keep a “professional” interaction short and this might come across as arrogance to some or harsh to others. However, over the last few years, I changed my attitude a lot. The pandemic has made me realize how little I often connect with people in business as in good German style I still compartmentalize. I separate business and pleasure, colleagues and friends. If you have listened to my workshops about the importance of building relationships, you probably wonder how I can hold up this paradox. 

My answer is simple: It’s a deeper level of trust that I share with my friends and more personal connections. I also don’t hold back whereas in a professional environment, I would probably not use certain expressions. Today it’s all a bit more blurred because I speak to everyone from my living room. I feel like I let everyone into my personal space, hence they must be able to handle the more authentic “Angela” as well. Still, what I am also cherishing is meeting people face-to-face. Even if someone has followed you on Social Media for a long time, a personal conversation over a glass of mulled wine or holiday lunch beats any “chat” interaction in my view. Here are a few ideas I would like to share with you to work on your professional network this holiday season.

1 – Build Trust Through Offline Networking

When was the last time you trusted a random person on the Internet? In fact, isn’t the first advice given to anyone on online social media to ignore and not trust anything a stranger tells you? Just how much of a relationship do you have with someone you’ve only interacted with in Twitter DMs? And even worse, if you are on social media you probably get abused by scammers and other annoying people a lot. Social media for me has a dark side and it’s very easy to feel vulnerable there after you were told for the 100th time that someone wants something from you. Most of the time I find it irritating and frustrating. Professional networking, similarly, can only go so far in building your relationships if they’re limited to online interactions. Face-to-face meetings help develop a higher level of trust among participants – positive body language plays a great role in helping put nervous people at ease. Similarly, interacting in the same physical space (over a coffee, at lunch, or even a mixer of sorts) is a great ice-breaker. Shared experiences always do leave a lasting memory, what better way to start building a repertoire with your network?

2 – Believe in the Networking Karma

The thing about networking is, it’s not a transactional relationship. You don’t go into it expecting rewards, or even gratitude. You do it because you believe in ‘networking karma’. That said, you are only human and even the most generous of givers can find themselves overwhelmed at times. That’s why it is important to set up boundaries that help you prevent burnout and maintain a healthy relationship with yourself and your network. I have adopted the “Five-Minute-Favor” from Adam M. Grant’s book “Give and Take” as one of the principles that I can easily say yes to. With knowledge exchange, it depends on whether I feel I get the same inspiration out of the relationship that I give in. Usually, this is the case in most of my networking groups, usually I prefer “Erfa”-Groups where practical tips are exchanged with a captive audience and “Mastermind Groups”, where we usually bring our lazy selves forward and overcome imposter syndrome. In Switzerland, you can also follow institutionalized networking by joining an association or club that is dedicated to your profession. If you need more advice on this please reach out to me. I’m offering my resources and recommendations to readers and clients within our HireMeExpress program.

3 – Allow for a Weekly “Watercooler Chat”

What I am missing the most about working in an office environment is the social part, the watercooler chats about not-so-professional topics, the casual bumping into colleagues and asking them about their cats, and the general exchange of fun and pleasantries when you work with the same people for years. As a global digital nomad, you will have to get used to building up relationships fast but there are always people that you have known for a long time even if you worked at different companies or on different projects. And it is absolutely okay if you contact them without a reason and set up a “Watercooler” chat where you strictly make small talk only or chat about your family or the last tech problem you faced when trying to organize a vaccination for your mother from abroad. I know you are as keen as I am in turning into a mega-productive robot but allow yourself this time by blocking half an hour once a week (that’s in addition to a daily lunch break). Reserve at least one day for going to the office and meeting people for lunch and coffee dates. Use the space your employer provides you with to build your internal network.

4 – Visit the Kunsthaus or Schauspielhaus (Join our Theatre Club WhatsApp Group)

For the longest time, I only participated in the Zurich “cultural events” as a bystander. We now have established the “Theatre Club” and I regularly invite clients, friends, and former colleagues to cultural events. You can do that too to build your network. Instead of meeting for lunch, invite the person you need to meet to join an exhibition or watch a play. 

5 – Watch your Boundaries

If you’re a seasoned professional with the wisdom of experience to share, offline networking can help you build trust with those who wish to seek your advice but would hesitate to reach out to you directly. By giving off an approachable vibe, perhaps giving a little impromptu talk to a group of people, you can embed that necessary bit of trust in younger professionals to reach out and network with you and others in your position. They’d go on to do it when they reach your place in their careers, and continue the cycle of positive networking! A natural consequence of purposeful networking is the asking and giving of advice. For experienced professionals, especially those who actively network, it can soon become an overwhelming practice. Giving advice is great, it’s what makes the world turn, but when your network constantly reaches out for advice on anything from spreadsheet optimization to career planning, it can lead to the sort of burnout that makes you want to stop networking. It may also negatively impact your health! Learning to say no is never easy, especially if you’re worried about coming off as impolite. It is, however, essential. Let your principles guide you: Develop a strategy that lets you identify scenarios where you say yes and those where you say no. Stick to this guideline and maintain your sanity!

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Lack of Digital Competence Affecting Your Productivity

Digital Competence is a management key skill that you might or might not have. Baby Boomers and Gen X might have a harder time with digital competence than Millenials and younger generations as they grew up pre-Internet. Still, it’s never too late to improve your digital competence and enhance your productivity. 

I’m sure you have been told countless times in recent years that in this driven, fast-changing world, agile will reign supreme. I’m sure you have also wondered, what exactly does that mean?

I think the simplest answer to that is: Professionals who can keep up to date with their skill set are the ones who will find sustained success. Keeping your skills and knowledge in tip-top condition is something I’ve touched on in a previous Club Sandwich too,

I’d like to focus on the aspect of digital competency. For many professionals, maintaining a current skill set as this new world gets more digital-centric is the real challenge. This means asking yourself, are you someone with a robust IT skill set or do you ‘just get by’?

If your answer is the latter, perhaps it is time to consider ramping up the attention you give to this aspect. Being able to work with a few basic apps and systems will no longer take you the distance. I understand that getting to grips with this rapid change can be too much for managers.

You might feel that your learning progress has hit a brick wall or become a slow crawl. This can naturally lead to a feeling of frustration and impatience for ‘not getting it’, which may directly affect your productivity and self-esteem.

What I’d like to do today is to help you boost your productivity in ways that may also bolster your digital competence. The following are a few methods I’ve used personally and have assisted clients as well.

Let’s do this!

Have a read-through of Jane Piper’s excellent book Focus in the Age of Distraction. Jane Piper is a digital well-being expert who draws on her experience in Focus, to highlight key consequences of living in the digital age that can impact productivity.

There have been several studies on how digital apps, especially networking ones have affected our ability to focus and engage – something that is now visible in workplaces around the world. For those among us who find themselves struggling to focus and perform at their peak, this book is a must-read!

1 – Use Productivity Apps, Timers and Stoppers

Now, don’t get scared! Most productivity apps on the market can appear daunting, and hide most features behind a paywall, that is, they let you use their basic version for free but require you to pay a one-time or recurring cost for premium features. That means you never know if the money spent will be worth it. Instead, I’ll focus you on the best apps that offer these features for free, allowing you to find your own groove.

A productivity or task management app can be something as simple as Gmail’s Tasks list, or something more elaborate like Microsoft To-Do and Todoist. What is similar about these apps and what you will learn is this: lists help your mind declutter and refocus. These apps provide additional help by providing reminders, categorization options, and cross-system(platform) support.

The unique thing each app brings is what will determine if they are something you will wish to use long-term. People who enjoy the satisfaction of making lists will prefer Todoist, while those who may require organizational options will go for Microsoft To-Do.

Find the app that works for you and start planning your day better!

2 – Visualize your Thinking Processes

Productivity apps are great but only if you can harness their power effectively. For those among us who are more visual thinkers, or work with visuals and design, will definitely find themselves flocking to Trello and its card-based approach. It’s like having a digital corkboard to map out your tasks, and definitely worth trying out.

3 – Experiment with Global Virtual Team Collaboration Apps

For those among us who run teams, there are group productivity and task management/collaboration tools such as Slack and Asana that are worth looking into. A note on Slack usage: It is primarily a team collaboration tool but its productivity-boosting capabilities come from its ability to integrate with Google Drive/Dropbox and Salesforce. I find it important that you experiment with your team and review after a few months what worked well and what didn’t work well. You might notice generational differences in app usage and effectiveness.

4 – Find tools that work for your team

I listed all the tools we are using in one of our collectives on flipchart paper. I tried to paint the icons without looking at my iPhone and had to smile later because they actually look slightly different. However, I realized that we often use many tools already but we haven’t agreed on simple communication principles. So the work only starts when you have identified the right tools. (The hammer alone doesn’t help. You also need to bring in energy to slam in the nail.) We will continue to discuss global virtual team collaboration in the upcoming issues.

5 – Keep a have-done diary

One aspect (that is also addressed in Jane Piper’s book) is how the pressure and stress of work combined with the always-on digital aspects can put us in a state of mind where we are unable to focus on anything, with much fewer deliverables, and time management. 

Here’s what you do: List down your completed daily tasks. I recommend a notebook and handwriting for this exercise. Not only will this give you a break from the screen but help you analyze your productivity cycle, its peaks and low points. I’ve learned this method from my coach educator Boudewijn Vermeulen and it served me well during hectic times.

I talk about more productivity hacks that can help you reclaim your diary here. 

Practice one of these hacks per week and let me know how your experience went in the RockMeApp! You can add them to your “weekly practices”.

We will shortly publish “The Global Rockstar Album, ” a self-help book for managers and nomads who want to bring purpose, performance, and productivity to their work while becoming more inclusive servant leaders. Sign up here to be invited to the book launch party in Zurich, Switzerland, and learn more about the publication.

I sat on a panel, and I just got as far as saying “I think…” when the other panelist gave her opinion on the matter. She probably didn’t notice that I was trying to say something, but for a moment, I was annoyed and thought, “How rude…”. And it seems to happen more and more that I am waiting an instant too long and then it is too late to say what I wanted to say. I now notice how I have become a “Swiss person.” or maybe I have allowed a younger and shyer version of myself to take over these days. Having lived here in Zurich for over ten years, I prefer to run my life Swiss-style. Despite considering myself open and tolerant, I still mess up intercultural communication. I’m not always understood, and sometimes I’m just wrong. I recently had a long discussion about left and right, and I know I have a weakness there. Ultimately, I discovered that I muddled up left and right (again!). Sometimes “Global English” also makes it worse: Many non-native speakers trying to communicate in their second language can lead to misunderstandings and unnecessary emotions. Here are eight reasons that might make it harder to build professional relationships right now. 

Eight Reasons

1. You are shy, introverted, or not convinced that you are good enough to deserve success. Many partners suffer from the “impostor syndrome,” a psychological state of mind where people doubt their accomplishments or consider themselves frauds just about to be exposed, especially if their career-driving partner just got another promotion in another country.
2. You are embarrassed and ashamed of being “unemployed”. This is especially hard in a society where most of your self-worth is driven by your career and your busy schedule.
3. You come from a home culture where achievement is overly emphasized. In these cultures, ascription is considered an unfair privilege, while at the same time, you are blindsided by the fact that you had an ascribed status in your home turf.  Fons Trompenaars and Charles Hampden-Turner associated the achievement dimension with protestant work ethic and belief. 
4. You underestimate the cultural and value diversity in Switzerland. Even if Switzerland is the home of Zwingli and Calvin, there are catholic cantons where status, just like in the protestant cantons, is often equated with a family name, wealth, and how many generations you have already been a member of this society. So, there is still a strong ascription component that is not so obvious to outsiders. You don’t recognize being in the out-group until you join the “Circle of Trust.”
5. You are unaware of how you come across in person and assume your style and behavior are “normal.” For example, you have not yet learned to read the cultural cues that hint that you might be too pushy or rude. A typical example in Switzerland is that newbies tend to overstretch a time commitment. In a society that runs on the clock and is a role model of the sequential time approach according to E.T. Hall’s time dimensions, not respecting this often creates a lot of stress for the other person.
6. You are sending messages to mark your status on your home turf, such as the “Dr.” title in Germany. Or hint at your seniority by name-dropping the influential VIPs you used to hang out with. Still, this is misunderstood or considered boasting, selfish, and annoying in Switzerland. (For all we know, you could even exaggerate your qualifications and background!)
7. You interrupt your counterpart because you feel that they are slow. The Swiss tend to speak slower than many other Europeans, but they don’t like to be interrupted in their thought process as they are used to having a voice and being asked for their opinion on everything.
8. You come from a high-context culture and feel like you don’t know how to address a “stranger”  adequately.  You don’t know how to phrase your requests (your “ask”) to them, and they don’t understand you.

Over the years of running my own business and projects, I often noticed that all the tools I tested to maintain a strategic approach to networking failed miserably with the extensive network I’ve built over my professional life.  So, I decided to let go of “strategy” and follow my gut and memory. I realized the best idea is not to worry too much about “contact segmentation.” We Germans love the word “Begriffsabgrenzung”, so we also do this to our social life (“Bekannter, Kollege, Freund, Verwandter, Familie, Partner, Ehepartner…”). It’s a step-by-step approach, showing how much you trust the other person. The same segmentation exists in Switzerland, but there are “false friends”(e.g., the word “Kollege” means “Work Colleague” in High German and “Friend” in Swiss German). In Switzerland and Germany, the informal ways of addressing a person with “Du” have different meanings. Without intercultural training, a German manager will unintentionally behave like a bull in a china shop in Switzerland. Hence, working with German managers in the “honeymoon phase” is a lot of work for the trainer or coach. I prefer to work with you when you are beyond the honeymoon phase, and you understand that you might not function in Switzerland like you are used to.

My colleagues have become friends over the years, and some of my best friends from my university days or early career are colleagues or clients now. Some of my team members have become family, and some of my family members work in the same field or closely related ones. And some friends will never pay you, while others will insist on giving back. The world is colorful, and so are people. While saying this, I don’t want to imply that you have to like everybody you work with or network with. However, it’s another atmosphere for collaboration and innovation when you can fully trust the other person and know in your head and heart that this person would never talk badly about you behind your back and would not spill your secrets with your competitors. 

Collaborative environments require relationship work to allow for psychological safety. We can help you with that.

Networking includes the Word Work for a reason

You probably despise networking. You think of networking as wasting time and you don’t like to go to events with no direct outcome. Are you appalled by “coffee meetings” with people who never plan to support you but happily take your free advice? Know that feeling?

You probably heard me say this before: For me, time has an immense value and since I started my business I’ve come to the conclusion that I have three major priorities: 1) My health, 2) My time and 3) My support group (including my family and partner). Without these you cannot run a successful company of one.

In order to use my time effectively and to the best possible outcome, I am constantly reviewing my “networking” strategy and have become very strategic about building connections in a way that suits me but also generates business. At the same time with recent health challenges, working from home and restrictions on events I had to think of other ways to “network the network”. The term “working the net” already indicates that there is work involved in building and maintaining mutually beneficial business relationships. AND while this comes natural to expats and other people from more relationship-based cultures, it requires energy for people from strictly task-based cultures.

The secret to making peace with “networking” as I often explain in my talks and workshops such as “#Networking4Nerds” is to treat your business relationships similar to other friendships and to be a giver.

Here are my five recipes for working your net:

1) Connect those who would not meet

A big benefit of being a networking queen or king is that you can organize connections. Think about who would need to know whom in your network in order to move ahead one step with one of their issues. Maybe a friend needs a new job or a business contact wants a new client or needs to solve an immediate problem at hand. Risk a little discomfort. Set them up for a “Professional Blind Date”. Trust your judgement and see what happens.

Over the last few years I have made several professional introductions. Mainly I helped my clients to find jobs that they would otherwise not even know. I also benefit from introductions so I try to keep the karma of connections spinning. 

2) Accept that Relationships require work

As in a good marriage you want to keep the relationship alive by making it beneficial for both parties. Once you know too many people you might just react once you are asked but even a small advice to a junior colleague might help them to move ahead in their career or move out of a job where they have stopped to learn.

A lot of professionals I know have lost the ability to trust their managers and colleagues. Being a mentor for a more junior professional in your industry can be really motivating for this person.

3) Share your knowledge and expertise graciously

There has never been a time where too much knowledge was hurtful. It’s also impossible to shock people with well-written report summaries or other insights you have about your industry. Start posting on LinkedIn. Tell people what you know and how you view the trends. In a worst-case scenario you get a negative comment. Be bold and bring in your unique perspective to the world.

4) Help others and increase your self-esteem

It sounds like a boy/girl-scout value but “a good deed a day keeps the shrink away”. When you help your contacts then you will feel more self-respect and wake up with a smile on your face. It always makes me so happy when a client tells me they found a job they love or that a connection was really helpful.

It’s even more fun to just support people in your network (for FREE). Give them likes, +1, endorsements, retweets and hearts when you are not paid for it. It’s a great way to give people appreciation and we all could get a bit more of that especially in the corporate world.

5) Challenge yourself and treat networking as a game

I often ask my clients to set a networking target. That includes that they must give before they take. It could be a small weekly challenge such as meeting a person you never met for a coffee. You could also offer to connect someone to someone else because you know they share a theme, hobby or interest.

These connections really seem to bring out most amazing collaborations. You obviously want to ask permission before sharing details. You could implement a score card on your whiteboard and whenever you helped a connection you add a smiley there. Imagine how that will make YOU feel.

If you would like to know more and keep updated on how to find work in a new market sign up here to join our HireMeExpress Waiting List.

The Self-Exploitation of Female Founders

Seven Reasons for a Lack of Income

I asked #ChatGPT why #Google reviews are critical and why you should support female founders. Supporting a female founder is essential for fostering diversity and equality in business. Here are a few reasons why it’s important:

🌟 Diversity of Perspectives: Female founders often bring unique perspectives and experiences to the business landscape. Embracing diversity in leadership can lead to more innovative and creative solutions.

👩‍🎤 Representation Matters: By supporting female founders, you contribute to breaking down gender stereotypes and encourage more women to pursue entrepreneurship. Visible role models inspire others to follow suit.

💹 Economic Impact: Empowering female entrepreneurs can positively impact the economy. Studies have shown that supporting women in business leads to job creation and economic growth.

🌏 Global Impact: Women-led businesses can address unique challenges and needs in the market that might be overlooked. This can lead to developing products and services that benefit a broader and more diverse audience.

🏅 Corporate Social Responsibility: Supporting female founders aligns with principles of corporate social responsibility. It demonstrates a commitment to fairness, equality, and social progress.

Ultimately, supporting a #femalefounder is not just about gender; it’s about recognizing and valuing the diverse contributions that individuals, regardless of gender, can bring to the entrepreneurial landscape.

Ask for Google Reviews

Google reviews are important for several reasons. Firstly, they build credibility and trust. Potential customers often rely on reviews to gauge a business’s or service’s quality. Positive reviews can act as social proof, reassuring others that your business is reliable and provides a positive experience.

Secondly, Google reviews can impact your search engine rankings. A business with more positive reviews will likely rank higher in local search results, making it more visible to potential customers.

Additionally, reviews provide valuable feedback. They can highlight areas where your business excels and areas needing improvement. This feedback is crucial for refining your services and addressing customer concerns.

In summary, Google reviews contribute to your online reputation, influence search rankings, and offer insights for business improvement. You can ask at the end of every program:

“We appreciate having you as a client and reader. If you’ve enjoyed our coaching or read our blog or #TheGlobalPeopleClubSandwich, could you share your experience on Google? Your feedback means a lot to us. 🌟 Review Angie Weinberger’s Coaching here.🌟 “

Finally, to all my female founder colleagues out there. Here is a gentle reminder about an issue you might face as well:

Stop Your Self-Exploitation ⚙ 🐹

I procrastinated on this article for too long but today is the day where I need to write it. Why? I almost fell into the trap, the trap of self-exploitation, and self-damage and nearly ruined myself in the process. However, with good coaching and a supportive personal and professional network, I found a way out of the burnout trap and hassle of being a female founder. I’m not saying that I could not earn more money, but I know my worth and I get paid what I am worth (unless I work pro bono which is a choice occasionally).

I have been wondering for a while why many female founders and freelancers allow themselves to work for little money or even for free. I came across seven reasons that I want to share with you. I’m hoping for a discussion on how we can avoid exploiting ourselves as female founders or “entrepreneuses”. If you are the partner or husband of a female founder maybe you also want to know how you can support her.