It is a long-held, widely-accepted point of business 'wisdom' that the tees, fairways and greens of the golf course are a great place for business networking, relationship 
building and career advancement. Hey, I subscribe to that body of thought. A few years back I was with a company that held an annual summer picnic and prior to the picnic was a golf outing for those that wished to participate. The CEO, Sales Executives and almost all the management staff went every year on the golf outing. Knowing that was the place to be, I took up the game of golf. The following year there I was on the fairways with the best and brightest of our company.
However, according to the “CIO Magazine Golf Networking Survey” conducted earlier this year not everyone sees it that way. Of 394 IT professional respondents, 55 percent say that golf has helped advance their career and 45 percent say that it has not. Maybe those 45 percent are playing it wrong, don’t have a low enough score or are golfing with the wrong people? Seriously, it could be any one or none of those reasons, but the one thing the survey does prove is that hitting the greens does not guarantee instant success.
One piece of advice that I will give is that if you do not enjoy the game, don’t frustrate yourself. There are other ways to do business networking, everything from the traditional professional organizations to the new ways of keeping in touch. I myself am a long time member of the Tri-State Midrange User Group (TSMUG) of the Southwest Ohio Information Technology Community and with my newly achieved CBAP® certification I am a member of The International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA®), of which there is a Cincinnati chapter. I have and will regularly attend meetings and events of these organizations for both the knowledge and networking value of their programs.
One method of networking that has propped up here in the past few years and is gaining wide acceptance in the business community is on-line networking via social media, such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. New on-line business communities are popping up all the time with a new groove on things. If this is your cup of tea, find one that suites your needs and join in.
CIO magazine also has advice for business networking. Whichever method you choose to expand your horizons, increase your influence and boost your career one thing is clear; in these economic times it would be a mistake not to invest some time and resources into this area. With Business IT Outsourcing and other influences that are reducing the number of Cincinnati IT jobs and IT jobs available across America, your social networking skills and efforts may mean the difference between whether you are employed or in the unemployment lines.
building and career advancement. Hey, I subscribe to that body of thought. A few years back I was with a company that held an annual summer picnic and prior to the picnic was a golf outing for those that wished to participate. The CEO, Sales Executives and almost all the management staff went every year on the golf outing. Knowing that was the place to be, I took up the game of golf. The following year there I was on the fairways with the best and brightest of our company.However, according to the “CIO Magazine Golf Networking Survey” conducted earlier this year not everyone sees it that way. Of 394 IT professional respondents, 55 percent say that golf has helped advance their career and 45 percent say that it has not. Maybe those 45 percent are playing it wrong, don’t have a low enough score or are golfing with the wrong people? Seriously, it could be any one or none of those reasons, but the one thing the survey does prove is that hitting the greens does not guarantee instant success.
One piece of advice that I will give is that if you do not enjoy the game, don’t frustrate yourself. There are other ways to do business networking, everything from the traditional professional organizations to the new ways of keeping in touch. I myself am a long time member of the Tri-State Midrange User Group (TSMUG) of the Southwest Ohio Information Technology Community and with my newly achieved CBAP® certification I am a member of The International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA®), of which there is a Cincinnati chapter. I have and will regularly attend meetings and events of these organizations for both the knowledge and networking value of their programs.
One method of networking that has propped up here in the past few years and is gaining wide acceptance in the business community is on-line networking via social media, such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. New on-line business communities are popping up all the time with a new groove on things. If this is your cup of tea, find one that suites your needs and join in.
CIO magazine also has advice for business networking. Whichever method you choose to expand your horizons, increase your influence and boost your career one thing is clear; in these economic times it would be a mistake not to invest some time and resources into this area. With Business IT Outsourcing and other influences that are reducing the number of Cincinnati IT jobs and IT jobs available across America, your social networking skills and efforts may mean the difference between whether you are employed or in the unemployment lines.
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