Cento Amici brings its scholarship recipients to its annual fundraiser for more than just donor visibility. It’s a chance to give those students something even more valuable than financial support: a lesson in networking.
Cento Amici leader Bob Zito always starts the night by encouraging the group of students to take time to meet the adults in the room — explaining how building these relationships may help them immensely down the line.
“You’re in a room with some of the most important business leaders in the state,” he told the group. “Take advantage of this opportunity.”
Zito was impressed that so many of the students did. They may not have realized it at the time, but they were building relationships for the future.
“Their first boss may have been in that room,” he said.
Of course, the power of networking isn’t just for the young. People of all ages can benefit.
The king of networking
The late, great Jake Killion taught me — and so many others — the importance of networking. He wrote one of the best books on the subject: “Network: All the time, everywhere and with everyone.”
Here is a piece that remembers his greatness.
At the recent ‘A Seat at the Table’ release by Executive Women of New Jersey, Verisk Chief Lega; Officer Kathy Card Beckles told a group of hundreds of established and successful women that they too need to improve their networking game.
Card Beckles stressed that people must understand networking is about more than just exchanging small talk and business cards – and it’s about more than just running up the number of connections you have on LinkedIn.
“My definition of networking isn’t knowing as many people as you can,” she said. “Networking is simply establishing a connection with one person that’s strong enough to survive (the event you are at).
“If you make a connection that is strong enough to survive this moment, you’re networking. If you are at work and you’re on a team project, and the relationship you’ve built is strong enough to survive that project, you’re networking.”
Of course, it’s never too soon to start.
Karen Vasquez Bastidas and Jessie Dromsky-Reed, MBA students at Rutgers-Newark who were invited to the EWNJ event, said the event was another reminder that personal connections mean everything.
“For me, it was hard at the beginning, because I’m not used to talking to people,” Vasquez Bastidas said. “But now I’m feeling more comfortable.”
Dromsky-Reed agreed.
“When I was an undergrad, I didn’t understand,” she said. “It wasn’t until I was working professionally that I started to understand the value of it.”
At the Cento Amici event, honoree Bill Raftery tried to impress upon the students how valuable an opportunity they had that evening.
“You’re standing on the shoulders of those who came before you,” he told the students. “Please take advantage — both here tonight and wherever you go during your school day or workday. It certainly is going to help you down the road, because you’re building inventory with people.”
Mason Santiago and Richie Rosa heard Raftery loud and clear.
The St. Peter’s Prep basketball players already have made connections with the business world when they created Boricua Guards, a brand aimed at recognizing and promoting past, present and future Puerto Rico basketball stars.
They said they view every event as a chance to make more connections – no matter who is in the room.
Card Beckles said that’s a smart play. She said everyone must take the opportunity to network — and that excuses are not allowed, no matter your age, gender, ethnicity or personality.
“You bring all of your insecurities into every room you walk into,” she told BINJE. “Whether it is the insecurity that no one else looks like you do, that everyone else in the room has something you don’t have — or simply how you will be perceived, we all have insecurities.
“You have to bring your confidence, work the entire room — and try to make one meaningful connection.”
Zito couldn’t agree more.
Life — and business — is not a spectator sport, he said.
“You don’t know what you don’t know,” he said. “You don’t know who in the room may be able to help you down the line. The only thing that’s certain is that it won’t happen unless you learn how to say, ‘Hello,’ and take it from there.”
It all goes to the bottom line: Networking isn’t optional — it’s foundational.
