PAlife GUEST COLUMN


A MEMO FROM Angela Garry


“SO, WHAT’STHE POINT OF this networking malarkey then?” I had a really


frustrating conversation about two years ago with my dad, when he asked me this very question. I replied that I had joined LinkedIn as part of my previous job and had built a massive network for the company to use. He could see it was


useful for the recruiters I worked with at the time, as they could piggyback on to my connections and get in touch with some of the people who were the best in their respective fields in order to move them (tempted by the lure of more money, of course) to jobs in other companies. He could see that quite plainly. What he couldn’t see, though, was


why I continued with the networking when I changed my job to a totally different industry, working in education, based in a school. “So, what use is your network to you now?” he asked. I told him how much I’d learned from other PAs that I’m connected with, how I’d set up a large discussion group for PAs globally and the ways in which we could share information and expertise. But he still wasn’t having any of it. “Do you get paid for doing all this?” he persisted. I wearily explained that, no, at the time I was networking because I enjoyed it and, who knows, maybe one day it could end up repaying me in some way. Whatever I said to explain my motives, though, he refused to listen and just kept harking back to the same old refrain. “Yes, but what’s the point? What do you get out of it? Why are you bothering to do it for


that I’d be heading off to Moscow in a few weeks, and next year I’m getting lined up to speak in several cities throughout Southeast Asia and Australia, which again are all paying to hear what I have to say. Dad went a bit quiet on the phone when he heard


this. I could tell he


was trying to think of something to grumble about, as he doesn’t like to be


shown up or proved wrong in any instance. Eventually he


no money?” I tried to explain the concept of doing a favour for someone simply because you want to, and not because you are expecting them to give you something in return. In the end, I just said: “I’m not arguing any more, Dad. Maybe you’ll understand it some other time.” Fast forward two years


I EXPLAINED THAT I WAS NETWORKING BECAUSE I ENJOYED IT


to the present day, when I’m continuing to expand my network and for the fifth year running I’m still the “most connected PA on the planet” (as one networking colleague calls me). I reminded my dad on the phone a few weeks ago


about our rather heated exchange and he remembered it well. Then I explained to him that, on the


strength of my networking, I’ve so far been to speak at PA events in London, Ireland, Norway, Bangkok and Hong Kong. The last two of these even paid me, alongside flying me out there and putting me up in fantastic hotels. I then dropped in to the conversation


PALIFE.CO.UK ♦ 50 ♦


responded: “Ah, but it’s not like it’s a real job though, is it?”, to which I replied: “Not full time, no, but it might well become one.” I could hear the smirk in his voice – “Ha, only ‘might’!” Yeah, OK, you hang onto that ‘might’, Dad, if you really need to have something to gripe about. Meanwhile, I’ve just been to speak at a


PA conference in Russia, and in the next few months I’ll be jetting off to Singapore, Dubai, Japan, South Korea, Beijing and Australia, meeting some of the most fascinating PAs in the world and collecting frequent flyer miles to boot. And it’s all thanks to some nifty networking!


Having originally trained as a teacher, Angela Garry moved into administration and has worked as a PA for the past 15 years. She is the most connected PA and PA trainer on networking site LinkedIn and runs a company called Pica Aurum that offers training to PAs and senior administrators across the UK and worldwide. Find out more at picaaurum.com


BUILD YOUR PROFESSIONAL NETWORK. CONNECT TO PA LIFE MAGAZINE AT LINKEDIN.COM MARCH 2013 • PALife


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52