University of Toronto

About Last Night …

Welcome back event — Welcome Back Event for Students and Faculty – Sep 6, 2022

About Last Night …

I’m from the dark ages so forgive me. What I’m about to share is not new but worth repeating. Nothing beats meeting someone for the first time, face to face, shoulder to shoulder, live and in person … especially when that “someone” are our students and faculty. Special thanks to @TRP Student Social Committee who hosted last night’s “Welcome” event.

In this 2013 Harvard Business Review article, “Connect, then Lead” Amy J. C. Cuddy, Matthew Kohut, John Neffinger, their research shows unless you show warmth, you won’t be able to make connection no matter how competent you are, and therefore, as a leader, no one will follow you.

I don’t know about you but I still haven’t found the magic keys on my laptop that I can tap out and spell and hit send to transmit “warmth” across the tiles filled with faces to make a true connection with my audience. But we do our best and show up … with our cameras on, hopefully.

Way back when, I remember a world (dark ages) with no cameras, just us. A smile, a handshake, a hug, or a fist pump would create and create a spark and make a connection instantly, in real time, #IRL. You know what I mean.

Don’t get me wrong! I swear technology is like romantic relationships. You can’t live with them and you can’t live without them. I am grateful everyday that Mom (age 92), remembers how to activate the video call button on her shiny red iPhone XR. Dad (age 93) would appear with this look of wonder, mesmerized by What’s App.

But savouring and saving the memories from last night, it’s hard to replicate the warmth and magic online but as educators, we try our best to connect, engage, and if we’re lucky, captivate our students virtually in class this new term.

Anne Lamott once wrote in her classic, “Bird by Bird”, “As we live, we begin to discover what helps in life and what hurts.” And every now and again, I wonder whatever happened to the good ol’ days? Trust me, you will wonder one day, too.

On Meeting Malcolm @Gladwell

Being in nature sure has its benefits. We early birds, 1,400 in total, were treated to brilliant storytelling by University of Toronto alumni, Malcolm Gladwell, at Convocation Hall as part of the Big Speakers Series hosted by Rotman School of Management on October 1, 2019 at 8:00am. Heather Reisman, CEO Indigo, also got up early to interview him.

Malcolm Gladwell new book Talking to Strangers — Malcolm Gladwell University of Toronto Rotman School of Mgt Oct 1, 2019

However signing 1,400 copies of his new book “Talking to Strangers” would have been daunting but we still had our copy unsigned in hand. And of course, we had our talk.

As I exited Convo Hall, I revelled in the beautiful morning light wishing I had my DSLR camera. I chose the longer, leafier route along King’s College Circle en route to the subway.

Then I spotted him, slipping out the back door! People nodded politely and he nodded back. But no nodding for me! I quickly scurried from behind and shouted, “Malcolm!” I was loud and clear. So loud and clear with my big booming voice.

He stopped. I smiled. I asked. “Would you please sign your book for me?” We walked. He asked my name… no time for a senior moment. He scribbled.

In the next 20 seconds, I told him I quoted him often about rapid cognition from his book, “Blink – The Power of Thinking Without Thinking” in my networking workshops which I teach at U of T School of Continuing Studies.

He grinned. I thanked. We parted. “Have a nice day!” And then I said, “Damn, I should have called you “Mr. Malcolm errrr … Mr. Gladwell”. He grinned again and walked away, disappearing into the still beautiful morning light.

The Power of Networking

There is no algorithm nor app for success. In fact, Albert Einstein, would rather you “Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.” Of course, he meant “person”. Your work does not define your worth.

In her article in The New Yorker, May 29, 2017 in “The Work you Do, The Person You Are”, Toni Morrison wrote, ” You are not the work you do; you are the person you are.”

Now I’m no subject matter expert. My interests run wide but not deep. I have no letters behind my name although I graduated with a college diploma in Accounting. As the years fly by faster now and ageing is indeed a privilege, I’ve been called upon on occasion to speak in front of youth half but sometimes a third of my age. And I’m always stumped. What could I possibly share that’s relevant, somewhat lively, and entertaining. Accounting???

So last November 2016, the Toronto Public Library asked me to present a seminar on networking: “Network: Anytime, Anywhere with Anyone” a bit broader topic than say, Accounting, and it became the inspiration for my newly announced full day workshop: “Networking: Connecting to Create Possibilities” with registration now open!

http://learn.utoronto.ca/interactive-course-search#/profile/3396

For those who know me well, it’s no surprise networking is my superpower. However, we seldom see and recognize the things we do innately. Is networking a defined skill? Networking is about people, who you are, and being of service to others. It’s about connecting with people and in turn, connecting them to others to build and foster community.

As Thich Nhat Hanh, the notable 91 year old Vietnamese Buddhist monk and peace activist, wrote, “it takes only one word, one thought, one action to change the world.” Allow me the opportunity to present networking in a new light and bring you closer to your life goals.