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Changing Hawaii

By Diane Yukihiro Chang

Monday, January 17, 2000

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Teaching women
how to network
into top jobs

TOO many corporate bigwigs -- most of them male -- lament the lack of women in top echelons of company leadership while professing wonderment at the dearth. "We'd like to promote more females into managerial posts," they'll say with stymied shrugs, "but women just aren't ready or qualified to assume those responsibilities. Go figure."

Whose fault is that? Yes, certainly the women themselves, who must strive for more upward mobility in the business sector. Smash that glass ceiling!

But exactly what are higher-ups doing to teach female employees to advance, not only the technical knowledge but just-as-important social skills like the ability to network?

Deloitte & Touche, one of the Big Five of CPA firms, takes this role seriously. Since 1993, it has emphasized its "Initiative for the Retention and Advancement of Women" on a national level, so its offices don't all look like conventions for white males.

Locally, Deloitte has promoted women-friendly human resources strategies like telecommuting, flex time and more part-time positions, as well as training sessions intended to vault island gals into management and partnership levels.

Last week, for example, about 50 Deloitte female employees -- led by audit partner and McKinley/UH grad Tertia Freas -- were taught the fine art of networking, which in my day was called "schmoozing."

It's learning how to be comfortable in a social setting, to chit-chat, to cultivate potential clients and valuable contacts. In other words, it's what men have been good at for ages, especially on the golf course.

The wisdom was imparted by local communications consultant Pam Chambers, who dispensed some easy-to-remember tips to her all-wahine Deloitte audience and pointers including:

Setting a measurable goal before going to a networking event -- like meeting three decision-makers or potential clients.
Remembering to bring business cards and having them ready to exchange (and NOT, egads, fumbling for them in a messy handbag).
Practicing how to introduce yourself.
Standing at the entrance to the event, taking a deep breath and scanning the crowd before entering the fray.
Building rapport by "matching" the person's energy level, body language, speech pace and style.
Receiving a business card by taking a long, appreciative look at it, and then commenting on something on the card to show interest.
Not making promises you can't or won't keep. ("Let's do lunch!")
Ending the conversation gracefully by saying, "It was so nice to meet you. Thank you for your time," and then moving on.
Following up with a handwritten note, which is always appreciated.

Some pretty common sense, useful advice, wouldn't you say?

A pat on the back to Pam Chambers for conveying it, to Deloitte & Touche in Hawaii for paying for it, and to the four dozen or so Deloitte ladies who signed up for the training because they wanted to better themselves and their company.

Hear that? It's the tinkling of a particular glass ceiling that formerly kept women from schmoozing with the best of 'em.

Now if we could only count on more than one CPA firm in town really making the effort.

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Diane Yukihiro Chang's column runs Monday and Friday.
She can be reached by phone at 525-8607, via e-mail at
dchang@starbulletin.com, or by fax at 523-7863.