Believe in Yourself

Suku Radia
CEO and President
Bankers Trust

My first piece of advice to any young professional who is new to Des Moines is to “believe in yourself.”  If you don’t possess self-confidence, it will show and you will impede not only your career, but you will also have difficulty becoming connected in the community.

Doing everything with the utmost integrity is a given.  Good oral and written communication skills are also as important simply because they enhance your ability both from a career and a social standpoint.  These skills will do wonders for your self-confidence.

When I think about networking and how it has affected my professional life, the first thing that comes to mind is that we live in an absolutely wonderful region of the country where senior leaders are very approachable.  I always encourage young professionals to embark on a journey of networking very early in their careers because this will open many new doors both professionally and socially.  Networking through volunteerism is one of the easiest ways to become connected.  Likewise, developing a sense of curiosity is important so you are not afraid of asking questions. Quite often, young folks are afraid there will be a void in the conversation.  You need to work hard on developing a set of questions which will ensure the conversations are more productive.

As I reflect upon my career, if I had to do just one thing over again, I would have been more selective with which organizations I became involved.  I have overdone it and I have learned the hard way.  I should have said, “no” more often.  While it is good to give back, I believe I have paid much more than my fair share of civic rent.  Fortunately, I have managed to get by on a lot less sleep than most individuals but I am not sure that is a good thing.

Young professionals have a superb opportunity of impacting the community on a number of fronts.  For example, as we think about how well Des Moines has been ranked nationally on a number of attributes; young professionals can enjoy the benefits of the following:

• Our human services organizations are outstanding.  Those people who are in need can always use volunteer help from our young professionals and those opportunities are available every single day.  Furthermore, it feels good to be able to help those who truly need our help.
• Our cultural and arts amenities are always looking for young blood to perpetuate their board of directors.  This is a great leadership opportunity and becoming involved with these organizations is very fulfilling.
• Young professionals can also become involved in mentoring programs relatively early in their careers.  For example, there are organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club and Big Brothers Big Sisters which provide tremendous mentoring opportunities. 

Relationship Building through Networking

Lu Anne Gafford
Vice President - Bankers Trust Clive

Networking is a word that may have different meanings to different people.  For me it is an essential element to help develop my business AND personal relationships.  Notice I said personal too?  Many keep their business and personal so separated, and I do too to a certain extent.  I have developed quite a few friendships from my networking and that to me is worth something that you can’t place a price tag on like you can with a business relationship.  My friendships have also led to several new business relationships too.  The reason I believe is because I have proved to the individuals who are the decision makers that I am someone they can trust and that can speak volumes in these days we live in.

Networking isn't meant to be a situation where you gather as many business cards as you can at an event and leave it at that.  It is meant to develop a relationship to gain business.  But before you can gain the business of a prospect, you have to gain their respect.  Respect in how you behave, how you respond to follow after an event, in the integrity of your business and if they do decide to do business with you, how well you follow through on your delivery of your service or product.  You may have a great company you work for or one that has had some struggles, but if you yourself do not have integrity then you may not ever have a chance at securing that relationship or worse yet you may lose a client because of your lack thereof. 

I think it is great to see the Des Moines area business community offering a Young Professionals organization.  It is a great outlet for all to learn from one another at what may be a successful process or what hasn't worked so well.  It is a great learning environment and I am jealous that I was not afforded the same opportunity in my beginning networking days.  I challenge each of you to make the most of the different events and opportunities that your Board arranges.  Go to these events and try to connect with three new individuals.  Don’t always go looking for the same familiar faces and stay right by their side.  Find new faces to connect with.  Get to know them, I mean really know them.  Ask questions of their personal background, hobbies, families etc.  Try to connect with them.  Remember, they are a person first and the face of the business second.  I also want to encourage everyone to get involved with an organization that has all ages involved too.  This is where you can learn from someone who has had many successes and failures in networking world.  You cannot expect to have all good all of the time.  In fact, it is through the failures I think that we all learn the most from.  I know I have had my share of experiences and I think these situations have helped to develop and form me into a better networker.  Try to get to know someone who has networked for a while.  Ask them to share their secrets or successes.  Maybe they would be willing to mentor you.  I have done a little this and I have placed my own spin on some of the examples I have gained from these conversations.  We are all unique, but we have the same desire to belong or be connected, so get out there and network and I’ll see you around at a future event.  Come introduce yourself to me and let’s get to know one another. 

Happy networking and I look forward to meeting you at future events.