“
Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power multiplied.
– Robert Noyce
” Sharing of Ideas, Information, and Services
Here are a few examples of how networking has helped me with the sharing of Ideas, Information and Services:
Sharing of Information: The Sheridan Road Corridor (“The Strip,” as I like to call it) is filled with hi-
rises, managers, engineers, door staff, lots and lots of homeowners, and one big community association called ASCO. It is quite a busy and dense area of Chicago called Edgewater. When I first started working there, I often wondered who was running all these hi-rises that surrounded me, but I did not go out to canvass the area, until … a “situation” arose. And boy did I have a situation: my first case of bed bugs! I started calling around to see if anyone had advice. Since no one claimed to have had any cases, they did not have any information to share. Eventually, I contacted the Alderman’s office and was introduced to one of his assistants who was a nurse by trade. She helped me learn about the effects of bed bugs on people’s health and introduced me to others who taught me about treatment options. I also was able to connect directly with the Alderman who was a Chicago Bed Bug Ordinance co-sponsor. He invited me and a few other people to collaborate with him before the ordinance was presented to the City Counsel for review and adoption. I shared these great contacts and sources of information with my fellow managers and then set up a luncheon for our Alderman to attend and address the bed bug situation with us all. This empowered the other managers with knowledge of bed bugs before they encountered a case in their own buildings.
Reports in the news included how bed bug infestation was on the rise and one area of concern was Edgewater. I thought it would be good for the managers in this area to get to know each other, share their stories, and have a list of contacts to use whenever we needed some help for this or any other subject. So, I formed a Manager’s Lunch Group and we started getting together monthly for lunch. It got us out of our offices, gave us some camaraderie, and allowed us to blow off some steam when needed. Although many left the Edgewater area, they asked to stay on our Manager’s Lunch Group networking list so they could stay in touch with us all.
Sharing Equipment: There was another time when I had a horrible flood and not enough equipment to handle
mitigation until the emergency team arrived. When I contacted “my manager friends” on the networking list, they were kind enough to deliver wet vac equipment and offered other services if we needed it. This helped mitigate the damages caused by the flood. These are people and actions that I will never forget because they were there when help was really needed.
Often it takes a lot of time and effort to find a fill-in employee when one of the staff members
calls in sick. It also costs the Association more money if we use our own staff on overtime. Having a backup of temp staff is always helpful to keep the overtime costs down. Most of the time, those people have other jobs and are interested in doing fill-in work as needed for some extra money. That is where the networking group comes into play. Whenever I needed a fill-in person for a door or maintenance position, I could contact the Edgewater network to see if they had staff members who were looking for more hours. This local group worked best for this situation. Most of the time the temporary people worked out well and I was able to hire, train, and call them when needed.
Community Safety: What is the best thing to do when there is something suspicious going on outside in
the neighborhood? It is to share information with your neighbors, like a neighborhood watch group. In our case, it would be the door staff who regularly watches out for the safety and security of the building and its residents. They should be able to reach out to other door staff if there is something going on outside that could be a safety or security risk. The door staff in the Edgewater neighborhood were in touch with each other by phone. They alerted each other of suspicious characters, vandalism, or people who appeared to have a story that did not seem to fit their actions. This communication among the neighboring staff members made them feel more comfortable: they knew that someone had their backs in case something happened.
Networking brings people together in a multitude of ways. Everyone benefits from sharing knowledge, creating awareness, keeping abreast of the latest trends or technology, getting help with problems, and building lasting professional relationships with mentors, peers, and staff members. Therefore, make sure to take advantage of the viewpoints and prior experience of others whenever it is available and offered, and offer your ideas whenever someone reaches out. Just remember:
Communication is the key to success!
www.cai-illinois.org • 847.301.7505 | 53
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