This article is by Mimi Spangler, a partner at Harding & Company. Some of the material in this posting appears in the second edition of Ford Harding’s book, Rain Making, which will be published in February and contains about 40 percent new content.

This is the second in a series of eight blog posts on networking for women. These entries originally appeared as an article in Management Consulting News.

2. Be Yourself All of the women rainmakers emphasized that success depends on not trying to be someone you’re not. Doing what comes naturally as the path of least resistance resonates in both networking and client development approaches.

Maureen Tarantello, who is in charge of account management at Watson Wyatt Worldwide in Chicago, said that she advises women at her firm to continually expand their contacts but to do so in ways that they are comfortable with. She tells them if they enjoy talking to people, do it. If the informality of this approach is painful for them, she suggests that they write articles and find other ways that play to their individual strengths.

Several of the women interviewed said that “being yourself” often translates negatively as being less direct and aggressive than men, and they encourage junior women to project more confidence and directness. Other female personality stereotypes such as being more collaborative, supportive, and helpful were viewed as positive attributes in understanding client issues and proposing the best solution.

Sometimes women rainmakers have approached things in personal ways that help them stand out from the crowd. One woman talked about a male-dominated client outing that she attended. “A group of movers and shakers in the transportation industry were on a yearly casino bus trip. The first year I was invited because of my senior client contacts, I brought margaritas. I had no problem making quick connections with many of the senior decision makers on the trip.”

Mimi Spangler is a partner at Harding & Company, which helps professionals learn to develop business. She has worked with consultants at many firms, both large and small. For more information, visit the company’s web site at http://www.hardingco.com/ and blog at www.hardingco.com/blog. Spangler can be reached at mspangler@hardingco.com.

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