Randi Mason Discusses How Networking Drives Career Advancement for Women with Chief

Partner and Co-Chair of the Corporate Practice Randi Mason was interviewed for Chief’s article entitled, “No, You Don’t Need to Learn Golf to Advance. Chief’s Study Proves Women Leaders Successfully Network Off the Range.” The article discussed a study commissioned by Chief and conducted by intelligence firm Morning Consult to explore whether networking drives career advancement for women leaders and how they achieve it.

Randi, a member of Chief, discovered early on that in order to grow in her career, she had to be more intentional about forming professional relationships. Her women friends were eager to help with just about every facet of her life, “but they were not talking about their careers.” On the contrary, “the men would get together for dinner, talk about work and the next thing you know, they were doing a deal together,” Randi added.

As an attorney with young children at the time, Randi realized that she had to do something different and step outside her comfort zone. She put herself in situations where she was likely to meet other women who were eager about networking. It was also important to her to join an organization like Chief.

According to the study, “networking not only played a pivotal role in helping women achieve nearly every career milestone – from securing a board seat to breaking into the C-Suite – but it also drove broader operational and revenue benefits for the organization.” More than 70% of women leaders said they’ve used networking to save money for their team or organization, find efficiencies and win new business.

For women with intersecting identities who have been historically underrepresented in leadership due to bias and systemic barriers, such as women of color or members of the LGBTQ+ community, Chief’s study found that “networking is extraordinarily critical to their careers and it’s imperative that companies place a greater emphasis on facilitating these connections.”

For employers looking to better help women by providing networking opportunities, Chief recommends that they:

1. Position networking as a tool for problem solving and career development.
2. Provide diverse networking opportunities.
3. Help employees expand their networks beyond their organization.

Read the full article here.