#1YearOn with Dr Maria Gallo #FollowAlumniWay
We cannot believe a year has passed since we interviewed Maria for our blog; it was an insightful piece on how she makes networking work for her which you can revisit Soar Like a KITE here. What better timing to shine the spotlight on Maria and catch up on what has changed for her #1YearOn #FollowAlumniWay
1. Since you wrote the 'Soar Like a Kite' AwakenHub blog this time last year Maria, what has changed for you?
The most exciting development is my book! Last year, I had only submitted the proposal to my publisher Policy Press with my fingers crossed. Now the hard copy is in my hands and the book launches officially on the 30th of September. The Alumni Way: Building Lifelong Value from your University Investment is real- this is a game changer for me and my business.
I have taken on several high profile clients for research consultancy too, including the United Nations- International Organization on Migration, the Danida Fellowship Centre in Denmark, the AlumniPortal in Germany and the Irish Universities Association. In fact, I’ve worked across 4 continents and almost a dozen countries promoting the value of alumni and diaspora connection through my research. All attributed to years of building relationships and solid networking.
I’ve filmed the videos for my masterclasses to complement the book coming out in late 2021 and my website www.thealumniway.com went from concept to on-the-cusp of launch too.
And our family adopted a rescue kitten Bijou. She is certainly the jewel of the family!
2. You spoke then of 'effective networks leading to meaningful connections' and how you can make them work for you. We believe you have a good news story to share from your involvement with the AwakenHub community.
Yes! Last year I racking my brain (and scanning my network) for the perfect person to write the Foreword for my book. Then, I attended the AwakenHub event on Networking with Kelly Hoey. It was like angels singing! I jumped on LinkedIn only to discover that Kelly and I attended the same university – the University of Victoria- a solid alumni connection for an alumni networking book. I knew this was meant to be! I contacted stellar AwakenHub Co-Founder Mary McKenna who made the introduction. Voila! Kelly agreed and has been a fabulous supporter of the book ever since! My favourite quote from her Foreword: ‘I implore you: don’t just grab your degree and run! Embrace the learnings of The Alumni Way to reorient the hows and whys of alumni engagement and start building better alumni connections.” (cue the chorus of angels singing!)
3. How would you say Alumni networks differ to other connected communities and what could we learn from them at AwakenHub?
Alumni networks are your instant network. You have a shared experience with everyone who is also an alum from the same university, college, or school. Kelly and I didn’t attend UVic at the same time but we both know we can share a fondness for the place (and the bunnies that hopped around the campus!).
Sometimes people let their alumni grinch take hold, dismissing the potential from their alumni network because perhaps the experience that many years ago wasn’t ideal, or worse they discount they abandon their alumni-ness because they are afraid the university might ask them for money. This is a big mistake. Your university itself is a potential supporter (or client!) for your business as are the thousands of former students you are connected to in the alumni network. You might find your next mentor, client, or key connection in your alumni network, something I talk about in my TEDxBallybofey talk. I always lead with a university, college or shared connection when I reach out on LinkedIn, it’s a great conversation starter.
4. Can you ever have too many dots on your radar? And should you be selective about who takes up space on your radar.
This question is in reference to your original blog "It’s like having a radar. He was always on my radar and obviously I was on his radar. And you have dozens of dots on your radar (and hopefully you are on many other people’s radars too!). As things come up, you scan your radar. Meaningful connection comes from having - and being - the sharp dots on a radar!"
The radar is a powerful thing. I don’t believe you can ever have too many dots on your radar. Just like stars in the sky, some are brighter than others depending on your focus at the time.
A good reminder too is that it’s not just your own radar that’s important. It’s whether you are on other people’s radar. The old mantra: it’s who you know sure that’s important. More important? Who knows you. You want to make sure you are on other people’s radar so when opportunities arise you are the brightest dot!
5. One year on, have your top three tips changed at all or is there anything going forward you would do differently?
While my top 3 tips stand, I would add patience to the list. It took me 16 years to go from the idea of writing my book to publication day. That’s a lot of thinking, researching, and writing—and networking to make it happen! Things can’t just happen overnight we don’t have to go anywhere to network anymore, it can happen effectively – for positive action—all online. What I would do differently? Besides getting better at reminding people to follow me on Twitter or Instagram @alumniway? I would have celebrated achievements more. I feel I have spent so much time doing things and going, going, going in a working sense (and let’s face going physically nowhere this past year!) that when I publish a blog post or get a new client, it right onto the next thing.
That leads me to another tip - celebrate even those tiny wins! I love seeing AwakenHub celebrating key milestones! For me, I will be hosting an online book launch on the 30th of September—with Kelly Hoey on hand!—and it will be wall-to-wall jubilation! Join us here!
Thank you so much Maria and good luck with the launch, cannot wait to read your new book!
