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| The Ripple Effect at the Harvard Club Message from Angela Harrington, CEO & President, Harrington Communications and Founder of The Ripple Effect  On April 25 we gathered at the Harvard Club in Manhattan for the second Ripple Effect. I want to extend my gratitude to our keynote speaker, Andrea Nierenberg, author of Million Dollar Networking; special guest, Andi Bernstein, senior vice president, Oxygen Media; panelists Michael Connor, Publisher, Business Ethics Magazine; Michael Littenberg, Esq., chairman, the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce; and Paul Lachu, CEO/Publisher, DiversityPlus Magazine, for setting the Ripple Effect into motion with a dynamic discussion on strategic relationships in growing your business.Andrea Nierenberg dazzled our audience with her networking tips and challenged us to "nurture our network, listen and learn, make quality connections for others, follow up, and stay in touch - creatively." "So many of us like to talk, but how many of us actually listen," said Andrea. Andrea closed her presentation by giving us the definitions for the acronym "NETWORKING." See pages 223-224 of her book for a recap. Andrea ignited the chemistry that sparked an exciting interactive dialogue. Andi Bernstein gave us a glimpse of the refreshing culture at Oxygen, where public/private partnerships have helped create a thriving women's cable network - more than 65-million subscribers strong. Because Oxygen competes against larger media giants with deep pockets, "we have to be creative with our partnerships," said Andi. Oxygen extends its resources to its audience - which is dominated by the younger female market -- with community outreach programs that nurture women such as the Oxygen Mentor Walk. The walk pairs young women with executive women in their chosen career fields. The second walk takes place in Central Park this Friday. On Thursday, Business Ethics Magazine announces its 100 Best Corporate Citizens, so it was timely for the Ripple Effect to have Michael Connor on our panel. Though Michael was mum on the companies selected for this recognition, he shared the criteria used by the magazine to distinguish companies as best corporate citizens. "You may think that 'supply chain management' is boring, but it's actually interesting," said Michael. "You can trace the origin of a coffee bean used in a Starbucks store in New York." "Quality," is key when it comes to establishing your relationships in business and your supply chain. Turn your back on quality and you risk damaging your company's reputation. Michael Littenberg reiterated the importance of quality when developing strategic relationships in business. In addition to serving as chairman of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, Michael is a partner at the law firm of Schulte Roth & Zabel, and he offered some advice to our audience: when you begin a strategic relationship, work out the details amongst yourselves. "With lawyers involved things could get complicated," said Michael and you should try to keep your relationships simple. Strategic relationships are as diverse as the world we live in said Paul Lachu, who shared his perspective on the myriad cultures and people who comprise the global marketplace. "Don't assume. Learn about the cultures and practices of the country you are doing business with," said Paul, who recently returned from a business trip to China. "In China, they like to use the phone and rarely use e-mail. Sometimes you have to wait a couple of days for a return call Ð it's the nature of business in China, said Lachu, who advised companies doing business abroad to have employees who are familiar with the culture of the countries they are doing business with on staff. When I launched the Ripple Effect in January, my goal was to connect small and mid-size companies to leading executives in media and business. I wanted to create a network of influence to engage business leaders in a dialogue through a unique forum with innovative ideas and insights from individuals whose experiences we can draw upon to benefit our own companies and careers. This network of influence extends to our audience. To our guests who have graciously joined us on this journey to reap the rewards of the Ripple Effect, we appreciate your support and look forward to keeping the Ripple Effect in motion with continued content, our Ripple Effect newsletter and ongoing events and activities. Due to the tremendous demand from our audiences, we will be producing a version of the Ripple Effect to present to companies on-site. We are also planning a Ripple Effect 3 for the fall. Thank you for continuing to inspire us! Best regards, Angela Harrington |
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The purpose of the Harrington Communications Ripple Effect is to generate a wave of constant motion that energizes your life and your business," said Angela Harrington, CEO and president of Harrington Communications. "We must value and manage our customers as assets and want to share the knowledge, expertise and techniques of strategic communications and relationship development that can enhance sales and communications skills to make companies more competitive in the marketplace."