A little over two weeks ago Tina Imperial (Rainmakers Marketing Manager) challenged the Rainmakers Leadership to create blog posts about events we are involved in at Rainmakers. I have never been asked to write a blog nor do I consider myself a writer but as any of you that have met me will attest, I am a bit of a talker.
As Event Chair of the Rainmakers Young Professional (RYP) Board, I have the amazing opportunity to be part of the planning process and see all the behind the scenes work that it takes to make a great event. The biggest reward for me comes on event day when I look out at the crowd and observe the talented individuals in the room. RYP is one of the younger events at Rainmakers… yes pun intended. We have seen steady growth in the group and have consistently had blue dots (guests) attend our event.
2015 is OUR year. I don’t just say this about RYP but Rainmakers in general; anyone who has been to an event recently should feel the energy. Why wait to join in the fun?
Enough about the future of Rainmakers for 2015, let’s cover some past moments. January RYP was filled with laughs and lessons as 35 members learned from the wonderful Alison Martin-Books (Mentoring Women’s Network) about mentors, people who should and should not be mentors, and the different forms that mentors take.
Alison identified 3 types of people you should surround yourself with:
- Uplifting: These are the people who are your encouragers, pushing you to shoot for the moon and saying that if you miss at least you’ll be amongst the stars.
- Stern: These are the people who will tell you when you are off track. They will remind you that eggo waffles with peanut butter and jelly is not an appropriate meal for an adult.
- Guideposts: These are the people that have been there and done that. They are the seasoned veterans who are wise and draw from past experiences.
Alison’s activities lead into discussions amongst the attendees about goals, dreams, bucket lists and attaining those items we dreamt about as kids. (Yes, there is still time to become Tom Cruise from Top Gun)
All right now, back to the future. The January Young Professionals event was a great segue to our quarterly Professional Development series that is to be hosted next Thursday January 29th at Claddaugh. The topic of How to Create a Game Plan for Success will be presented by Lindsay Smith (visit the events calendar on gorainmakers.com for details).
Lastly, I will leave you with 2 things. I had the opportunity to attend the launch event of CONNECT TECH on Tuesday where speaker Gretchen Schott (amazing by the way!) presented a call to action for those of us in attendance. She asked us to think of someone who would benefit from coming to a Rainmakers event and invite them to the next event. Whether it is Business Blaze, Rainmakers Christian Professionals, or Boomers and Beyond, if you can think of someone whose professional life would be enhanced, get them to the event!
The last thing I will share with you is something I overheard a member saying about Rainmakers. He was talking to a guest and was referencing a conversation with his boss when he first moved to Indianapolis. The conversation was about connections and how to network. The boss suggested he join a local chamber or BNI group. What was really cool about overhearing this story was when the member turned to the guest and said, “Rainmakers is quickly becoming the new chamber!”
Boom, Make It RAIN!
Zach Taylor
Event Chair, Rainmakers Young Professionals
@taylorzacharya
