By Carl Thomas

Carl Thomas is a YES contributing board member and President/CEO of Courage Catalyst, Inc. 
You can connect with Carl on LinkedIn.

By Alicia Hicks

Alicia is a YES contributing board member and content marketing services provider specializing in podcasting and audio on demand.  You can connect with her on LinkedIn or at hmarketingco.com.

It's that time of year again, networking season.  From now until Spring Break there will be plenty of opportunities to fill our schedules with breakfast, lunch and happy hour.  As we all start thinking about the New Year, how do YOU decide what events are the best use of your time?

Business is always busy.  At least that's how it's supposed to be!  But if we don't schedule time to periodically step out of our daily grind and connect with peers, business becomes isolating.

What I appreciate about Your Executive Symphony is the quality of business owners and executives involved with the community.  Every event is carefully curated and thoughtfully planned to deliver meaningful content in a "safe" space.  As an attendee, I feel like I'm participating in something special, as opposed to a run-of-the-mill chicken lunch, pass your cards around networking event.

It's important to have a group of diverse yet like-minded peers to connect with and learn from.  While there are many options available, YES respects your presence and participation.  There is no formalized business card distribution, elevator speeches, database sharing or advertising pitches.  Just a comfortable room filled with interesting people and a really great speaker panel.  And yes, business cards do get shared but no one is forced to do so. 

If you haven't been to a YES event lately, are you still receiving our emails?  Sign up here and we'll send you information on upcoming events and symposiums.