For most people, networking can seem like a very unfortunate side effect of doing business. On the one hand, you are looking to befriend someone and on the other, you are looking to get something out of the relationship. “It can feel a bit icky”, Corey Aaron Shrader says when talking about his quest to be an expert networker to improve his chances of succeeding as a top businessman in his community. “But you’ve got to just forget all that and focus on your goals.”
When it comes to networking and looking to reach the top of his game, Corey Aaron Shrader is no stranger. As a young athlete, he became the de facto captain in many of the sports teams he played on including Football and Basketball. It is no surprise that this kind of leadership prepared him for the real world. “I am a huge advocate for confidence and I think that is what it comes down to most of the time,” Corey Aaron Shrader notes.
But it hasn’t always been this kind of smooth sailing for Corey Aaron Shrader. “I remember when I first hit the job market and I couldn’t get the ball rolling. I would go to these meetings and I would be nervous because of how much experience the other folks had”, Corey Aaron Shrader recalls of his first sales apprenticeship meetings. “But then I remembered what I learned in college.” As a board member of the National Society of Leadership and Success at the University of South Florida in St. Petersburg, Florida, Corey Aaron Shrader participated in several meetings that would put him in rooms with extremely qualified individuals from politicians to celebrities and athletes. “It was an interesting time but it taught me nearly everything about networking in business that I know today.” Corey Aaron Shrader recalled. “And I believe it was those experiences that got me through the tough times at the start of my business career here in the community.”
As an account manager, Corey Aaron Shrader is constantly put in environments that test his leadership skills as well as his ability to network and communicate with others that are several rungs above him on the career ladder. “Networking and learning how to network has truly made all the difference in how I live my life in all aspects from running my business to how I communicate with family members.” And for those wondering if networking remains as challenging as it always has been once you begin, Corey Aaron Shrader has some uplifting words of advice. “It actually gets easier and, dare I say it…fun!”
Corey Aaron Shrader is an example of how a strong networking skillset can take one further in life. It will be interesting to see how far he goes as he becomes an even stronger networker in the future.
