---

When you’re “Chief” anything — CEO, COO, CPO, CMO, CIO, etc. — people seek you out.  They vie for facetime with you.  But, if through a merger of acquisition your rank shifts downward, or if you’re new to a company, you’ll find you have to seek others out, infiltrate existing groups, break into conversations.  You have to network.  

For example, you may have to remember, or learn for the first time, how to enter a group that’s in conversation.  Here’s what I suggest. 

Stand on the edge of the group.  Make eye contact with the speaker, and casually glance at others in the group, too.  Wait for a break in the dialogue and introduce yourself.  Very likely, group members will shift to make space for you to join the circle and conversation.  Sometimes, once you’ve made eye contact, a group member will pause, say hello and initiate introductions, easing your entry. 

---