Author Jo McRell On The Importance Of Professional Business Networks
An Interview with Vanessa Ogle
As you strengthen your own networking game, you’ll find yourself with more leadership opportunities. Take on a mentee, improve your cross-functional collaboration and delegation skills, or stretch into a new role. Just remember we often learn as much as we share if we lead with curiosity.
In today’s fast-paced business world, professional networks are more than just a pathway to opportunities; they are crucial for growth, learning, and innovation. Whether it’s finding mentors, navigating career changes, or driving business success, the right network can be a game changer. How significant are these networks, and how can professionals best leverage them? I had the pleasure of interviewing Jo McRell.
Jo McRell is the author of “Making Work Work for You” and founder of employee experience strategy company Jo McRell Consulting. She’s helped organizations like Google, Intuit, Meta and Gusto better empower their employees. Jo understands the challenges young professionals face as the dynamics of the workplace change. Through her book, work and the AI ERA Community she co-founded, Jo equips employees and leaders with the tools to navigate disruptions in tech, employee culture, and work models so they can thrive in the future of work.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
Like many internal communication and employee experience professionals I kind of ‘fell’ into my profession. But once I landed there and dove in, I saw that this was a great time to create new solutions in the employee experience space. What started as just a job writing company newsletters and executive speeches became a truly fascinating and continuous experiment in behavioral economics.
The workplace is undergoing a revolution that was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The old 9–5 working model of traditional office life that got us to this point (think the Mad Men TV series) is not serving (most of) us well anymore. AI, flexibility, greater diversity in the workplace, the entrepreneurial spirit of Gen Z, the very real financial anxiety of many, greater distribution of teams enabled by async productivity tech like Zoom — all this and more is dramatically changing people’s orientation toward work. I see a lot of opportunity in these changes…and also some significant challenges.
It’s these dynamics that keep me engaged and building. If we’re going to spend an average of 1,850 hours a year and over 90,000 hours in a lifetime working, then that experience is a pretty important thing to design in a thoughtful way.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, I was working for a Fortune 50 based in California. Because my role oversaw global communications for all things people, I started jumping on late-night calls for Asia COVID response in late January. By February we added early morning triage calls for Europe. My team was responsible for getting the best information to employees who were often working abroad (like interns) or traveling to an interview or meeting, as well as employees typically located in those countries. We had thousands of cases of employees stuck, confused, and terrified. Information about COVID and government restrictions was changing daily…if not hourly at times. It was chaos.
By the time COVID hit the United States in March, my team knew we were in for the long haul. We’d already been working 16–18 hour days for a month and a half. So when US leaders told employees to work from home and estimated it’d be about two or three weeks, my team didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Clearly this was not going to be a couple of weeks.
Ironically, after we got through those initial months, the COVID pandemic turned out to be a great exercise in employee experience and engagement. We learned so much! We fast-tracked new technologies. We learned new ways to personalize outreach and facilitate remote or distributed engagement. We simplified and refocused on connecting employees to the most meaningful work.
The world of work shifted. The pandemic showed us that we must move forward with curiosity for new ways of working and a healthy respect for data-driven insights. These days designing for the employee experience is more like designing for the customer experience — a smart, personalized, more beneficial approach.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I’ll share an epiphany moment here. I started my career in nonprofit. In fact, in my mid-twenties, one of the programs I was responsible for was micro-loans combined with a financial literacy and savings program. The whole point was to help my clients live above the poverty line and become financially self-sufficient. My salary (with a master’s degree!) at the time was below the poverty line. Ironic, right? I wasn’t saving anything for myself.
This was definitely a lesson in putting your own oxygen mask on first. I find this is often the case with women and people of color in the workplace. Many times these populations are schooled to serve, to put others first. Service leadership is a great thing. But first, you have to serve yourself to get to a position of inner and outer strength. Building up your professional network in a conscious way is a great example.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
My success has always been a community effort. Work champions, friends and family and, hey, even that boss — the one who didn’t give me the promotion I thought I deserved — have all been a part of my success.
In fact, that promo-no-go boss turned into one of my best mentors. She helped me see that the linear path I’d been imagining was not a great use of my skills. She encouraged me to explore other options, gave me introductions, asked me to take on a project I’d initially thought was an insult to my job description, and essentially pushed me to break out of the career box I’d happily been living in. Looking back, I can see what a pivotal time that was in my career…and one I’m very grateful for.
Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
I love to read because so many books have made a huge impact on me. I’ll share two examples — one nonfiction and one fiction.
I’m a true fangirl of Rachel Richards. She’s written two nonfiction bestsellers: “Money Honey” and “Passive Income Aggressive Retirement.” She’s built her success in the Creative Economy — this online world where value is created through the exchange of ideas. Rachel started out as a financial analyst and then made her own career path, retiring at age 27. She’s committed to making financial wellbeing accessible to Millennial women — who are not the typical audience for wealth management experts. She inspired me to write my own book.
Isabelle Allende is a fiction author I love. Her stories take on love, politics, violence and social justice, class, family ties, and the unique strengths of women. She was a political refugee from the 1973 military coup in Chile and started out as a journalist in Argentina before becoming a worldwide bestseller. Her fiction work uses the magical realism style, which makes for entrancing stories, but also forces the reader to look at the world through a different lens. I believe that having people in your personal network who can shake up your perspective a little is a good thing. My reading choices reflect that belief as well.
How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
This is such a key concept — using our success to make the world better. What else should we be doing? Investing in the success of others is a great way to do this. We’ve got to lift each other up.
For too long the very narrow definition of success in the professional world had us all fighting to climb the corporate ladder. Forget the ladder or even the newer “jungle gym” analogy. When work success is no longer the destination but a toolbox to help you live life — the possibilities are much BIGGER. This more open vision allows so many more options for what success can look like, as well as more paths to get there. My work, coaching, community-building and book are all focused on this — expanding choices and the opportunities for a larger diversity of people to have success on their terms.
What strategies do you recommend for building and maintaining strong professional business networks?
I’m a strong believer in cultivating your own personal board of advisors. Being on an organization’s board of advisors is usually a paid and prestigious role because of how valuable this group is to the organization’s decision-making and future planning. Why shouldn’t you have your own board of advisors for your career? They can help open doors, coach, share resources, make introductions, help hold you accountable, etc. These are the people who will advocate for you when you’re not in the room.
I also think it’s important to have someone on your board of advisors who shares your background, your interests, or comes from the same community. Someone you’re truly comfortable with. And, I think it’s equally important to have someone who is different. Someone who has a different profession, is from a different industry or who is a different gender or race. Regardless, it makes a big difference to know you have people who support and push you. As Oprah in her infinite wisdom said, “Surround yourself only with people who are going to lift you higher.”
Can you share a personal story about how a professional business network has significantly impacted your career or business?
With all the hype around generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), I decided I had to explore. I’ve both joined an existing network — Women Defining AI and co-founded my own community — AI ERA Community. Both of these communities bring together women to combat the stats. Those stats say that women are less likely to be on the losing end again. Women are more likely to be disrupted by AI automation than men in professional roles. That’s because women tend to hold more of the administrative, customer service, and content-generation jobs that AI automates so well. When more women than men are impacted, laid off, or not even hired, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy that men are more “skilled.”
This is why it’s even more important for women to not only invest in upskilling but to also create visibility when we upskill to avoid bias and replacement strategies. Same is true here for people of color.
Our AI ERA Community is a safe space for women in Human Resources (HR) or the People team to experiment, research, and amplify use cases for AI. Since AI is itself on the fast track — growing and evolving seemingly by the week — most of us are learning as we go. Find a safe community to experiment with, share tips, and explore new tools. This can be just as valuable as more formal AI training.
In your experience, what are the common misconceptions about networking, and how can professionals overcome them?
Myth #1: A LinkedIn friend recently told me that networking and relationship building in the U.S. workplace was much more important than she’d expected. She’d moved from Australia to the United States three years before. Although she’d worked with U.S. companies and colleagues when living in Australia, she’d believed the myth that America was a meritocracy and that her ability to work successfully in the U.S. would be based on her extensive experience and qualifications. Reality check. It’s all about the relationships, she confided.
Myth #2: With GenAI sucking most of the air out of the #futureofwork conversation, I don’t blame people for believing another myth — that digital skills are today’s number one asset. Definitely digital skills have been, are, and will be an asset. And we definitely need “hard skills.” But they are not the number one skill set. People skills are.
Across different industries, company types, and role types, lots of studies from the likes of McKinsey, Deloitte, Georgetown University Center, and so many more researchers (Cornerstone) find that more and more employers are prioritizing people skills (a.k.a. “soft skills”). In fact, as technology automates and augments or helps us more quickly perform our hard skills, workers who stand out will be the ones with solid people skills. More importantly, people skills are a top asset in helping employees find more opportunities, building key relationships, and creating the best context for meaningful work.
Myth #3: Maxing out the number of LinkedIn connections, TikTok followers or Instagram likes will ensure networking success. Broadening a network can be a good thing, but not if it’s all quantity over quality. Einstein said, “Focus on being valuable, not being successful.” He was pretty smart by all accounts, and I think he was right about this. Success is an outcome. Creating value is the work we do to get to success. And the work we do is all in the context of understanding the needs of, working with, and delivering value to other people — whether that’s our coworkers, customers, partners, or any other stakeholder. Making others feel valued is an amplifier for our own careers. People will become champions, open doors, excuse faults, respect others’ ideas, and add to their success if they feel valued by themselves.
Can you please share your “5 Ways to Make the Most of a Professional Business Network”?
Work relationships are more important today than ever. Leaders are increasingly looking for people skills when they hire. Younger generations look to work for much of their relationship-building and sense of self-worth. And yet, today we’re facing a significant gap between leader focus (productivity, belt-tightening, presenteeism, etc.) and employee needs and expectations (flexibility, autonomy, breaking the 9–5 work model, well-being). The win? How people connect is just as important as who they connect with.
- Get specific about your goals
- If you know what your priorities are and set bite-sized goals to help you get there, it’s much easier for people to support you along the way.
2. Build a personal board of advisors
- Network with purpose. Creating a core group of supporters who will hold you accountable, open doors, share resources, & challenge you in a healthy way is not the same thing as a bunch of people who emoji your posts.
3. Invest in your network
- Don’t just take. Give back to your network. Touch base regularly to build trust…not just when you need something. Ask: Is there anything I can do for you (share experiences, support, connections)?
4. Prioritize community over quantity
- It’s tempting to collect connections like kids trick-or-treating for candy at Halloween. How many times have you seen a post announcing 10K, 20K, or more followers? Make sure you’re (also) forming real relationships that are meaningful and support your well-being.
5. Be a leader
- As you strengthen your own networking game, you’ll find yourself with more leadership opportunities. Take on a mentee, improve your cross-functional collaboration and delegation skills, or stretch into a new role. Just remember we often learn as much as we share if we lead with curiosity.
What role does digital networking play in today’s business environment, and how can individuals maximize its potential while maintaining meaningful connections?
Social media has its place. You can find influencers, recruiters, communities, and other useful relationships here. I often see people underestimating the power of developing their story on a social platform like LinkedIn. Sharing career milestones, highlighting resources you feel are truly useful for your field, and congratulating or commenting on great content by others are all ways to show up.
I talk to lots of people who hesitate to show up in an active way on social media. Often they worry that it’ll look like bragging or that no one will care about what they have to say. Digital networking is like so many other things in life. If you start from a genuine place of interest and want to create meaningful connections with others, then the value will be there. It’s all about quality over quantity.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
I think the movement is already underway. The future of work is coming. Are we ready?
I want to inspire more people — especially women, people of color, and those who don’t “fit” in the culture fit of so many workplaces — to get out in front of it. Forget the corporate ladder. Or even the jungle gym analogy. Today work is a tool in our toolbox for life. We can all navigate our own personal career map.
This isn’t like a pirate’s treasure map where you have to steal from others and only get the treasure at the end of a long, arduous, dangerous journey wearing salty and sweat-encrusted frilly shirts. Ugh. This is more like Super Mario Brothers with treasure all along the way, lots of friends to help you win the superpowers you need to get to the next level, and super-cute outfits.
I see so much potential in the ways that our model for work is changing. But it’s not an automatic win. In fact, without a strong sense of personal priorities, a strong network and some truth to break down the myths of the workplace, I think our traditionally vulnerable populations may be more vulnerable.
That’s why I wrote my book “Making Work Work for You: The truth, tips and tools you need to navigate today’s workplace and get more of what you want.” Whether people read my book or get great content here with Authority Magazine or other places, I want everyone to feel empowered by making conscious and better choices.
We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
How lucky would I be to get to connect with Fei Fei Li! She’s known as the “Godmother of AI” and is playing an active role in shaping the future. She’s a renowned expert, but on LinkedIn she’s listed her role as “newbie” — showing that curiosity is one of the most important attributes of a leader.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Visit my website www.jomcrell.com to find out about my book, consultancy and how to follow me.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
About The Interviewer: Vanessa Ogle is a mom, entrepreneur, inventor, writer, and singer/songwriter. Vanessa’s talent in building world-class leadership teams focused on diversity, a culture of service, and innovation through inclusion allowed her to be one of the most acclaimed Latina CEO’s in the last 30 years. She collaborated with the world’s leading technology and content companies such as Netflix, Amazon, HBO, and Broadcom to bring innovative solutions to travelers and hotels around the world. Vanessa is the lead inventor on 120+ U.S. Patents. Accolades include: FAST 100, Entrepreneur 360 Best Companies, Inc. 500 and then another six times on the Inc. 5000. Vanessa was personally honored with Inc. 100 Female Founder’s Award, Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and Enterprising Women of the Year among others. Vanessa now spends her time sharing stories to inspire and give hope through articles, speaking engagements and music. In her spare time she writes and plays music in the Amazon best selling new band HigherHill, teaches surfing clinics, trains dogs, and cheers on her children.
Please connect with Vanessa here on linkedin and subscribe to her newsletter Unplugged as well as follow her on Substack, Instagram, Facebook, and X and of course on her website VanessaOgle.
