Just as it is for men in the business world, for women, life is just as hard and some would say somewhat harder. Every year Women's Month is celebrated during August. Hundreds of events occur throughout the month to pay tribute to the economic, political and social achievements of women.

While much will be said during this month about the progress women have made in the business world, it’s difficult to escape the sad reality that a “glass ceiling” still exists.  Even before the term "glass ceiling" was coined 20 years ago, researchers debated why women seldom reach the highest ranks in business.

“It’s cracking, but it’s still there,” says Karl Smith, founder of Business Networking South Africa.

So what are some of the cracks? Women entrepreneurship is the next professional frontier. Women are increasingly more likely to hold senior level positions in the workplace, and that gives them excellent skills with which to start a business.

Women also have higher levels of education than ever before, and are more likely to have the kinds of degrees that can lead to greater success in business ownership, such as business or law. Many women want the flexibility that comes with business ownership. Even though, as an entrepreneur, you will work much harder than you would otherwise, you are in charge of your own destiny.  That’s very appealing to a lot of women.

But it’s not good thinking that hard work only will get you anywhere. If you want to make it to the top, you’re going to have to start networking like most of your male counterparts. This is a sweeping generalisation I know, but most women don’t attach as much importance to networking beyond socialising. Networking is not all champagne, snacks and social chit-chat.

Concurring with this view Gail McGuire, chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Indiana University South Bend, says in her study, “Women may be adept at socializing anywhere - even their workplace, but when it comes to networking skills, they fail miserably.” McGuire studied one of the largest financial services organizations and evaluated its informal network support.

Another networking expert, Susan Colantuono, CEO and Founder of Leading Women, suggests that women are considered by male bosses as doing less well than men when it comes to having and effectively using strategic networks. She stresses that many women in leadership positions must “reframe their inner game”. Reframing your inner game means “changing any negative thoughts you have about strategic networking”.

Meeting the people who count has to be a top priority. It’s what you know and who you know. It involves planning and research as much as charm.  A personal network of contacts is extremely valuable as you grow your businesses, grow your career and as you grow individually.

You can multiply your own personal effectiveness by the number of people you know, who believe in you, like you, trust you and are committed to refer business leads and opportunities to you. Think about your own personal network. Is it in a state to help you easily achieve your personal and professional goals?

You can have all the acquaintances or friends in the world and take joy in these relationships, but you can't use them strategically if you don't have a goal. What do you want to win in life? What goal(s) do you hold clearly in your mind and close to your heart? When you can answer these questions, you're ready to think about strategic networking.

In a business world still dominated by men, networking solely with other women is not much use. Many women feel more comfortable in an all woman environment and actually get to trust other networking partners much quicker. Therefore exclusive women only business networking events are becoming more and more common but does it really make sense?

Networking is too big a sport for anyone to ever get a corner on it. After all, the basis of business networking is that you want to convey your business services to fellow networking partners so that they can refer clients to you, so why would you want to cut your audience in half by restricting it to just women?

Women must stop “going it alone” and reach out to people who are where they want to be says Smith. Study and emulate their success secrets and strategies and benefit from their experience and achievement. Female entrepreneurship is a growing sector and it will be important for women to have better access to business management training, mentors and a network of quality contacts. This can be especially tricky in rural areas because women can be isolated in this setting. But it is more than that.

The informal networks that help business owners get doors opened for men are less available to women. Also, many women (and some men) lack solid networking skills and that blocks upward mobility, and the glass ceiling remains firmly in place as an obstacle to advancement.

In our journey of life, you can only open up so many doors by yourself. As you progress through life, these doors will get more and more difficult to open by yourself. You’ll need a network of quality contacts that can more easily open those doors for you!

Copyright 2007 by Karl Smith