When it comes to promotions and career progression, it’s easy to believe that hard work and achievements will speak for themselves. Adding to this, the notion of networking can be perceived to be a no-value series of stilted conversations, bad canapes and forced scenarios at mandatory events.
Yet the ability to build a strong network beyond your immediate team with peers, customers, and industry stakeholders plays a crucial role in leadership and career success.
In fact, our mentors and coaches rank it number two (behind self-awareness) when asked the most important area for their clients to continue developing following their program engagement. At a recent in-house workshop for executives and their mentees, the executives were unanimous in recommending building internal and external networks as a critical strategy for development and performance. They needed their emerging leaders to be able to step out of their immediate day-to-day and build connections with people who gave them a broader understanding of the organisation, insights on industry practices and a fresh perspective on some of the challenges faced in their roles.
It’s not to say people don’t want to. However, with busy lives and heavy workloads, it’s understandably easy to focus on the doing – the most urgent tasks and key deliverables at hand – and neglect to invest the time and energy to build networks and relationships. It may not be seen as a priority, it’s out of their comfort zone or just another action to add to already significant demands.
However, effective leaders have strong and broad networks with people they trust to discuss issues, ask for advice, and reciprocate by offering their help when required. Being well connected in your organisation and wider industry adds a broadened outlook that strengthens strategic thinking, deepens knowledge and brings diverse perspectives. This in turn drive results, performance, ability to influence and to lead others. Organisational psychologist, Adam Grant shares the value of a ‘Challenge Network’ – a group of trusted, thoughtful critics who offer ask questions and offer (sometimes tough) feedback on a problem, opportunity, or piece of work to push us to see things differently.
In your career, building networks outside of your immediate circle will opens doors to new ideas and opportunities. Whether it’s being top of mind for a career opportunity, invited to contribute to a working group or be given a voice on issues and decisions that matter.
A strong network can be the difference that sets one apart from the pack when the next opportunity arises.
To highlight it’s importance, our trusted McCarthy Mentoring executive coaches help clients see ‘what’s in it for them’ when they network. For example, for engineers, it may be that to stay in-the-know on the latest cutting-edge technologies, it pays to have a strong network of well-informed specialists outside of their company.
Learning how to build a network and maintain good, trusted relationships in your professional life is a critical leadership skill in itself. It requires strength in effective communication, engagement, and collaboration. It shows a willingness to seek others’ input, appreciate the value of different viewpoints and work with others beyond the task at hand.
Once you have the network, working on deepening the connections into trusted, positive relationships is fundamental to success. In Hogan Leadership Assessment terms, it is about ‘getting along with others in order to get ahead’ with relationships identified as a core pillar of effective leadership. As highlighted in this HBR article ‘Promotions aren’t just about your skills, it’s about your relationships’, once you are consistently achieving results, your promotability comes down to relationships and making them work.
Another of our US based executive coaches recently shared an example of a client’s company push to build networks as an imperative to moving up into leadership. They had a mandate: “leaders never eat alone”. That is, leaders were expected to use break times to meet and informally get to know others outside of their immediate team. If they were working remotely, it was a virtual catch up over lunch or coffee.
Having a rich tapestry of trusted, valued connections in your professional life is imperative. It’s also stimulating, fun and enriching. The collective accumulation of shared experiences, conversations and interactions can weave together to become trusted advisors, sponsors, supporters and an invaluable resource to draw on when faced with unexpected challenges, opportunities or setbacks.
The good news is, building networks is a learnable skill that reaps significant rewards. Here are some practical steps towards building meaningful connections with the people that matter beyond the task at hand.
Why – be clear on why you want to network. An Australian based executive mentor and Non-Executive Director suggests we examine the issue objectively: “is it career progression, business development, to find a peer in your organisation, get on an industry working group or broaden your knowledge base? Then be strategic about how you forge those connections with the right people to create meaningful, healthy relationships.”
Say yes – Saying yes to opportunities to be part of a project committee or industry group or attend a seminar with a peer can be an easy way to expand your contacts, while having an intentional set of outcomes underpinning your participation
Who – Who needs to know you and your work for you to perform well? Be strategic. Who would it be valuable to meet to learn more from or understand more about what they do? s this person an industry peer? A customer? An executive you currently don’t work with?
Be curious – Authentic networking is best achieved through genuine curiosity for their perspective. One way to overcome the awkwardness is to ask open ended questions. These can draw out information in a conversational way rather than requiring specifics and will often throw up unexpected synergies that build rapport, trust and connection.
Be generous – share your stories, insights and experiences. Think of where your knowledge and expertise may be useful for them. Good relationships are reciprocal.
