Lean Into Your Network

Paula West
November 21, 2022
Newsletter Article

Professionally connecting with co-workers is essential for your career and careers in the future, here's how to successfully do that.

Making connections with the people you work with means more to your career than just making friends. It includes invitations to company outings, opens doors to collaborative work on projects, and most importantly, reminds the leadership team that you are a good fit when they are choosing project team members.

These social professional relationships can also include connecting with your coworkers and team leaders on LinkedIn or exchanging personal emails or phone numbers. There will be times when a co-worker is no longer with the company, and you may have missed a great connection for your future.

Your network isn’t just there to help you find your next career or lead. They are there to help you learn; reach out to them for their expertise when you need it. A good connection is a two-way street meaning you can mentor each other; to provide professional advice when solicited.

5 things to remember when professionally connecting with others:

Many are connections, not friends who want to engage in personal life details.
Building a professional network expands further than your current reach, keep looking for your next connection.
New connections bring new ideas. This is a two-way street; you need to help more than you may receive.
Your new connection may lead you to your next client or supplier, or better still, give them one.
Even your best friends were strangers once, you need to comment, share, and work on professional relationships.

Networking and making the effort to build professional relationships can be hard for some people. I challenge those people who are shy or do not love social situations to network and connect with their coworkers. Talk to them in the lunchroom. Small talk is a valuable tool to master. Those who are sitting alone in the lunchroom may have the same feelings of apprehension as you do. My advice is to just go for it, every day, set down the phone, and talk with someone. Remember it is better to have 10 strong mutually beneficial relationships over hundreds of soft connections on a social media platform.

For more on networking read here: /career-success-library/career-search-strategies/11-tips-to-make-online-networking-more-personal.htm