The Power of Internal Networking

By any definition, Shelly Lombard has had a stellar career. After 35 years on Wall St, she’s gone on to multiple board positions – including one at a Fortune 500 company. 

Given the notoriously networked world of corporate governance, you’d assume Shelly was a born relationship guru. You’d be wrong. She was the only woman of colour among 300 Vice Presidents at one stage. As a result, the CEO (a guy everyone wanted to get close to) knew her by name. How did Shelly leverage that unfair advantage? She didn’t.

Now, as the founder and CEO of Schmooze, Shelly helps women on the way up avoid her mistakes. Last week, Powrsuit members were lucky enough to get 45 minutes of her time and almost as many pragmatic networking tips.

Put the business cards away

When we think of networking, we imagine big rooms full of strangers flinging business cards at each other. Yes, that networking style exists (sans cards?!?!), but it’s only part of the picture. One of the finest inventions of the Internet era is Linkedin. The platform simultaneously removes the need to dodge unwanted sales pitches while opening up an entire globe of valuable connections. You also have sports, hobbies and membership networks to facilitate intentional intros to people you want to meet.

And you have your colleagues.

Oops, did you forget about them? You shouldn’t. Your colleagues have an outsized impact on your career. They decide who to pick for the next strategic opportunity, who to put forward for a promotion, and who they’ll take with them when they move on. 

The missed connection with Shelly’s CEO should have been immediately obvious. But would you stick to a quick hello and a lost opportunity if you were in the same position? We may know we should be more intentional with internal networking, but we often don’t know how.

Luckily, unlike walking into a room full of strangers, it’s easy to turn colleagues into career-enhancing connections. You already interact with them on the daily, what you may not do though, is invest in those relationships.

Internal networking works

In a hybrid/remote world, intentionally connecting with your colleagues is more important than ever. It takes more than turning your video camera on during Zoom calls—but not much more! It can be as easy as optimising a virtual water cooler chat and as effortless as a quick email follow-up.

Case in point: Within an hour of our interview with Shelly, Powrsuiters had taken meaningful action to enhance their internal networks. Here are just two of the messages we received:

“In the session, I noticed a few other people from my company (who I didn’t know), so I Slacked them after and we ended up having coffee later in the day. Fun and easy… More of these to come.”

“Straight afterwards I messaged an old manager of mine who is now the CEO of a big company. He responded within minutes and is giving me an intro to another business connection. I wouldn’t have done this if I hadn’t been to your event this morning so thank you.”

Suffice it to say that the ripple effects of these small actions will probably lead to both these Powrsiters surfing a career wave.

Five simple ways to build your internal network:

1. Make time for small talk

The rise of video calls has led to the decline of pre and post-meeting chitchat. This informal conversation is critical to building deeper relationships, so make time to go beyond the transactional. Ask about your colleagues’ weekends, enquire about their hobbies, families and out-of-work lives, and actively listen to their answers so you can identify common interests.

Whether you bump into someone in the kitchen, start every video call with a quick question or two, or invite people to a short activity like a quiz, a small investment will pay off big time. You’ll get to know the whole person, which boosts empathy and understanding when times get tough – and you might just find you have more in common than a mutual employer. 

2. Organise informal one-on-ones

If you’re a people manager, you should already be having regular one-on-ones with your team members. You should also be organising team-building activities to foster connection (they don’t have to be big or cheesy!).  

But, outside of these formalities, are you trying to get to know your colleagues? If you’re embarking on a big piece of work together or regularly come across a colleague, getting to know them will smooth the path to productive collaboration. Invite them out for a coffee or a quick 15-minute virtual catchup. Ask them basics about how they like to communicate or any concerns or challenges they face. Be the person who makes their job just a little bit easier.

3. Master the pre-meeting

Preparing for a big meeting or update? Remember: The meeting starts well before the meeting. 

Don’t wait until the big day to introduce people to your thinking – show your work early and encourage challenges. If you need support from other people or areas of the business, get their buy-in in advance so you have allies when making your case.

4. Share knowledge

Your colleagues are a wealth of knowledge, and their work directly impacts yours – so learn about it! If someone has a particular skill you’d like to brush up on (how to read a P&L, the latest digital marketing trends, AI tools, a project you’re interested in), ask them for a 30-minute session to learn more. People love to be helpful, so you’ve just built a relationship alongside your skillset.

Want to expand that impact? Go wider and bring a group together to share knowledge and updates in regular, casual lunch-and-learns. You don’t need to wait for permission to bring a small group together; you just need to send out a calendar invite.

5. Stay in touch!

We know the vast majority of jobs come through networks. We also know that staying in touch with everyone can be overwhelming. That’s where tools like LinkedIn shine. The odd comment, DM, or quick email can go a long way toward maintaining valuable relationships. 

Share interesting articles, congratulations and connections as you come across them. A small effort can make a big impact.