Get better at: Building a strong network
Today’s move
Send an unsolicited message to someone in your network: congratulate them on a promotion, send an article that reminded you of them, or just say “hi.”
Why it works
Those small interactions make you come across as genuine, rather than someone simply trying to get something, and that’s critical to building a network that will advance your career.
Dorie Clark, communications coach and author of Leadership and the Workplace, told Business Insider that you should avoid becoming the person who only reaches out when he or she needs a favor.
This means that networking should not start when you are looking for a new job. Even if you’re happy where you are, building relationships with your colleagues can pay off over time. A 2023 study The two billion LinkedIn connections from more than 7,000 companies showed that companies with highly connected employees outperformed companies with less connected employees.
Try it today
Contact at least one person in your network without asking.
That way, if you end up needing help, it won’t feel like you’re calling out of the blue.
The bottom line
Creating meaningful connections takes time and sincere effort, which should start long before you need a favor.
Source
This insight is drawn from Business Insider’s reporting on the do’s and don’ts of networking, with commentary from Dorie Clark, a communications coach and author of leadership and the workplace. Read Business Insider’s full story Alice Tecotzky and Tim Paradis here.
It also contains information from a 2023 study from Harvard Business School on why companies should care about employees’ LinkedIn connections.
