Cari’s Corner: A Strong Professional Network Can Accelerate Your Career. Here’s How to Build One.

April 25, 2024  |  100 Women Strong, Community & Social Connection, Leadership

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One of the most beneficial building blocks for a long and successful career is the cultivation of a solid professional network. I’m not talking about networking. For some that conjures up visions of transactional sales-types glad-handing at a networking event. Ugh. Quite the contrary. I’m referring to a deep well of meaningful business relationships built and maintained over time. The key words to remember here are meaningful (versus transactional), maintained (involves attention and nurturing) and over time (you’re playing long ball).

A Strong Professional Network Can Accelerate Your Career. Here’s How to Build One.

Building a lasting network of contacts requires effort and patience, but it’s worth it. The benefits are substantial and seemingly endless. Advantages include such career accelerators as guidance and support, opportunities for advancement and exposure, discovery and continuous learning, personal and professional growth, and access to resources. Now do I have your attention? Good. Let’s get started.

Here are our 10 tips to building a professional network that is consequential and longstanding:

1. Be a person you would want to get to know. How can you be memorable, but in an authentic way? People see right through pretenders. Be real.
2. Have a disciplined and consistent approach. You must be intentional; create a plan and commit to taking the steps to make it happen. In other words, work it.
3. Start with who and what you already know. This is the low-hanging fruit, compelling you to get started with a low barrier to entry.
4. Say YES, especially early on. Not everything will prove worthwhile, but you must kiss some frogs to find the right opportunities and connections. Even after you’re established, say yes on occasion. You might be surprised.
5. Form genuine agenda-free relationships. Find a way to add value to others without expecting anything in return.
6. Make interactions meaningful. Ensure that you are purposeful with your dealings and connections. Think, how can I be of value? As leadership guru Adam Grant says, “be a giver, not a taker.”
7. Be visible and manage your brand.  Find ways to get yourself in the right place, with the right people, in the right circumstance and make sure what you say and do aligns with how you want to be perceived.
8. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. We all need assistance and support sometimes. Just be judicious when asking. Make sure it matters.
9. Target the right who and why. This includes volunteerism, boards, mentors, and sponsors. Do your homework and be strategic.
10. Have patience to be in it for the long term. Careers are not typically temporary. Neither are meaningful relationships. Stay in touch with the people who are keepers. Hint: it’s the ones who add depth and breadth to your professional and personal life.

Now you’re ready to begin (or continue) building your professional network. It’s never too early nor too late. I’ve been working on mine for 30+ years and it remains a cornerstone of my success. The goal here is not to check off one or two of these tips. You must work to integrate all of them all the time. It’s a continuous process and practice makes perfect. Get started today and the rest will follow.

CARI H. COATS is a business advisor, leadership strategist, executive coach, author, and speaker, leveraging her extensive executive experience and 25-plus year track record helping senior leaders and teams. Coats is co-founder & managing partner of Accendo Leadership Advisory Group. Accendo is a leadership strategy firm offering advisory services for the full spectrum of leadership development, including executive and transitional leadership coaching, high performance executive team development, professional development for high potential women leaders, and next generation succession coaching for family business leaders. Coats is a certified executive coach in the Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered methodology and works primarily with executive-level leaders and teams, and a member of the Forbes Coaches Council. Coats is also the co-author of “Women: Get Promoted Now! 4 Must-Have Ingredients to Accelerate Your Career.” Coats is a graduate of the Global Executive MBA program at Duke University. Coats received her B.A. in Communications-Radio/TV from the University of Central Florida. She was named the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year at UCF and served on the UCF Foundation board for more than a decade. Coats resides in Orlando, FL with her husband, Russell Coats. They have 26-year-old twin daughters, Kate and Maddie.

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This post was written by Laurie Crocker.