up one level
---
How to Network Inside the Company?
By author Morgan Jassen
Trying to develop my career over the months and years, sometimes I've reached out cold to people inside my company.
See my August 2016 blog post: "For a Software Developer How to Network" http://w̶i̶e̶l̶d̶l̶i̶n̶u̶x̶.̶c̶o̶m̶/2016.php?2016-08-31#2016-08-31
Reflecting. I still don't know how to do it right, to strengthen professional connections.
How does one network inside one's company?
People haven't usually responded the way they thought I would, with a positive win-win attitude response, in a friendly professional way, glad for me having checked in and asking me for help. So it's not been like a hollywood movie.
The last few weeks I've been saying hi and checking in with people inside my company. Same thing. Seems cold and doesn't seem to build professional relationships effectively.
Now I google-search and find these:
"Inside Networking: How and Why to Build a Network Inside Your Organization"
http://heatherhollick.com/2014/04/inside-networking/#.WhmT_kqnF3g
"Networking Inside The Company Walls"
https://www.forbes.com/2010/03/22/internal-networking-office-politics-forbes-woman-leadership-business.html#4daa240df402
Take-aways from having read these:
- Yes it is necessary to network. ("imperative", as one of the above articles says) I (and we -- everyone who aspires to be professional) should keep trying until I and we learn to do it right.
- It isn't about "kissing up", and it's not about helping myself. It's about helping colleagues, in a way that benefits everyone (my colleague plus me plus the company)(win-win-win)
- It is about how I can help this person in their professional goals, or about how I can avoid blocking them in their goals.
- First find out what this person has been working on. Ask questions about their projects and challenges, and if they share, then after understanding, then try and help.
- It is about creating a win-win relationship -- both parties need to have a mindset that we can help each other by this check-in conversation.
- First network sideways. with colleagues of one's "level"/"status" -- my direct co-wokers, and immediate supervisor(s) / boss. Then, sometime later, reach out up-wise or cross-wise to the next closest influencers. Then later maybe reach out even further in the company.
In conclusion, these have been some ways to network inside one's company.
[2019-03-11 edit: Moved to: https://i̶n̶v̶e̶s̶t̶o̶r̶w̶o̶r̶k̶e̶r̶.̶c̶o̶m̶/2017/... .html.]