How Networking Internally Changed My Life

I wouldn’t be here today writing this newsletter if it weren’t for networking.

Sure, I’m very good at my job. But *internal* networking really accelerated my growth in my company.

The funny thing is, I was doing it without realizing it until I told my father how well I was doing at work.

You see, my father was a IT Director at a global pharma company for a while.

Back in the day when I was new, I still lived at home to save a few bucks. I’d tell my dad how work was going every night and he would share his war stories from back in the day, too.

I remember telling him how I introduced myself to two senior people. How I was building a great relationship with my boss. How I was getting facetime with the executive team.

He said something along the lines of “Wow, you really know what you’re doing, don’t you?”

I had no clue what he was talking about.

He then went on to explain to me how networking accelerated his career and I was doing the right things without knowing it.

To this day, I still prioritize internal networking. Whether it’s about learning, networking, information, or leverage, the benefits are boundless.

Here’s why you should start prioritizing it, today:

1: Mentorship

I was able to build relationships with two of the top producers in our branch. One was a real senior guy with over 15 years in the biz. The other was a rockstar who I ended up working very closely with, she was an up & comer with about 5 years in the biz at the time.

Both took me under their wing.

They showed me what it takes to be successful. What works for them. What didn’t. How they got to where they are today. What they would change if they had to do it again. What they do in their day-to-day routine, and how it fits into the bigger picture.

This accelerated my learning curve at least 10x, and likely saved me YEARS of learning through mistakes.

Because I made it a point to find mentors, it fast tracked my success and caught the attention of leadership.

2: Political Equity

I also made it a point to build a great relationship with my boss. My father told me stories about how he brought up people under him that he could rely on, that he could trust, and I wanted to be that guy for my boss.

I asked him what it takes to be successful pretty much on a daily basis. What he did to get to where he was. I cross-correlated that with the information from my mentors to build the best version of myself I possibly could.

I asked to pick my boss’ brain as much as possible. Coffee. Lunch. Staying late.

As this was going on, I wasn’t just getting better at my job, I was gaining a great relationship with my boss.

He started trusting me, putting me on more visible projects/accounts. He asked for my input on certain situations & scenarios. He brought those up to the executive team, they loved them.

And as he rose up the ranks, he brought me along with him.

3: Outside Job Opportunities

It’s inevitable that a decent amount of people you work with won’t stay at your company forever.

If they’re any good and end up leaving, chances are they’re moving on to move up the ladder in some sort of capacity.

Keep in touch with these people. You never know where they end up and if they will bring you along for the ride.

Now I’ve been at my same company since I graduated. But many people have left, and have offered to hire me/get me hired. Even if they don’t have a role open, they would create one.

That’s not just because I’m good at my job. It’s because I made it a point to build a relationship with anyone I considered at top 20% performer.

Maybe one day this leads to a great opportunity you can’t pass on. Or maybe you’re like me, where you’re still killing it at your current company, but it gives you freedom of choice.

I always like to say, it’s a good problem to have when you have too many options to choose from.

4: Faster Promotions

Internal networking means you’re getting more eyeballs on you. More people know who you are, what your capable of.

That means you have more credibility to your name, and you’re deemed less of a “risk” than someone that they don’t know as well internally, or a completely new hire from outside the org.

Whether it’s a faster promotion on your current team, or a transfer somewhere else, internal networking acts as a sort of personal brand within your company.

The bigger and better your brand, the more comfortable people will be working with you.

The perfect example is this:

Every year for President’s Club, the company takes us to an all-expenses paid trip to Cancun. At least one time, we go outside the resort and into town.

On the main strip, there’s a huge tourist section. They have all the brand american chain restaurant.

Why do people go to these when they’re on vaca in mexico? Because it’s the same option they know and trust.

Become that option for your company.

5: Information

The most underrated part of networking is obtaining information.

Each group, org, team etc has access (or at least a different perspective) on information coming from the top of the company.

Each week I touch base with someone from another team.

Granted with my relationship with my boss & the exec team, I get about as much info as I can possibly get straight from the source.

But every now and then some juice slips through the cracks and I’m able to hear it from someone else.

Or, someone else gets the same juice I get, and they have a completely different viewpoint that makes me consider a new perspective.

Bonus: Friendships

I don’t care what people say, you can definitely become friends with people from work.I have.

Having friends at work makes work easier. It makes it fun. You’re going to spend the majority of your time every week at work. Why wouldn’t you want to make friends?

Whether it’s trying to better yourself, having someone to vent to, or just to shoot the shit, why not?

Those two mentors I mentioned earlier? The woman left the company about 5 years ago, we still grab lunch & dinner every now and then. The guy I mentioned earlier? Left about 2.5 years ago. We still grab coffee, and he lives 20 min away and I go over his house all the time.

I got married in 2021, I had 9 people from work come. I would have invited more had some coworkers that work across the country live closer.

Two guys from work I consider very close friends. We grab dinner/go out for drinks at least once per month.