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Master internal networking to do a better job and be promoted faster · Enhance.training

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: If your manager left tomorrow, how many senior leaders would actively support your promotion?
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: Master internal networking and you'll be doing a better job, be more visible in your organisation and be on the fast track for that promotion.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: I know from personal experience.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: I worked in many top companies.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: I was promoted 13 times all the way up to board level and gained top appraisal grades multiple years in a row.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, a lot goes into achieving this level of success.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: To gain similar successes, building your internal network, that is building strong and useful relationships with a wide range of colleagues, is a surprisingly important factor.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: I'm explaining five practical actions to build a great internal network to catapult you past your peers.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: Most professionals and managers think promotions come from working hard, hitting targets and running a great team.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, these are important, but just think how many managers do just this and yet don't get promoted quickly.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: I got promoted past loads of these managers in my career.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: Promotion also depends on who knows you, likes you, trusts you and wants to work with you.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: Build your network to outperform in any job.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: It is important to understand why more and better relationships really do matter to do your job well and to get promotion.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: Relationships increase your influence.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: The more relationships you have and the stronger these relationships are, the more influence you build.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: I will explain five key actions you should take to build great and useful relationships with colleagues in a bit.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: Influence is very valuable at any level.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: Go into management and influence becomes one of the keys to true success.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: Managers deliver value or profit through the actions of their teams.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: Managers no longer deliver work directly.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: With influence, you get help quicker.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: People spend less time questioning or resisting before doing what you ask.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: You are more likely to get the resources you and your team need ahead of those with less influence.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: You are more likely to gain permission from bosses and do so faster.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: All these factors mean you can complete your work faster and often do a better job, or your team can.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: Faster workflow means you get more done in a given time frame.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: And get more done and communicate this effectively and you put yourself on the fast track for promotion.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: Leaders will be mad not to give you more responsibility and leverage your skills further.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: This is the power of a strong network.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: Another really important benefit when you master internal networking, the best opportunities rarely get advertised.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: Leaders give the best projects to those they know, like and trust to deliver the results they need.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: Networking in the workplace is a key part of building relationships, which in turn make you more effective.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: Leaders look at those below them and assess their networking ability, assess how many people know, like and trust them across the business before promoting them.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: I learnt this the hard way.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: I was looking to get promoted into senior management.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: My boss was actively supporting my promotion.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: The other senior managers blocked my promotion because they didn't feel they knew me very well.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: This was completely my fault and a big wake-up call.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_00: I started actively networking with all the senior managers after this.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: Work to master internal networking in your business.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: My name is Jess Coles, and if you're new to this podcast, Enhanced.training provides resources, courses, and coaching for you to build management expertise and confidence to lead any team to their best performance.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: For senior managers looking to break through into their first board role and would like to position themselves to get that promotion a lot faster through internal or external routes.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: I invite you to book an intro meeting with me to discuss our promotion coaching programs.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_00: Go to Enhanced.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: So quickly, here are three of the biggest mistakes managers make with internal networking.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: You can avoid each of these mistakes with a little thought and effort.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: I will quickly explain why each mistake is bad news for you and what to do instead.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: So firstly, one of the biggest networking mistakes made is only networking when you need something.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: Most people see right through this and it doesn't make them feel appreciated.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_00: Start networking when you don't need anything.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: In the beginning, focus on helping others rather than asking for stuff.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_00: The second big networking mistake is only focusing on your own departmental function.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_00: It is easier networking this way and it is absolutely where you should start.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: The most important connections to get things done and from promotion are usually outside of your function.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: Push yourself out of your comfort zone and focus outside of your department.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_00: The third big networking mistake is believing you only need to network upwards.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: Wrong.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: Networking downwards and sideways is just as important.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_00: You rely on those below you and your peers to do a good job.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: People willingly help those they know, like and trust first.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: They get round to doing what senior people they don't know ask of them sometimes grudgingly.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: Guess which group works fastest and does the best work.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: Don't make any of these networking mistakes.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: Actively work to avoid them by networking early.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_00: Network with everyone sensible to get your job done well and to aid getting promotion.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_00: And as promised, here are five practical actions to grow the size of your network and the usefulness of your network.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: First, build a networking plan.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: Grab an A3 sheet of paper and put all your bosses, stakeholders and those that support your success in small circles on the page.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_00: Then grade each person in terms of firstly the strength of current relationship, secondly, the importance for you doing a good job, and thirdly the importance for you getting promoted.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: Find the gaps, the missing relationships and weak relationships.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: Actively focus on improving those relationships so you are constantly moving towards strong relationships.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: The second action to master internal networking is to become known for helping.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: Helping others is really powerful in building relationships and increasing your influence.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_00: You are engaging in reciprocity, a social rule that when you help others, they feel obliged to help you in return.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_00: Be intelligent and careful with the help you offer.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_00: For how to master networking, the third action is to cultivate sponsors rather than contacts.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_00: Sponsors actively recommend you for opportunities, sing your praises when you are not in the room and influence others to promote you.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_00: Build deep relationships, be proactively helpful and market your achievements so you can move contacts into being sponsors.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: The fourth action to build great networking skills is to create regular contact points with all of your contacts.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_00: Don't be passive.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_00: Seek out those you're building relationships with and give them progress updates.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: Invite them for a coffee.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_00: Ask if you or your team can help them.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_00: Build a repertoire of useful ways to initiate contact with peers and senior managers and then take action.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_00: Fifth, actively build support to join cross-functional projects, initiatives and other high-profile activities.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_00: Projects, etc., are a great way to build high-quality networks when you are doing a good job and delivering results.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_00: Your colleagues get to experience what it is like working alongside you.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_00: Nothing beats joint problem solving to deepen relationships quickly at work.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_00: And this is not an exhaustive list.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_00: Get creative and work on any other sensible ways to build your network and deepen the relationships you have.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_00: The better your network, the quicker you can complete work and the more influence you will have.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_00: From personal experience, these easily compensate for the time and effort you need to put in to build and strengthen your network.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_00: So, in summary, building a strong and useful network across your organization and through all levels of your organization is a brilliant step to enable you to do a better job and to do that work faster, to enable your teams to do the same and to get promoted a lot faster than your peers.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_00: People support those that they know, like and trust.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: And as a quick reminder, here are the five actions to focus on to master internal networking.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_00: First, build a networking plan and take action on it.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: Secondly, become known for helping.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_00: Third, cultivate sponsors rather than contacts, create meaningful contact points regularly, and then fifth, join cross-functional projects, activities, initiatives, etc.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_00: And as a reminder, for senior managers looking to break through into their first board role and would like to position themselves to get that promotion a lot faster through internal or external routes, I invite you to book an intro meeting with me to discuss our coaching programmes to get promoted.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_00: So go to enhance.training and select coaching to get this key promotion months to years earlier.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_00: If you have any questions on master internal networking to do a better job and be promoted faster, please email me at support at enhance.