The GTC Group

How Business Leaders Can Build and Use Networks

When leaders develop and work their networks, they establish and enhance relationships that help them personally, in their careers and in the running of their businesses.


The key to leadership success is in building and maintaining strong networks.


It’s not just about the size of your network, but about building useful, solid networks that connect to the people who matter, now and in the future.
Company executives need to build relationships with the people who have the skills or resources to help them in their careers and in leading their companies.


The “six degrees of separation” concept may theoretically connect someone to everyone they ever want to know, but it’s determining which of these are the right connections, reaching them and then building relationships with them that counts.

What networks are there?

There are all kinds of networks that can help business leaders, both operationally in running their companies and with their personal development.


Formal networking groups and associations are familiar to many. There are hundreds of groups around the country that facilitate business networking, like Chambers of Commerce and breakfast networking groups such as BNI and 4Networking. But of equal importance is a principal’s informal business network; those current and prior colleagues, contacts working in competitors, and people within relevant industry bodies.

Personal networks are important too. These are the people in a leader’s own network, such as family, friends and neighbours, and even the parents at their child’s school or extra-curricular activity. And finally, social media networks, where at first there is no face-to-face meeting, are an increasingly important opportunity for building and growing a network.


Contacts and groups on LinkedIn are a vital resource, as are contacts made on other social networks, such as Twitter, Facebook, and online specialist event and networking groups like Eventbrite and Meetup.

How to create your network

The first step in developing your network is to proactively list the contacts you want to develop relationships with, the people who can help in achieving business and professional goals or who can introduce you to others who might be of influence. A network should be made up of diverse individuals. If you always surround yourself with the same people, you will get the same advice all the time, which doesn’t give a very wide perspective for a leader to draw from.


Then, you should work out how you can reach those people. Do you know them personally, or can you add them as contacts on LinkedIn or follow them on Twitter?


Next, you should create and maintain a “database” of those contacts. Rolodex have long gone out of fashion, but a card system like that may be how you prefer to work. You could categorise your network into an Outlook contacts folder or use an online contact management system such as Plaxo. For more, complex use, there’s CRM software such as Salesforce or Zoho and there are tons of mobile apps for contacts.

Finally, you need to set some objectives so that you actively work your network. Perhaps you want to meet, talk to or somehow interact with each one of those people once a year. Or if some are more important to you, you may choose to interact more frequently.

How to use your network

A leader needs to allocate time to networking and ensuring there is regular, frequent contact. And you should access your network contacts regularly, not just when you need something.


Keeping detailed information about your contacts can help where there is face-face interaction. Note down your contacts’ interests and personal details.

Information like their hobbies, the names and ages of their children, where they last went on holiday can all help to show you know about your contact and can act as conversation ice-breakers.

Where you don’t yet have a relationship with a potential contact, look for opportunities to engage with them. You could retweet their post or like their LinkedIn status, or go one step further and comment or reply to take the conversation forward.

Of course, a network is most useful when it comes to asking for and receiving help. A network can provide mentors to bounce ideas off, or to give advice and feedback. Network contacts can add insight to a leader’s business decision-making process or could even help by inputting specific resources.

Maybe you want to find out the best contact at a company you’re trying to sell into, or you want to find potential employees with certain skills, or you want to learn how to attract investors to your growing business. A strong and diverse network can help with all these.

The input from a network can bring workplace and competitive advantage in the form of new business opportunities, referrals, new sales opportunities or business investment. And there can be personal development opportunities too. A strong network can help a business head to improve in areas in which they are weak.

Make sure to give to your network as well as take though. Be generous with your advice and your time; don’t just be a freeloader.

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