How well do you know your workmate?

One thing I always find is that, when I am delivering internal networking training to people in an organisation or a company, they don’t really know much about their colleagues.

Let me persuade you otherwise – temporarily forgo the perversely traditional, Edisonian industrial model in which you don’t ‘have’ to schmooze with someone who sits by your cubicle to get your job done. In my years of working in large and smaller companies on both the corporate side and as a consultant, I have taught that investment both in internal and external networks appears to be equally beneficial. While you might rarely need to go beyond the walls of the company to get things done with others outside the company, you are still going to need to know how to network or at least interact with your fellow employees internally. It doesn’t derive its value from how big your job func­tions might be or what your responsibilities are; after all, it’s a requisite behaviour in organisations, big and small.

I believe internal networking will reduce the stress and anxiety associated with your work-life, as it will make your work environment far more enjoyable; it also will reshape the team spirit of your organisation and your career for the better. Internal networking, however, is about creating value, caring and genuine concern for others.

To give examples, some of the blog posts I write are about the tools you can use when you network; I assume that most of these will apply to networking externally (building contacts with people outside of the company) but most if not all might apply to the internal network as well. In this article I want to look at some of the more special kinds of ways that apply specifically.

Why is Internal Networking important for your company?

Do you sick to death of the internal politics in your organisation? Ready to leave everyone that wants to appear connected by hanging out on the Zoom/teams/slack? You need to figure out what internal networking is. Learn. Become an internal networker. With an internal network, you will bring everyone closer to work together in your organisation; you’ll become closer friends with other staff; you’ll contribute to more projects in your organisation; and you will be promoted much faster than your colleagues.

Whereas the original social network, based on connection and conversation through social media, has achieved different results, I see an increasing number of companies adopting a different type of social network – the intra-organisational one – with intra-organisational goals in mind over the past 10 years. I have personally been part of several organisations setting up an internal network as a forum of free and frank exchange of views and an enabler of free communication between employees in the last few years. Intra-organisational networks are enablers of connecting and having conversations.

Here are my 7 simple ways to improve your internal networking skills:

1. Never eat alone

In particular, lunch is a tremendous setting for building your internal networking. Work out a plan to be in the office during lunch hour every day and eat lunch with some other colleague. This is a short but brilliant time spent with a coworker where you can get people to know you better, learn what they do, add value to them, try to uncover opportunities to help them, and in the process create strong relationships with them. Don’t eat lunch with the same people every day – I guarantee you that if you show a sincere interest in the stories of your colleagues, you will often find that these lunch breaks are the most interesting part of your week. If lunch time doesn’t work for you, don’t just pick excuses – arrange a coffee/tea break with your colleague.

2. Participate in internal and external training and events

Try to attend any training programmes and events your company might be offering. In case if it is a large company, this training is often a really good prospect to meet the people from the other departments, branches or offices. When I was working at one of the largest banks in Europe, I actually met and made several contacts with people from different units thanks to live and online trainings provided by my employer.

Of course, if you have a small company, a situation where in-house programmes are not available. And I also treat an external event or training with a colleague as your internal networking opportunity. Even though you will be everting crazy, you will have more opportunity to have your colleague around than in the office and spend more time with him in more personal way. You will definitely learn more about him and you will definitely have your internal networking with him as well.

3. Become a project leader

Very few people utilise the life-changing opportunity that most large employers give them and create their own niche project in their workplace.

Launch one of your own within your employer, and try to involve as many colleagues as possible in it to help you and take leading roles in it. This might look like a long-term pain that gives no short-term gain, but such volunteering in an organisation has many benefits for everybody, you and your employer included. I can tell you that, as far as I can remember this is exactly what I did at every company I worked for, trying to initiate one project, two, or three, and in every case I tried to make the project a global one, taking in as many colleagues, from as many different departments and specialisations. In this way, I knew not only more about my colleagues but was also much more appreciated by them and my employer.

4. Be an advocate

Some of your colleagues have extra time for another cause. You need to find out they are volunteering for a non profit organisations; or they might be working with a special institutes. These shows their good will. By participating, volunteering or donating to other non profit organisations reflects commitment and genuine interest to a colleague to create a relationship.

5. Be a connector

One of the simplest internal ways to network is, as an in-house liaison, help your contacts. As you know by now, the contacts you make are not yours to keep. Introduce people in your firm to your external network, and vice versa. Connect members of your staff with each other and with outsiders. You’ll be surprised how many relationships deepen when you are the facilitator.

These connections need not be to your firm, or even to your job. Find a good doctor your friend can use to cure her problem. Arrange a job interview for your friend’s son. You are bound to receive her thanks — and her remembrance!

6. Be the first in moments of joy and sadness

Celebrate moments of joy with your colleagues! And be with them in times of sadness. When your colleague gets promoted, receives an award, has a new baby or gets married, send your congratulations. On the other hand, if your friend is going through a very sad moment in his life, be there for him. I mean physically, in real life (not just through social networks). A quick, handwritten card for someone (even if you don’t know them very well) will help you show that you care and are paying attention

7. Praise others

How many in your company talk about others’ accomplishments? Most people talk about their accomplishments. What would happen if you talked about other people’s accomplishments and meant it? In fact, if it became a habit, you would be regarded as a real team player and people would want to be around you. Don’t be afraid to share credit.

Remember – your internal network and the relationships you develop within your organisation are yours for life. You’ll probably relate to them in a radically different way to third party sites. If you put the interests of others first, then you can become known as a true relationship builder; a legitimate giver of attention; someone who will help. A well-connected person will add value for everyone.