How Internal Networking Can Transform Your Career
Internal Networking
My Expedia internal audit team was working in the Rome office of Venere, one of the Expedia global brands. When visiting another Expedia office, I meet with top executives in the office to introduce myself, tell them about our project, and share the capabilities of our team. It was a bit of public relations for the internal audit team, which was perceived as a necessary evil by some or completely unknown to others. In Rome, I met with Arthur who was the President of Venere. We discussed his growing concern with customer cancellations in the unique product offering at Venere.
This discussion led to me working on a one month strategic initiative in Rome to identify the root causes of customer cancellations and recommend actions to mitigate the risk. This initiative expanded globally when Expedia incorporated this product offering across other brands. I scheduled a 1:1 meeting with the Expedia CEO to present my findings and recommendations and subsequently, he invited me to present at his senior leadership team meeting.
One meeting led me to work on a strategically important initiative that improved my understanding of the Expedia lodging products and gave me visibility to the senior leadership team…and one month to live and work in Rome.
Building an internal network is important to:
Perform your job better - Meet with colleagues across functions and all levels (entry to executive) to learn about their specific role and functional area. It is much easier to call someone you know to ask the ‘stupid’ question or make a request. Also, the insights from these casual discussions will inform decisions in your own job. You understand the entire workflow, and factor in dependencies and tradeoffs across functions. You will be perceived as strategic because you are looking beyond your own functional area.
Build your brand - Invite an executive within or outside your functional area to coffee or lunch. Tell them about your current work and projects. How does it impact the company? What have you accomplished? If your work impacts their function, how did you consider or work with their team? Focus the discussion on the work and what you delivered.
Expand your career - Invite a peer with the job that you want so you can learn what skills you have that apply to that role and identify your skills gaps so you can actively address them. Or invite a hiring manager for the job that you want to introduce yourself, share your accomplishments in your current role, and express your interest in working with them.
Enjoy your work - Work is sometimes boring and monotonous. Your work colleagues may be the laughter and distraction to keep you sane on a typical work day.
Your internal network will make you more effective at your job because you know who to call and open you up to opportunities because hiring managers know you exist.