As leaders grow and begin to take on more senior positions, the ability to influence and collaborate with key stakeholders becomes very important in achieving their objectives. Leaders easily accept that they are responsible to different groups of people and yet don’t always recognize these stakeholder groups as “networks” they can tap into to help them achieve their objectives.
In my coaching practice, we discuss the importance of navigating and leveraging networks to successful leaders. The first step is always identification. This takes some thought as not all networks are obvious. They may not be formalized or highly structured but still have strategic value. Once the list is identified, the next step is to prioritize the networks based upon the leader’s top business goals. It is not realistic for leaders to think they can affect all their networks at the same time because usually there are just too many for one leader to work on at once. Focusing on the right networks at the right time is critical.
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Once a leader has identified and prioritized their networks, the last and most important step is to develop a network engagement strategy. The how to – engage, collaborate and leverage – is where the power lies. Investing time and energy in a strategic way with each priority network will definitely pay off. Over time, well-networked leaders begin to see their networking as an extension of themselves and can readily tap into more talent, knowledge, ideas and support than they otherwise would have access to.
Successful leaders do not go it alone. They put in the work to develop and nurture the key relationships with their stakeholders and never look back! Find more of my thoughts on leadership here, or reach out to me to get some support on building and leveraging your networks. LEAD WELL!
