Networking Doesn’t Have to Be a Drag

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By Harvard Business Review. Discovered by Player FM and our community — copyright is owned by the publisher, not Player FM, and audio is streamed directly from their servers. Hit the Subscribe button to track updates in Player FM, or paste the feed URL into other podcast apps.

If you hate networking events, it may be comforting to hear that experts don’t think they’re a great way to build strong relationships anyway. There are more natural, less transactional ways to connect with people, especially inside your company. Getting to know colleagues in different units and at different levels gives us perspective on our work and helps us get more done across the organization.

We talk with Inga Carboni about the characteristics of a strong network, common challenges for women building theirs, and how the senior-level women she studied managed those challenges. Next, we tell you how we cope when we find ourselves at a networking event and suggest some ways to start a conversation — or get out of one.

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