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The importance of internal networking
In today’s fast-paced professional environment, there is often an emphasis and focus on external networking. However, it is essential to recognise the equal significance of internal networks for personal and professional advancement within an organisation.
Grace Robbie
Speaking on a recent episode of The Protégé Podcast, Chloe Giamadakis, legal counsel for UniSuper and finalist for the Rising Star (In-House) category at the 2023 Australian Law Awards, highlighted the significance of establishing strong and robust connections with colleagues, both within one’s team and across different departments. She also articulated how developing such connections can act as a powerful strategy for fostering growth and development.
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In the same episode, she also underscored the importance of lawyers understanding the commercial realities within their firm.
Giamadakis expressed that while external expertise can be valuable, there is often a wealth of knowledge within your organisation itself. Therefore, it is important to also tap into the skills and insights of your team members before seeking outside advice.
“There are a lot of knowledgeable people within your organisation as well. You don’t obviously need to always look outside,” she said.
One of the most effective methods for internal networking, as outlined by Giamadakis, involves developing personal connections with colleagues. She emphasised that business discussions are not always necessary during every interaction and displaying a genuine interest in others can significantly contribute to building strong relationships.
“The best way, in my opinion, to approach that is just to get to know people on a personal level. You don’t have to strictly speak business every single time you’re interacting with somebody within an organisation, but if you show a genuine interest in their department, it can open up doors,” she said.
Giamadakis pointed out that most people are willing and eager to engage in these discussions and connect with their colleagues on a personal level. It’s up to you to take the first step and initiate these interactions.
“For example, people are more than willing to talk about what they do and get to know you on a personal level as well,” she said.
Giamadakis also mentioned that investing time in learning about individuals and their respective departments is a highly rewarded endeavour, as it fosters a deeper understanding of an individual’s roles, strengths in professional relationships, and the ability for collaboration.
“So spending some time and actually investing some of that time in learning about another individual and another department, I think, is really rewarding,” she said.
However, in today’s dynamic work environment, nurturing professional relationships can pose a significant challenge due to the diverse responsibilities individuals must balance and the varied schedules they maintain.
Giamadakis provides an example of how she addresses this challenge, in which she is mindful of differing team schedules during workplace hours to ensure that she times interactions appropriately.
“For example, as I mentioned in my introduction, I work quite closely with the investments team. So obviously, during market hours, they are quite busy. So it’s very much about just being conscious of the realities that each team is working within and just picking your time appropriately,” she said.
