Networking for Executive Influence

The MD who proved my entire view on the power of relationships sent me this text at 9:47pm: "Just had drinks with someone I met 7 years ago at a conference. We've exchanged maybe 5 emails since. Tonight he offered me a board seat." Seven years. Five emails. One life-changing opportunity. Most executives think relationship building means endless coffee meetings, forced networking events, and LinkedIn messages that feel like homework. They're exhausted by the performance of it all. But after 25+ years in financial services, I've learned the executives with the deepest networks do something radically different: They invest in relationships like they're building a portfolio, not closing deals. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗼 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀: 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆 You don't need 500 LinkedIn connections who wouldn't recognize you in an elevator. You need 50 people who'd take your call during their kid's soccer game. Depth beats breadth every time. 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀, 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 Send the article that made you think of them. Make the introduction that helps their business. Share the opportunity they'd be perfect for. No ask attached. No quid pro quo expected. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟵𝟬-𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗧𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲 Every quarter, one meaningful touchpoint with your core network. Not "checking in" emails. Real value: An insight, a connection, a resource. Takes 10 minutes. Compounds over years. 𝗕𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱, 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 Stop crafting the perfect elevator pitch. Start asking better questions. The most powerful networkers I know remember your kid's college search, not your revenue targets. One client implemented this approach and told me: "I stopped networking and started actually caring about people. Turns out that's the whole secret." Because authentic relationship building isn't about working the room or perfecting your personal brand. It's about being genuinely useful to people with zero expectation of return. The executive who texted me about the board seat? She hadn't "networked" with that person in seven years. She'd simply been helpful when it mattered, stayed loosely connected, and trusted that good relationships create their own opportunities. Your next breakthrough won't come from the person you pitched perfectly at last night's event. It'll come from someone you helped three years ago who suddenly needs exactly what you offer. Stop networking. Start investing. 💭 What's one relationship you've let go dormant that deserves a genuine reconnection this week? ------------ ♻️ Share with someone who needs to rethink their approach to professional relationships ➕ Follow Courtney Intersimone for more truth about building executive influence

The most overlooked skill in career growth? Strategic relationships. Not just mentors. Not just peers. → 80% of all jobs (including executive roles) are filled through networking and personal connections. (Source: LinkedIn Editors, 2025) I didn’t ask for a seat at the table. At 27, someone I trusted pulled out the chair before I knew I needed one. That moment changed everything. And now? I see the same silent pattern in high achievers every day: They don’t stall because they’re unprepared. They stall because they’re unremembered. You don’t rise by being good alone. You rise when your name is spoken in rooms you haven’t entered yet. That doesn’t happen by accident. It happens by design. That’s why you need to build your Invisible Board of Allies™ before you need a bailout. Here are 7 essential roles to future-proof your career: 1/ The Sponsor Advocates for you in rooms you're not in. → You don’t ask them to fight for you. They already are. 2/ The Challenger Pushes your thinking forward. → If no one’s poking holes in your logic, you’re not growing. 3/ The Connector Builds bridges where you see walls. → Introduces you to people and opportunities you never knew existed. 4/ The Mirror Reflects your blind spots with care. → The one who says, “Here’s what you’re missing—and why it matters.” 5/ The Emerging Peer Grows with you. → You rise together and celebrate each other’s wins out loud. 6/ The Truth Teller Gives feedback you don’t want to hear, but desperately need. → They’ll risk your comfort to protect your growth. 7/ The Legacy Holder Reminds you of your 𝘸𝘩𝘺 when you’re tempted to settle for the 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵. → Keeps your leadership aligned with your purpose. Keeps you anchored in purpose. Your dream role isn’t waiting on a job board. It’s waiting on a conversation. Start here to build your personal board: ✔ Audit your circle → Who challenges you? Who champions you? ✔ Initiate → Reconnect. Reintroduce yourself. ✔ Give first → Share insight. Make intros. Celebrate others. ✔ Show up when it’s not about you → That’s when trust is built. ✔ Repeat weekly  → Consistency is everything. You’re one relationship away from your next level. If your name isn’t being spoken in the rooms that matter, build a board that puts it there. Before burnout. Before breakdown. Before missed opportunity. Social capital isn’t soft. It’s strategy. Which of the 7 roles do you need most right now? And which one are you playing on someone else’s board? ➕ Follow @Loren Rosario-Maldonado, PCC for career growth insights that actually move the needle. 💬 𝘞𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘉𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘉𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳™ 𝘎𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦? DM me “BOARD” and I’ll send it your way.

Here's what most people trying to advance a new idea for their business get wrong: they study the org chart and think they understand power. But real influence flows through invisible networks that have nothing to do with who reports to whom. The person who really impacts whether your AI initiative moves forward might be the compliance manager's former colleague who now runs operations. Or the finance director who plays golf with the CEO every Saturday. Or the admin assistant who's been there for 15 years and knows where all the bodies are buried. Picture this scenario: You spend months pitching a new technology to the "right" people according to the org chart. Every meeting is positive. Everyone nods. And nothing happens. Then a colleague mentions casually that the real decision will come down to whether Sarah in risk management feels comfortable with it. Sarah wasn't on any of your stakeholder lists. She wasn't even invited to the meetings. But Sarah has the CEO's ear because she saved the company from a major compliance disaster five years earlier. One conversation with Sarah would teach you more about implementation barriers than six months of PowerPoint presentations to the "official" decision makers. This is why I always start by asking: Who really influences what happens here? Who do people turn to when they need advice? Who has the relationships that matter? The org chart shows you the hierarchy. But influence networks show you how things actually get done. Before you pitch your next big idea, map the invisible connections first. Find out who the real influencers are, what they care about, and what concerns keep them up at night. Because the person who can kill your project might not be the person you think needs to approve it. Francisco Marin #StrategicAdvocacy #InfluenceNetworks #ChangeManagement #Leadership

Why Brilliant Leaders Fail (And What Diplomats Do Differently). Very early in my diplomatic career, I had a life-changing epiphany. I was diary secretary to a top Foreign Office official.  As the most junior civil servant in the room, I knew my place. Until I noticed something. Suddenly senior officials knew my name. They’d stop to chat, ask about my weekend, seem genuinely interested. At first, I was baffled. Surely they had better things to do? And then it dawned on me: I controlled access to the boss. If you wanted five minutes, you came through me.  And, I say this with zero shame, those who were courteous got bumped to the top of the line. Those who weren’t… didn’t. It’s counterintuitive, isn’t it? You’d expect the ambassador at the head of the table to hold the influence. But in my experience time and again it was someone else: → The driver who heard everything first. → The interpreter who decided which nuance made it into the conversation. → The spouse who softened the edges of policy over dinner. Influence doesn’t follow the org chart. It flows through invisible networks. This pattern repeats everywhere I’ve worked - from government departments, the army, to boardrooms. Brilliant leaders with impressive titles stall when they assume formal power equates to influence. Every organisation has two power structures: 1) the official hierarchy - printed on org charts; and 2) the influence network - an invisible web of relationships, trust, and access that actually determines how things get done. Smart leaders obsess over the first. Successful leaders master the second. And the real influencers aren’t always obvious: → The PA who’s been there 20 years (knows where the bodies are buried). → The finance officer every budget passes through. → The team leader everyone confides in. They don’t always have the biggest offices, but they sit at the intersection of information, access, and trust. I’ve seen executives cut through months of bureaucracy with a five-minute conversation with the right person. And I’ve watched brilliant strategies die because leaders ignored them. If you want to create change, win trust at the top table, or make strategy actually stick - map the influence network → Who does the CEO actually listen to? → Who controls access? → Who do people trust with sensitive information? → Who can kill your project with a whisper? → Who commands respect among the people you need to move? The most effective leaders - from ambassadors to CEOs - spend as much time navigating these networks as they do crafting strategy. They know a brilliant plan without influence is just an expensive PowerPoint deck. Here’s the uncomfortable truth: Your title gives you permission to try. But your influence network decides whether you succeed. What is the most surprising thing you've learned about power and influence?

Most people think networking is how you get ahead - NO. Strategic Project Leaders create value and leaders seek them out; hence, their network grows— that is why they rise. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐬, 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐮𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬. Executives and decision-makers are not impressed by flattery or forced small talk. They are moved by : ✔️clarity, ✔️ relevance, ✔️your ability to help them think differently or move faster toward a goal. This is where most professionals get it wrong: They network to be seen, instead of networking to be of service. When you shift your mindset from “How can this help me?” to “How can I create strategic value for this person or organisation?”—everything changes. 🪀Doors open. 🪀Conversations go deeper. 🪀Opportunities multiply. Strategic networking is not about volume—it is about intention. It is not only about visibility—it is about value to others. That is how I built relationships with leaders I once thought were out of reach. That is how you position yourself as someone worth aligning with. 👉Not just a professional. 👉Not just a contact. 👉A catalyst. Want to learn how to create value that builds networks like a Strategic Project Leader? Let’s talk. I will show you how I do it—and how you can too. #FolaElevates #StrategicLeadership #Networking #ProjectLeadership #StrategicElites #CareerAcceleration #ProjectIntelligence ----------------------- Adam Grant, a renowned organizational psychologist, also notes that successful networking is not about climbing the social ladder but creating meaningful, reciprocal relationships. This aligns with research from the Journal of Management Studies, which found that leaders with diverse networks are better positioned to identify and leverage new opportunities.

How do you elevate an executive brand to attract PR, government ties, and advisory positions? Simple: You build a brand that speaks louder than any pitch. The challenge: → No strong digital footprint → No PR strategy (missed speaking and media ops) → Limited high-level networking with policymakers The approach: → Rebuilt LinkedIn to position him for advisory roles → Secured placements in 5 major business publications → Crafted strategic LinkedIn content around leadership and governance The result (most of it in under 90 days): ✅ Secured a government advisory role ✅ Featured in 5 global business outlets ✅4,760.9% spike in engagement ✅ 15,500+ unique profile views ✅ Earned a LinkedIn Top Voice badge 📌 Today: He’s a recognized thought leader with government and industry influence, no cold outreach needed. 👩🏼💻 𝘋𝘔 𝘮𝘦 “𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗨𝗗𝗬” 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩-𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘴. Privacy Note: Some of my clients are high-profile executives and investors. To protect privacy, I only share outcomes, not names, unless given explicit consent.

Jobseekers, let’s be real - Landing leadership roles isn’t about luck. It’s about strategy. Most focus on resumes and interviews. But at your level? The real game-changer is intentional relationship-building. FACT: 85% of executive positions are filled through networking. And yet, so many hesitate to reach out, assuming: “I don’t want to bother them.” “I have nothing to offer.” “They won’t respond.” The truth? The right approach turns networking from awkward to impactful. Here’s how: Don’t Just Ask for a Job 🔴 Translation: “I need something from you.” 👉 Instead: “I admire your leadership journey and would love to exchange insights.” ✅ Build relationships, not transactions. Be Clear & Specific 🔴 Translation: “I don’t know what I want.” 👉 Instead: “I’m transitioning into [industry/role] and curious about your insights on [specific topic].” ✅ Make it easy for them to help you. Give Before You Ask 🔴 Translation: “This is all about me.” 👉 Instead: Engage with their content, share resources, or introduce them to someone valuable. ✅ Relationships thrive on reciprocity. Follow Up With Value 🔴 Translation: “I reached out once and disappeared.” 👉 Instead: “I appreciated our chat! Here’s an article based on what we discussed.” ✅ Stay top of mind without being pushy. Embrace Authenticity 🔴 Translation: “I’m trying too hard to impress.” 👉 Instead: “I’d love to connect and exchange leadership insights.” ✅ Genuine connections last longer than forced ones. Final thought: Careers aren’t built in isolation. Strategic networking fuels leadership growth. What has been your biggest challenge when building higher-level connections? #GalynaDaniel #Leaderhip #Networking #BetterJob2025

Leadership can feel lonely and keeping your circle small may be part of the problem. One of my clients recently said, “I’ve been wrong about saying, ‘I keep my circle small.’” In today’s workplace, she’s learned that a wider support network is key to success. There was a key theme in many of my leadership trainings this year: a desire for REAL connection. This isn’t uncommon. As executives rise to higher levels of leadership, they often report increased feelings of loneliness. It can be harder to find other leaders who understand the unique challenges of the corporate environment with whom you can connect, learn from, and grow alongside. In my recent article for Fast Company, I shared ways you can assess and build your support network to stay connected: 1. Leverage your supporters. Your supporters are the people in the organization who would advocate for you when you are not in the room (and you know it). They have your best interests at heart, and you have built solid relationship capital with them. 2. Cultivate relationships with “neutrals.” Neutrals are people in the organization whom you don’t know yet, or don’t know well. ➡️ Use a “30:30” meeting approach. Thirty minutes are spent understanding them, their vision, goals, and offering your expertise in a way that might help them. The remaining 30 minutes are spent focused on your needs or area of expertise. 3. Rebuild connections with challenging partners. Nearly every executive client I work with has one or two leaders with whom there exists some tension. Rebuilding relationships, even with people who frequently deny resources or differ in personality, can be essential for work and connection. 4. Nurture your network beyond work. The first place I direct clients to is their immediate network of leaders (old colleagues or current colleagues). However, there are also great connection opportunities from your loose network. ➡️ Participate in industry or professional affiliated groups. This is a great place to foster connection through conferences, meet-ups, or even online forums. How are you investing in cultivating your support systems this year? (Full article LinkedIn in comments)