What’s your view and take on networking within your company?
The Problem:
Many professionals misunderstand networking inside their own companies.
Some avoid it completely because they think networking means “kissing up” to senior leaders.
They don’t want to compromise their standards, so they keep their heads down, work hard, and hope their results will eventually speak for themselves.
Others go to the opposite extreme:
They try to flatter executives, agree with everything they say, sometimes even give them gifts, and constantly try to impress them.
But that approach generally feels forced, insincere, and completely fake.
It’s obvious what you’re trying to do.
Both strategies fail.
Working hard in silence rarely leads to promotions because decision-makers cannot reward value they don’t see.
At the same time, obvious flattery destroys your credibility.
Experienced, savvy leaders can immediately tell when someone is trying to manipulate them for personal gain, and they usually actively find ways to defend themselves against this type of fake behavior because so many people do it!
So, if you want more promotion and job opportunities at your current company, what actually works?
The Solution:
Firstly, if you’re working at a company where the culture is just about kissing up to your boss or leaders to get things, I’d like to seriously challenge you by asking:
Is this really a location and culture where you want to chase a promotion or more job opportunities?
There are other options out there, so don’t sell yourself short by getting overly caught up in meaningless office politics.
Now with that being said, if you want to become a pro at networking, the first step is understanding a simple truth:
Networking is not a zero-sum game.
It’s not about “using” people, and it’s not about pretending to be someone you’re not.
Effective networking is about creating value and becoming visible to the people who make decisions within your company.
Visibility matters more than most professionals realize.
Senior leaders operate at a strategic level.
It’s nothing personal, but, especially at bigger companies, they simply cannot closely observe every employee’s work all the time, even if they wanted to, it’s just not feasible.
When promotion decisions happen, they rely heavily on the people they know, trust, and have seen contributing to meaningful outcomes.
This is why I teach my clients a different approach.
Instead of focusing on fake flattery or avoiding leaders entirely, hoping they’ll magically notice you, focus on creating real value and making that value visible.
This can take so many forms depending on the situation:
Offer thoughtful input in meetings when appropriate.
Volunteer for projects that have visibility across departments.
Share insights that help leadership understand problems or opportunities more clearly.
Ask intentional questions that show you’re thinking beyond your immediate role and that you know how to process problems your leaders care about.
Reach out to meet your leaders, ask how you could help make their lives and work at the company easier, and show them through genuine actions that you can provide meaningful solutions.
Keep in touch, follow up, and find ways to consistently support decision-makers on your team so they can see you’re serious about helping.
(Notice how none of these have to do with insincere flattery or kissing up to the boss?)
When leaders begin to associate your name with solutions, initiative, and reliability, your reputation grows naturally.
These are things I did, especially so early in my career, to land more job promotions and leadership positions.
Do not confuse networking with fake flattery; this is narrow-minded thinking.
And do not assume hard work alone will guarantee advancement; this is naive thinking.
Wrap Up:
Focus on creating real value.
Make that value visible to decision-makers.
Build genuine professional relationships over time.
Professionals who consistently do this don’t chase opportunities.
Opportunities start finding them.
I’m confident that just as this strategy has helped countless clients of mine and me, it can help you too with your career development.
That’s all for today.
Cheers,
Carlos
PS. If you’re a global life science manager or director who is trying to create more job and career opportunities at global companies and MNCs, apply here for a free discovery call.