Week 6 : Networking & Relationship Building

Discussion Overview

This week, we discussed the importance of relationship-building (Chapter 6) as well as various forms of networking (Ibarra & Hunter (2007) “How leaders create and use networks”). Chapter 6 gives many examples of how to build relationships in a global setting, especially highlighting the role of finding “similarities” with others. Ibarra & Hunter (2007) highlight the importance of networking for leaders, outlining three distinct but interconnected types of networking–operational, personal, and strategic–which can supercharge your leadership career. I am interested in what relationship-building/networking practices you use in your professional lives, and how you think these practices change based on your personality.

Questions & Instructions

What tactics do you find useful to develop your relationships/networks in your professional life? You may share best practices related to operational, personal, and strategic networks (see Ibarra and Hunter 2007) or more general relationships (see Chapter 6) with people in your organization or across borders. Explain why you think those best practices are effective in your context.
Do you find any networking/relationship-building practices more/less effective because of your personality (extraversion vs introversion)?* For instance, if you consider yourself an introvert, how do you (or plan to) push yourself to build relationships or network more effectively?
Examples
1. In my professional life, I would say I do reasonably well with relationship-building, especially within my immediate operational environment, but it is an area I intentionally want to improve through this class. In manufacturing and project management, I naturally focus on operational networking by building strong relationships with operators, supervisors, and cross-functional partners in an attempt to execute projects effectively. Frequent check-ins, walking the production floor, and maintaining respectful communication have helped me build trust. These practices align with the readings emphasis on proximity and consistency in building relationships.Where I see room for growth is in expanding beyond those operational networks. The distinction between operational, personal, and strategic networking made me realize that I have historically leaned heavily on operational relationships while underinvesting in personal and especially strategic networks. I tend to focus on execution and technical problem-solving, which can limit how much time I dedicate to broader, future-oriented relationship building.My personality plays a role as well. I am more naturally introverted, so large networking environments typically do not energize me. I am more comfortable in one-on-one or small-group conversations, but I do not always proactively initiate new connections unless I know that I can gain something for myself. This class has made me more aware that strategic networking does not have to be political but is more of a leadership responsibility.Going forward, I plan to be more intentional about building relationships beyond my immediate projects by seeking cross-functional conversations earlier and finding similarities to reduce social distance more quickly. This is a competency I want to strengthen as I continue developing professionally.
2. Question One In my role in strategic sourcing, relationship-building is not optional; it is foundational to performance. Caligiuri (2021) emphasizes in Chapter 6 that culturally agile professionals intentionally build relationships grounded in curiosity, perspective-taking, and trust. I have found that practicing active listening and asking culturally informed questions when working with suppliers, especially international vendors, strengthens operational and strategic alignment. For example, rather than reacting to delays from overseas suppliers, I focus on understanding their local constraints, regulatory pressures, or logistical barriers. This builds trust and reduces defensiveness, which ultimately improves execution. Using Ibarra and Hunters (2007) guidelines, I intentionally cultivate operational, personal, and strategic networks. Operationally, I maintain strong internal relationships with engineering, legal, and finance to ensure alignment on contracts and onboarding. Personally, I connect with peers across departments to build mutual support. Strategically, I seek exposure to senior leaders to understand broader company direction. These practices are effective because sourcing sits at the intersection of risk, cost, and compliance. Without strong cross-functional networks, progress stalls.Question TwoI would describe myself as more reserved than highly extroverted, but not disengaged. Ibarra and Hunter (2007) argue that effective leaders build networks deliberately rather than relying on personality. As someone who leans toward thoughtful engagement rather than constant social interaction, I focus on depth over volume. I schedule intentional one-on-one conversations instead of large group networking events, which allows me to build credibility through preparation and substance. If anything, being less extroverted helps me listen more carefully, which aligns with Caligiuris (2021) emphasis on cultural agility and empathy. However, I do push myself to step outside my comfort zone by volunteering for cross-functional initiatives or presenting updates to leadership. Those moments expand my strategic network. For me, networking is less about social energy and more about disciplined relationship investment aligned to business objectives.
3. 1. The tactics that I find most useful in developing my relationships/networks and my professional life are knowing that networking is essential to advancing my everyday career and career life. You have to treat networking like a muscle: the more you use it, the better you’ll become at it; if you don’t use it, you’ll be less efficient. For the first one, operationally, I like knowing that networking with your coworkers and getting to know them can help boost your operations and those above you as well. We often think that talking to those above us is discouraged, but they can be the best sources of information and help you gain a leg up and become eligible for that promotion or raise. Personally, I liked how one example used was the guy who went hunting with his buddies and their hunting group, and they were able to establish business connections. Often, we don’t think of socializing with our friends as networking, but simply asking a question or suggesting that someone meet someone could help you in your everyday ventures and endeavors. Lastly, we have strategic networks, and for that one, I like how being strategic with your networking and knowing who you’re talking to can help you get through doors that you wouldn’t even dream of. In correlation with global networking and global leadership, sometimes it can be a bit frightening to talk to people of other ethnicities because we may not know how to conduct ourselves, but it’s about taking a chance and at least trying, so you don’t have the regret I’m not trying at all. Other people like the initiative you take to come up and talk to them and network with them, because it shows that you go after what you want and are open to expanding your circle, demonstrating self-improvement and bettering yourself. Honestly, for me, networking and relationship-building are in the middle, but when it comes to professional, it’s less effective because of my personality. Because sometimes I can get culture-shocked and feel like I’m out of my league around other professionals, and think I don’t compare to others. Sometimes I feel like I’m not as experienced as my colleagues, so I figured out why they would wanna talk to me or offer me opportunities: my rsum may not be up to par with theirs. I do personally consider myself an introvert but some personality test show that I’m an extrovert but introverted but I feel like I want to be more intentional with my networking seeing that I’m about to reach 25 and about to graduate and I want to be able to expand my circle in Houston personally but also professionally so I can reach better opportunities and better myself and my career. The only way I’m going to have to do that is to get over my imposter syndrome and tell myself that I’ve worked hard, just like everyone else, to be here and to go up and try rather than have regrets, and that I’m not trying and not talking to others. I also have to get over people thinking they won’t accept me just because, and just go up and talk to people, because some people are generally nice and want to help others succeed.

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Week 6 : Networking & Relationship Building

Discussion Overview

Questions & Instructions

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