Team Networking Opportunities

Want to grow faster at work? Build relationships across levels. Too many professionals limit their network to people at their level or in their immediate department. But real influence comes from cross-functional, multi-level connections. Talking to leaders gives you insight into strategic thinking. Connecting with new hires helps you stay grounded and see things through fresh eyes. And peer relationships are often the foundation of your day-to-day credibility and support system. When you build a wide network inside your company, you’re not just creating safety nets—you’re also creating stepping stones. You’ll be top of mind for projects, feedback loops, and leadership opportunities because people trust and remember those they feel connected to. Grow across, not just up.

One of the most underused strategies in business development is bringing people together around a theme. Think about it. Everyone is busy. Everyone gets invited to another reception or cocktail party. Most people say no because they know the value will be surface level. But when you create something intentional, something smaller and more thoughtful, people notice. They make time. A dinner for women GCs in private equity. A roundtable of next generation dealmakers. A conversation between founders and investors who have successfully scaled. These kinds of gatherings give people the chance to connect with peers who understand their challenges. They create space for conversations that don’t happen in a big room. And here’s the part many professionals miss — when you’re the one convening, you’re not just building your own network. You’re helping others expand theirs. You become known as someone who creates opportunities. That’s memorable. It makes people want to stay close to you and your organization because being connected to you means access to something bigger. But it doesn’t end with the event. The real business development happens in what you do afterward. ✔️ If two people hit it off, follow up and connect them directly. ✔️ Share a quick recap of themes from the evening to keep the conversation alive. ✔️ Create touchpoints — an article, a coffee, an invite to the next dinner. ✔️ Build continuity with a series so people look forward to the next one. ✔️ Share high level highlights on LinkedIn to reinforce your role as the connector. Bringing people together in the right way isn’t just about networking. It’s about creating community. And the professionals who do this well strengthen relationships, build influence and grow their business in ways that feel natural. Let me know when you think of this tip and if you will try it! #BusinessDevelopment #ClientDevelopment #Networking #LegalMarketing

Networking doesn’t stop once you land a job – it truly starts there. In the past six months, I’ve spoken to over 50 people, from Analysts to MDs. I’ve realized intra-company networking is one of the most underrated career strategies. No matter where you work, you already have a massive commonality: you are a part of the same company. That alone gives you an entry point to start conversations. Yet, many hesitate: What if they’re too busy? What if they won’t respond? Remember. We are all human, and we all want to feel important and useful. The biggest honor most people get in their lives, or one of the biggest, is when other people ask them for help. So, be shameless about reaching out. If you don’t ask, the answer is always NO. Talking to others can give you exposure to different teams, projects, and potential career moves within your company. If there’s a team you want to join in the future, start networking with them today. Being fearless in approaching people has already opened doors for me. Relationships > anything. And company alumni? That’s a golden asset, and I’m already seeing its value.

Ghanaian moms: “𝗚𝗼 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸...𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳...𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀...𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲” #HeyStudentsInGhana, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗮𝗺𝗮'𝘀 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 (only this time though😉). If you’re a National Service Personnel (or early career professional) and you’re thinking: “𝗜’𝗹𝗹 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗺𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵/𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗜 𝗮𝗺,” you might want to reconsider your thought process! 🔑 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: • While hard work is important, most managers aren’t actively watching their employees, they have work and meetings. They are busy! • Want them to notice your contributions? You might have to 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘂𝗽 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝟭-𝗼𝗻-𝟭 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 (schedule some if you haven't already!). • 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁!      You can’t grow if you stay to yourself all the time. Yes, hard work matters, but don’t skip every team lunch or company event, that is your chance to network and build those work relationships! Sometimes, don't "mind your business,😩" 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺/𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸, 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘀 (𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗿𝘆 𝗷𝗼𝗸𝗲𝘀 😬). At the end of your National Service year: 🗣️ 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹-𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿. If they don’t know you, they might not give you the offer especially if it’s between you and someone they already know. ✨ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲, 𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹-𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿. So don’t underestimate the power of networking! 𝗚𝗼 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳, 𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗜𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸.

Alcohol as the centerpiece for business entertainment is #toxic in my not-so-humble opinion. It's a particularly crappy experience for women fully immersed in #techsalesbro culture. Take "why aren't you drinking?" out of your vocab, and try one of these instead: Escape Rooms: This activity involves a team working together to solve puzzles and challenges to "escape" from a themed room. It requires collaboration, problem-solving, and can be a fun, intense shared experience that will help your team bond. Community Service: Organize a day for your team to volunteer at a local charity or non-profit organization. This can be a great opportunity to bond outside of the workplace while making a positive impact on your community. It can also foster a sense of shared purpose. Outdoor Adventure: Plan a day of outdoor activities such as hiking, rock climbing, rafting, or even a simple picnic in the park. These activities can promote teamwork, foster a better understanding of each other, and help team members connect with nature. Cooking Classes: Cooking classes can be a great way for teams to work together towards a common goal. Plus, you get to enjoy the fruits of your labor at the end of the class. Alternatively, you could have a cook-off or a 'bake-off', adding a touch of friendly competition. Workshops or Seminars: Engage a motivational speaker or expert to conduct a workshop or seminar that enhances team collaboration or communication. This can be especially useful as a team-building activity, as it not only helps team members bond but also gives them valuable skills they can use in their professional life.