Networking is a critical skill for personal, professional, and organizational growth, but it is easily overlooked and undervalued. As we look to a future without systemic barriers or concrete ceilings, we need to disrupt our patterns of behavior to create greater access to information, transparency, and opportunity, and affirm one another’s intersectional identities in the workplace.
Our networks are critical sources of information that lead to greater task achievement, collaboration, innovation, and they provide a sense of belonging. In this workshop participants will be guided through the business case for creating diverse and inclusive networks and learn how our networks can be powerful tools for allyship.
Participants will engage in an activity to establish networking goals and explore the diversity of their network to be more intentional and strategic, and to identify patterns in our network composition. The program will end with strategies to foster a more diverse network to generate greater innovation and collaboration.
Key Takeaways:
- Explore the role of networks in advancing equity and inclusion
- Learn about the three components of your developmental network
- Gain strategies to create more diverse networks
The Why: As organizations roll back investment in DEI initiatives, the conversations turn to the investment in talent and overall sustainability. Creating a diverse network generates access to greater sources of talent, ensuring the organization is finding the best candidates for their positions.
Additionally, organizations create access to new markets, identifying new trends and opportunities, and can take advantage of those opportunities with more agile, higher performing teams who have the right access to information and the confidence needed to achieve objectives. By promoting investment in individual networks, organizations are investing in themselves and their future as a company.
This session is for…
- You if you are seeking new opportunities in your career, either within your role or in potential endeavors
- You if you find yourself saying “I’m too busy to network” or “My work will speak for me and then I’ll get that promotion.”
- You if you lead teams, manage hiring processes, and want new ways of finding talent.
- You if you find yourself overwhelmed in networking settings (hello, introverts!)