Building Professional Relationships

In the U.S., you can grab coffee with a CEO in two weeks. In Europe, it might take two years to get that meeting. I ’ve spent years building relationships across both U.S. and European markets, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: networking looks completely different depending on where you are. The way people connect, build trust, and create opportunities is shaped by culture-and if you don’t adapt your approach, you’ll hit walls fast. So, if you're an executive expanding globally, a leader hiring across regions, or a professional trying to break into a new market-this post is for you. The U.S.: Fast, Open, and High-Volume Americans love to network. Connections are made quickly, introductions flow freely, and saying "let's grab coffee" isn’t just polite—it’s expected. - Cold outreach is normal—you can message a top executive on LinkedIn, and they just might say yes. - Speed matters. Business moves fast, so meetings, interviews, and hiring decisions happen quickly. But here’s the catch: Just because you had a great chat doesn’t mean you’ve built a deep relationship. Trust takes follow-ups, consistency, and results. I’ve seen European executives struggle with this—mistaking initial enthusiasm for long-term commitment. In the U.S., networking is about momentum—you have to keep showing up, adding value, and staying top of mind. In Europe, networking is a long game. If you don’t have an introduction, it’s much harder to get in the door. - Warm introductions matter. Cold outreach? Much tougher. Senior leaders prefer to meet through trusted referrals—someone who can vouch for you. - Fewer, deeper relationships. Once trust is built, it’s strong and lasting—but it takes time to get there. - Decisions take longer. Whether it’s hiring, partnerships, or leadership moves, things don’t happen overnight—expect a longer courtship period. I’ve seen U.S. executives enter the European market and get frustrated fast—wondering why it’s taking months (or years!) to break into leadership circles. But that’s how the market works. The key to winning in Europe? Patience, credibility, and long-term thinking. So, What Does This Mean for Global Leaders? If you’re an American executive expanding into Europe… 📌 Be patient. One meeting won’t seal the deal—you have to earn trust over time. 📌 Get introductions. A warm referral is worth more than 100 cold emails. 📌 Don’t push too hard. European business culture favors depth over speed—respect the process. If you’re a European leader entering the U.S. market… 📌 Don’t wait for permission—reach out. People expect direct outreach and initiative. 📌 Follow up fast. If you’re slow to respond, the opportunity moves on without you. 📌 Be ready to show value quickly. Americans won’t wait months to see if you’re a fit. Networking isn’t just about who you know—it’s about how you build relationships. #Networking #Leadership #ExecutiveSearch #CareerGrowth #GlobalBusiness #US #Europe

What if the best networking strategy had nothing to do with “networking” at all? Back in 2014, I started a group called “Delhi Internet Mafia”. To learn from and share insights with founders based out of Delhi. I would cold email founders to show up for the catchup. Vijay Shekhar Sharma of Paytm showed up for one of them. I remember being blown away by his energy, his ambition and his clarity. We stayed in touch. A few years later, Paytm invested in my startup nearbuy. If it weren’t for that group, we may have never raised money from Paytm. 3 ways to build genuine relationships: 1/ Do not try to impress. Be impressed. People can see through your attempts to impress them. But what people can truly be attracted to is your interest in them. Genuine interest. 2/ Engage meaningfully. If engaging offline, ask questions out of pure curiosity. To truly understand. If engaging online, don’t just comment “Great post!” - add insight or ask smart questions. 3/ Give before you ask. That could be sharing feedback on their work, amplifying their content, or connecting them to someone useful. You can never fail with authenticity and trust.

When I entered the legal profession, I had no idea how crucial networks would be to my career. That was until I was turned away from a business development event. The entry requirement? Bring a plus one at your level in the city who could one day be a potential client. Coming from a school where only 32% of us passed our GCSEs, and a university experience where I felt more like a fish out of water than someone building lifelong connections, it’s no surprise I didn’t have a 'roster' to draw from. The result? Those who already had networks were rewarded with some new ones, while I had one less thing to talk about in my performance review. As the beneficiary of so many organisations and schemes to help me get in the doors of a prestigious law firm, and having assumed that ‘getting in’ to my job in the city would be the great leveller that university hadn’t been, I was pretty emotionally drained to realise (yet again) that I was kickstarting my career already behind the curve of my peers. Research shows that those from lower socio-economic backgrounds take a year and a half longer on average to reach partner than their colleagues from higher socioeconomic backgrounds. In financial services, employees from lower socioeconomic backgrounds take 25% longer to progress to senior leadership despite absolutely no evidence of poorer performance. Why? Because of internal and external networks that determine who gets the best work, who gets the best opportunities, and who has someone to lean on to teach them the rules of the game. Networks of sponsorship which were found not to be forged through performance, but through cultural affinity. In 2023, fed up with stats like this, working alongside Slaughter and May, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), EY and JLL, The 93% Club established the city’s first cross-industry network for professionals without networks. In just under two years we have connected over 2,000+ professionals online and in person. They’ve won work from each other, and supported each other through promotions and self-advocacy. They’ve reviewed each others CVs and shared the advice they wish they’d known sooner. They’ve created genuine spaces of belonging, where people aren’t afraid to walk into networking events for fear of saying (or being) the wrong thing. Now, Linklaters and Norton Rose Fulbright - two of the city’s biggest firms - have signed up to offer membership of 93% Professionals to their employees to ensure that the talent they have invested in isn’t prevented from progressing due to something as preventable as a lack of network. This is a HUGE moment and a mindset shift. Real cultural change goes beyond resting on our laurels of opening doors - it’s time to look at how we help that talent rise through them.

I’m tired of connecting with someone on LinkedIn only to get pitched their product or software within five minutes. Yes, sales matter. But relationships matter more. When the first message is a pitch, it tells me you’re chasing transactions, not building trust. It skips the part where we actually get to know each other. Where we learn if there’s alignment. Where we find out if what you’re offering even solves a real problem. The best partnerships I’ve been part of didn’t start with a cold pitch. They started with a conversation. Ask a question. Learn what matters to me or my team. Offer something helpful before asking for time. It’s not about playing games. It’s about respecting people and earning the right to share what you do. Sales will always be part of business. But if you’re not building relationships, you’re building a house on sand. #SalesWithIntegrity #RelationshipsFirst #LinkedInCommunity #TrustMatters #BusinessDoneRight #CustomerExperience #ListenBeforeYouPitch

GenZ isn’t quitting jobs. They are quitting managers who can’t explain the work. In many exits, GenZ didn’t leave because the work was hard. They left because the work was confusing. Confusing roles. Unclear expectations. Uncertain growth. A title may sound impressive, but it doesn’t answer questions like: 👉 What am I actually responsible for? 👉 How is my performance measured? 👉 What happens if I do well here? When these questions stay unanswered for too long, disengagement starts. GenZ usually looks for clarity in four key areas: ✅ Role clarity What work do I own? Where does my accountability begin and end? ✅ Expectation clarity What does “good performance” really mean in this role? ✅ Growth clarity Is this role helping me build skills, or just fill time? ✅ Communication clarity Who do I go to for feedback, decisions, and direction? When companies miss this, GenZ often exits early, not out of impatience, but self-awareness. And this is where many organizations misread the situation. They assume GenZ: ❌ Lacks loyalty ❌ Wants fast promotions ❌ Keeps switching without reason In reality, they don’t chase titles. They chase clarity. They would rather leave a role with unclear direction, and poor communication, than stay stuck under a big designation that offers no learning. For companies, the takeaway is simple, If you want GenZ to stay longer: ✔️ Define roles clearly ✔️ Set expectations early ✔️ Talk openly about growing Do you think clarity could solve most early GenZ exits in your team? Please share thoughts in the comments section. Follow Priyank Ahuja for more such insightful content. LinkedIn LinkedIn News India

Don't go it alone - collaborate to deliver global impact with your research! Delighted to share findings from our newly published pilot-scale study on CO₂ capture heat integration. It's exciting not only because of new approach to reducing the reboiler duty by 6% and cooling duty by 24%, resulting in operating cost savings of CO2 capture. It's exciting because it proves that collaboration is essential for credible, impactful research. Our team brought together multi-institutional expertise, industrial partners, and real-world site access on a coal-fired power plant. This work was possible because this collaboration enabled: - Access to infrastructure - Operating a mobile pilot on a live power plant requires partnerships beyond any single lab. - Data rigour - Validating marginal energy gains demanded cross-disciplinary expertise, including thermodynamics, advanced data reconciliation, and process engineering. - Industrial validation - Co-developing with site operators built credibility and practical insight from day one. - Diverse expertise - Chemistry + engineering + simulation + field operations. Individual researchers miss insights that teams can easily identify. The lesson: Impact = great ideas + rigorous execution + real-world validation. Collaboration is how you deliver all three. If you're pursuing energy research with genuine traction, treat collaboration as a core strategy, not optional. Build networks early. Your best work will come from teams you haven't yet assembled. #science #research #scientist #researcher #professor #phd #CCUS #engineering

Every opportunity that changed my life came from a relationship (not a resume). 6 tips to build a network that actually works for you: 1/ Check In Without Needing Anything ↳ Send "how are you?" texts more often than "can you help me?" emails. ↳ People forget what you said, but they remember that you stayed in touch. 2/ Give Before You Get ↳ The best networkers give help more often than they ask for it. ↳ Share opportunities, make introductions, send useful articles. 3/ Start Building Today ↳ The worst time to build relationships is when you desperately need them. ↳ Your next job won't come from a blind job app. It'll come from someone you know. 4/ Make It Personal ↳ Remember birthdays, kids' names, their big wins. ↳ One genuine conversation beats 100 business cards. 5/ Stay Consistent ↳ Set reminders to reach out quarterly. ↳ Small efforts compound into strong connections. 6/ Be The Connector ↳ Introduce people who should know each other. ↳ Become known as someone who helps others win. The net worth of your network compounds faster than your 401(k). Every promotion, every opportunity, every breakthrough... They all started with a relationship. Your dream job is one conversation away. But that conversation only happens if you've been nurturing relationships all along. Start today. Text someone you haven't talked to in months. Not because you need something. Just because relationships are your most valuable career asset. What's your favorite way to network? Reshare ♻️ to help someone in your network. And give me a follow for more posts like this.

I had lunch with an exec last week who told me, "These Gen Z employees are so disloyal. They're gone in 18 months no matter what we do." 🙄 I asked what career development they offer. "We do annual reviews," he said proudly. No wonder they're leaving. Gen Z is 2x more likely to quit over lack of development opportunities compared to Boomers. Nothing to do with "participation trophies" or "entitlement" either. It's simple economics. Boomers entered a job market where loyalty was rewarded with pensions and steady advancement. Gen Z entered a completely different reality: ‣ Company loyalty died in the 2008 recession ‣ Skills expire faster than ever before ‣ The career ladder has become a career web They're not disloyal. They're adapting to the world we created for them. When I dig into companies with high Gen Z retention, I find that they've reimagined career development for today's reality. They're offering ↳ Skills-based advancement, not just title promotions ↳ Continuous learning, not annual training ↳ Career flexibility, not rigid ladders The companies winning the talent war aren't complaining about Gen Z's expectations. They're meeting them. Because these expectations will soon be everyone's expectations. #FutureOfWork #GenZRetention #CareerDevelopment #SkillsEconomy

You're on the Board of a nonprofit organization. And you’ve just hired a new Executive Director. They’re bringing fresh perspective, steady commitment, and a deep sense of purpose. I’ve seen two versions of what happens next. One ED gets a warm welcome, a few quick meetings, and a plate full of expectations. They’re ready to go, yet unsure what success looks like. Within a few months, the excitement gives way to uncertainty. The other ED walks into the same complexity, but with something different from you as the Board. Clear priorities. Shared context. And a Board that shows up consistently and helps shape the work ahead. Twelve months later, that leader is still learning but also leading. The first one? Already burnt out from the overload of figuring everything out solo. What made the difference? 1. 𝗔 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 It’s easy to assume your new ED will figure out what matters from a packet of onboarding materials. But narrowing the focus early is one of the most helpful things you can do as a Board. Give clarity into: • What do we need to stabilize or strengthen? • Where can we build momentum? • What would progress look like one year from now?    You’re not making the job smaller. You’re making it doable. 2. 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 New EDs often spend the first year trying to figure out who holds influence, who needs support, and who they’ve accidentally overlooked. You can shorten that runway. So here, go beyond introductions to the new ED. Coach them with context. Share: • Where trust already exists and how it was built • Where expectations have gone unspoken • Where previous tensions may resurface without context • Why funders and supporters are longtime champions, get specific • Who they need to know before the first public meeting Context helps underpin confidence. 3. 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 The goal here is to reinforce clarity, confidence, and trust. And build a partnership effort, not to micromanage. Set a rhythm for support: • Regular check-ins that focus on learning, not evaluation • A clear point of contact on the board Shared expectations about decisions, communication, and pace While transitions are full of unknowns, you NS your full Board can smooth out a lot of those by using this 3-step approach.

A follow-up to something I posted earlier… The most valuable person in your network probably has nothing to do with your industry. That sounds backwards. But here's what most people miss about networking: The connections that look "irrelevant" create the most exponential growth. The ones that seem "practical" just keep you moving in straight lines. I think about people in my life who have made a real difference, like Michael Roderick, a friend who used to be a Broadway producer and inspired me on my journey to start writing musical theater. As I write about in The Long Game, there are three types of networking most people never distinguish: Short-Term Networking: You connect because you need something now. It feels transactional because it is. People sense the agenda immediately. Long-Term Networking: You build relationships in your field over time. Smart professionals do this consistently. But it's the baseline, not the breakthrough. Infinite Horizon Networking: This is where exponential growth happens. You connect with people completely outside your sphere. Not because you need something. Because they spark curiosity. The astronaut who changes how you think about systems. The comedian who teaches you timing in presentations. The dog breeder who shows you patience in development. These connections seem impractical. They won't help you close a deal next quarter. But here's the paradox: When you stop optimizing for immediate relevance, you start accessing ideas no one else in your field has. You think differently. You solve problems differently. You become unforgettable in a sea of people with identical networks. Your greatest opportunities emerge from conversations you never expected to have. Networking isn't just a business tool. It's about becoming more curious. More creative. More human. When you connect out of genuine curiosity, you don't just build a network. You become someone worth knowing. It's the most rewarding investment you can make in your personal and professional life. Think about the people in your life who inspire you most - and ways you can begin to spend even more time with people outside your sphere.