Making Real Connections

by Harvard Business Review

Relationships built on trust matter. Deep and meaningful interpersonal connections at work are critical to your career--and to your well-being. Bonds built on trust allow women to help one another, exchange information, and be more productive. But high-quality professional relationships are only possible with emotional openness--and not all women feel they can be vulnerable enough in the office to develop these kinds of ties. Making Real Connections explores the many ways that our working relationships with other women are usually amazing--and sometimes messy. This book will inspire you to: find more authentic ways to grow your network; seek out a sponsor--or become one; get the most out of professional conferences; enjoy the rewards of having real friends at work; navigate problems when work relationships become draining; and connect in ways that are more natural, less transactional. The HBR Women at Work series spotlights the real challenges and opportunities women experience throughout their careers. With interviews from the popular podcast of the same name and related articles, stories, and research, these books provide inspiration and advice for taking on topics at work like inequity, advancement, and building community. Featuring detailed discussion guides, this series will help you spark important conversations about where we're at and how to move forward.

Genres: Audiobook

186 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 22, 2022

Reviews

[Mad · Rating 4 out of 5]

From reading this book, the following ideas were raised, for me:
* Women often want to know that other female colleagues are genuinely caring, not just qualified/competent, whereas males often desire/focus on competence,
* Women often focus on natural approaches to networking and have a circle that is similar to them, whereas males often change up their circle and don't 'feel bad' about actively/strategically connecting/networking,
* Diverse networks are necessary to improve creativity and find innovative and effective solutions,
* It is not encouraged to have a protige that is similar to you. It is encouraged to have someone quite different but with the same mission or goal.
* We are spending more time at work and it can be hard to maintain a personal identity - do not place all your 'eggs in the work basket' because this can risk more loneliness etc.
* It is good to have friends outside of work.
* Sometimes friends struggle when a friend is promoted at work as the relationship may change.
* Trust can be easily lost and hard to gain/rebuild.
* Be open to other people's perspectives and don't focus on our own perspective.
* Acknowledge own mistakes/flaws and take accountability so that there is openness and more chance of being able to work with someone after trust has been lost.
* There is a need to balance being your authentic self but still professional in the workplace.
* Not talking about a problem or negative event/feeling can lead to more issues. It is best to be open and accountable about situations to create an opportunity to resolve trust or rebuild relationships.
* We spend a lot of time with colleagues so it is important to acknowledge that friendships at work can occur - but they can also result in workplace friction, especially when you transition from 'work friend to boss'.
* New technology makes us much more accessible after work hours, blurring boundaries between work and personal life/time/boundaries. It can be tricky to maintain boundaries between boss and friend/former friend. This can be balanced by: acknowledging the power shift, be open and clear with communication, review and discuss the parameters of the relationship as early as possible, do not avoid talking about concerns, be caring whilst delivering honest feedback, explain feelings of discomfort whilst being empathetic, state that you value the relationship, don't fall back into friend mode (e.g., gossiping, leaking confidential information), be a good role model, create professional and positive/safe cultures, be fair, be consistent in treatment of team members, do not have/show favourites, vent with another manager at your level or with a mentor or an appropriate neutral external party, don't let friendships influence decisions about raises/promotions/lay-offs, use evaluation systems and KPIs to form objective decisions, consider unfollowing/unfriending employees or increasing privacy settings on social media so that colleagues cannot access information that would not be shared in the workplace,

[Darya · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the books that makes you think and helps to re-think some stuff you were sure you knew before start reading this book. It's not about networking only, this book opens a broader view on the concept of connections building and maintaining at different levels of your personal and professional life. Nice combination of interviews and well-selected articles help to reflect of how you can improve your networking skills and experience.