Build your networks

Lesson overview

Objective: Strategically position yourself within professional networks

Summary: Effective academic networking isn’t about collecting contacts or attending every conference - it’s about building meaningful relationships that create value for everyone involved. Understanding different networking roles (Connector, Maven, Bridge, or Leader) helps you contribute more strategically to your professional communities. While aggressive networking might lead to quick wins, thoughtful relationship-building leads to more sustainable success.

Key habits:

• Schedule regular network maintenance: Set aside specific times each week to follow up with contacts, share useful information, or make introductions between colleagues
• Focus your energy: Rather than trying to be active in every network, identify 2-3 key communities where you can make meaningful contributions
• Lead with value: Before asking for help or support, look for opportunities to assist others
• Document your network interactions: Keep brief notes about key conversations, shared interests, and potential collaboration opportunities

Introduction

Any sufficiently important problem can’t be solved by individuals, and expertise alone won’t differentiate you from your equally competent peers. Whether you’re a researcher bridging different methodological approaches, a teacher connecting educational practices across levels, or an administrator linking departments with shared challenges, your impact depends on strategic network engagement.

While early-career academics are often advised to “network” at conferences and professional meetings, this advice usually lacks strategic direction. The key is not to frantically collect business cards or join every possible committee, but to thoughtfully consider where and how you can add value to your professional communities. Strategic networking does exactly this - it creates opportunities for collaboration, knowledge sharing, and career development while contributing value to your broader academic community.

Move into spaces that increase your options.

Kevin Kelly

Understanding network dynamics

Your career advancement depends heavily on your ability to build networks or strategically join existing ones. But not all network connections serve the same purpose. Understanding the different roles within networks helps clarify how you can contribute most effectively.

There are four key roles that drive network success:

• Connectors bring people together, creating opportunities for collaboration
• Mavens identify trends and share expertise, helping others stay current
• Leaders provide direction and make strategic decisions
• Bridges link different networks, enabling cross-pollination of ideas

Long-term success in your career also depends a lot on how you approach your interactions with others:

• Givers focus primarily on others’ needs, working to support their peers
• Matchers seek balanced exchanges, maintaining reciprocal relationships
• Takers prioritise their own needs when networking

While takers might see quick wins, givers tend to build more sustainable success over time. The key insight? Adding value to your networks creates more long-term benefit than simply extracting value from them.

Some key principles to remember:

• Expertise gains power when embedded in diverse networks
• Networks provide varied perspectives that help solve complex problems
• Focus on networks where your contributions can have meaningful impact
• Use network connections to develop new skills and expertise
• Your network position shapes what you can accomplish
• The nature of your relationships influences your potential impact

This understanding sets the foundation for building meaningful professional connections. In the next section, we’ll help you identify which networking roles best match your strengths and goals.

Finding your network role

Consider the following questions for each network role. You may find that you identify strongly with one role or see aspects of yourself across multiple roles. Both are perfectly normal - these roles are fluid and can evolve over time. Use the template on the right to complete a more comprehensive network mapping exercise.

Connector:

• When you attend academic events, do you naturally introduce people who might benefit from knowing each other?
• Do colleagues often ask you “Who should I talk to about…?”
• Do you maintain relationships across different academic departments or disciplines?
• Are you energised by bringing different research groups together for collaborative projects?
• Do you enjoy organising academic events or workshops that bring diverse groups together?

Maven:

• Do you regularly stay up-to-date with developments in your field beyond your immediate research area?
• Do colleagues come to you for advice about new methodologies or approaches in your field?
• Are you often the first to know about new tools, techniques, or important publications in your area?
• Do you enjoy synthesising information from different sources to spot emerging trends?
• Is sharing knowledge and helping others understand complex topics something you particularly enjoy?

Leader:

• Do you naturally take initiative in group projects or committee work?
• Are you comfortable making decisions that affect multiple stakeholders?
• Do others look to you for direction during uncertain or challenging situations?
• Do you enjoy developing and implementing strategic plans?
• Are you able to align different perspectives toward a common goal?

Bridge:

• Do you work comfortably across different academic disciplines?
• Are you skilled at translating complex ideas for different audiences?
• Do you often find yourself connecting ideas from different fields?
• Are you comfortable moving between different academic cultures or communities?
• Do you enjoy finding common ground between different research approaches?

Reflection prompts

After considering these questions:

• Which role’s questions resonated most strongly with you?
• What patterns do you notice in your current academic relationships?
• Are there roles you’d like to develop further?
• How might your preferred role(s) align with your career goals?

Remember: These roles are not fixed - you may shift between them depending on context, and you may combine elements of multiple roles. The goal is to understand your natural strengths while remaining open to developing new capabilities.

Download the template

Online networks

The academic landscape has shifted dramatically in over the last decade, with digital platforms becoming more important spaces for scholarly discourse, collaboration, and career development. Digital networking extends your reach beyond physical conferences and local institutions, allowing you to engage with global academic communities, share your work more widely, and stay connected with peers regardless of geographical boundaries.

While a full guide to building up an online presence is beyond the scope of this lesson, here are a few suggestions for getting started with digital networking:

• Use academic platforms like Google Scholar, ResearchGate, or Academia.edu to showcase your publications and connect with researchers sharing your interests
• Maintain a focused LinkedIn profile highlighting your research interests, achievements, and expertise to connect with both academic and industry networks
• Create a social media account on Twitter/X, Mastodon, or Bluesky to join academic discussions, share insights, and follow developments in your field, particularly useful for connecting with senior researchers
• Set up a simple professional website as your digital hub - even a single page with your work, interests, and contact details is valuable. Start experimenting with WordPress, Google Sites, or Wix
• Participate in online communities like field-specific Facebook groups, Slack channels, or forums where opportunities and collaborations often emerge

Remember that digital networking complements rather than replaces traditional academic networking. The goal is to create multiple pathways for meaningful professional connections, making it easier for potential collaborators to find you and engage with your work. Start small, focus on platforms that feel authentic to you, and gradually build your digital presence as you become more comfortable with online academic engagement.

Strategic networking by role

Explore more strategic approaches to networking across different academic roles.

Researcher

Common approach

“I mostly network at conferences in my field. I try to meet as many people as possible during breaks and social events. Sometimes I follow up with emails, but I’m not sure what to say. I join the professional societies that everyone else seems to join.”

Strategic approaches

As a researcher, consider these strategic approaches:

• Leader: Organise focused research workshops or lead special interest groups
• Connector: Link researchers across different methodological approaches within your field
• Maven: Build reputation by sharing emerging research methods or analytical techniques
• Bridge: Connect practitioners who could benefit from your research with other academics

Administration

Common approach

“I mainly interact with other administrators during committee meetings. Sometimes I attend university-wide events. I try to be helpful when colleagues ask for assistance with processes.”

Strategic approaches

Strategic administrative networking:

• Leader: Create working groups to improve administrative processes
• Connector: Link different departments facing similar administrative challenges
• Maven: Develop expertise in specific administrative systems or processes
• Bridge: Translate between academic and administrative needs/perspectives

Teaching

Common approach

“I attend teaching and learning conferences when I can. I try to pick up new ideas from presentations and occasionally chat with other educators. I’m part of our faculty teaching committee but mostly just attend the meetings.”

Strategic approaches

Strategic networking as a teaching academic:

• Leader: Initiate teaching improvement communities within your department or institution
• Connector: Build networks between different disciplines to share teaching practices
• Maven: Become the go-to person for specific teaching innovations or technologies
• Bridge: Connect teaching innovations from different educational levels (e.g. link undergraduate teaching approaches with postgraduate education)

Department chair

Common approach

“I network with other chairs at university meetings. I maintain contact with external partners when needed. I try to keep communication channels open with all department members.”

Strategic approaches

Strategic networking as department chair:

• Leader: Build coalitions to address cross-departmental challenges
• Connector: Link department members with external opportunities
• Maven: Share successful departmental management strategies with other chairs
• Bridge: Connect department needs/achievements to higher administration

Pause and reflect

It’s tempting to join every network and accept every committee invitation that comes your way, but this approach may lead to diluted impact and burnout. The quality of your connections matters more than how many you have. Consider which of your current networks align with your natural networking style - whether you’re a Connector linking colleagues together, a Maven sharing expertise, a Bridge spanning different educational levels, or a Leader driving initiatives forward. Your contributions will be most valuable when they align with your strengths and personal career goals.

Take a moment to reflect on your existing networks. Are you making meaningful contributions that energise rather than drain you? Are there smaller networks where you could take on different roles to develop new skills? Remember that the size of a network matters less than how you engage with it. Early in your career, smaller networks often provide better opportunities to experiment with different roles and build lasting relationships.

Activity

Identify your networking opportunity

Take 5 minutes to identify one immediate networking opportunity using these steps:

Step 1: Think of a specific skill you want to develop or goal you want to achieve in the next month.

Step 2: Look at your calendar for the next month - what events, meetings, or committees are already scheduled that could help with this goal?

Step 3: Based on the network roles we’ve discussed, choose one specific action you could take at this upcoming event. For example:

• As a Connector: Who are two people you could introduce to each other?
• As a Maven: What recent development in your field could you share?
• As a Bridge: What insight from one context could benefit people in another?
• As a Leader: What initiative could you propose?

This quick exercise helps you start thinking strategically about networks you’re already part of, while the downloadable template (see above) can help you develop a more comprehensive networking strategy.

Key takeaways

• Different roles serve different purposes: These roles include Connectors (who link people together), Mavens (trusted experts who spot trends), Leaders (who provide direction), and Bridges (who connect different networks). Understanding your potential role within the network helps clarify how you can best contribute.

• Your approach to relationships matters: While “takers” might see quick wins, “givers” who focus on adding value to relationships tend to have more success in the long run. It’s about building meaningful connections rather than just extracting value.

• Strategic participation beats broad membership: Being part of too many networks can dilute your impact. It’s better to be intentional about which networks you join, particularly early in your career when smaller networks might offer more opportunities to develop different skills and make meaningful contributions.

Resources

• 80,000 Hours (n.d.). The best email scripts for cold-emailing. 80 000 Hours.
• Grant, A. (2014). Give and take: Why helping others drives our success. Penguin Books.
• Holland, J. (2014). Complexity: A very short introduction. Oxford University Press.