When it comes to senior positions, what differentiates a successful manager from an unsuccessful one can be noticed in their ability to carry out effective networking.

With the speed of growth and change within and across organisations increasing, it has never been so important for the modern manager to put their interpersonal skills into play and become a good networker.

However, building contacts and establishing relationships as a senior manager needs a wide range of skills and knowledge. This is why, increasingly, senior staff are being sent on management training courses to boost their skills and experience, both in specific and broad areas.

Seniority doesn’t go as far as it used to. Constructing a wide range of relationships from different sectors requires a great ability to understand and communicate with people. Networking is about the creation of possibilities through people, and exists regardless of their hierarchical position. It requires a good dose of trust and the confidence to share information and responsibility amongst a number of members in any network.

If your organisation is becoming more decentralised, more dependant on a wider range of people, and has to react quickly to new external challenges, then its senior management ought to be proficient in their networking skills.