Executive Perspective on Networking

Kimball Hall is vice president and general manager of Amgen, RI, a Fortune 500 leader in biotechnology-based human therapeutics. Kimball is responsible for all operations at Amgen’s 75-acre West Greenwich Ri campus where a staff of 1000 contribute to the manufacture of Enbrel® – a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. At a Leading Women Lessons in Leadership™ breakfast series this week, Kimball had much to say about leadership, career advancement and… networking.

Once you get to the VP level and above, your success depends on social skills more than technical aptitude. You influence within and across departments, the executive level, internal and external networks, “It’s about how you engage and liberate passion.” At this level, your community focus strengthens with more interactions to benefit the community, the organization and people who work there. She said that community involvement “gives me a much broader perspective when I make decisions.”

When talking about advice she wished she had received earlier, two related to networking: “Build a strong strategic network inside and outside the organization… have trusted mentors and keep them around.”

One of the important points we teach about leadership is how it differs by level and Kimball drove home the point that the higher you progress in an organization, the more important your strategic relationships inside and outside the organization – especially outside. As an executive, you’re expected to help position the company in the broader community and marketplace and to bring into the organization “intelligence” that will help with that strategic positioning.

Strategic networking is a skill set that can be learned and enhanced through disciplined practice. If you’d like to strengthen your skills, I write about strategic relationships in my new book No Ceiling, No Walls: What women haven’t been told about leadership from career-start to the corporate boardroom.

Network ON!
By Susan Colantuono, CEO and Founder Leading Women and author of No Ceiling, No Walls