The HBR Guides Collection (8 Books) (HBR Guide Series)

Managing Across

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for networking. The executives who consistently rank in

the top 20% of their companies in both performance

and well-being have diverse but select networks like

Deb’s—made up of high-quality relationships with peo-

ple who come from several different spheres and from

up and down the corporate hierarchy. These high per-

formers, we have found, tap into six critical kinds of

connections, which enhance their careers and lives in a

variety of ways.

Through our work advising individual managers,

we’ve also identifi ed a four-step process that will help any

executive develop this kind of network. But fi rst, let’s take

a look at some common networking mistakes.

Getting It Wrong

Many people take a misguided approach to network-

ing. They ...