Introverted managers still need to network

Most introverts hate networking. I do. My default is to stick with people I already know and focus on what feels like “real work.”

It is easy to convince myself the rest is politics. Or a waste of time. Or that my career is fine without it.

But here is the thing: this is not about your career anymore.

When you become a manager, your priorities have to shift. The most important career to manage is no longer your own. It is your team’s. And a manager with no network is a manager with limited reach.

Think about what a well-connected manager can actually do for their people. They can find the right person to unblock a project. They can get their team’s work seen by the leaders who matter. They can open doors when someone is ready for their next move.

None of that happens if you only know your direct reports and your boss.

I still find this uncomfortable. Reaching out to leaders I do not work with closely feels awkward. Making small talk at company events is not my idea of fun.

But I have seen what happens when I do it anyway. My team gets opportunities they would not have had otherwise.

So I force myself. It is part of the job, the part that does not show up in any job description but probably should.

If you manage people and your instinct is to keep your head down, that instinct is not serving your team.