One thing I’ve observed is that top talent tends to be active in networking.  Whether it is intentional and on-purpose or something that seems to naturally happen, leaders are active in forging and nurturing relationships in an ongoing way. 

If you are a general manager, company owner or executive, you of course need to be active in networking within your industry and in the larger community.  That is part of honing your own edge and staying sharp.  You also need to be aware of what your top talent is doing and how well connected they are.

Most people reading this know about social networking and the technical platforms for that (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.).   These are some of the ways that people do networking today, and they make it easier to stay in touch.  Relationships are formed and deepened, though, in face to face or “live” settings.

Think about your talent and who they have access to through their network.  It probably includes customers/clients, potential employees, competitors, former employees, prospects, people in the community and others.  You have more of a reach through the network of your talent than you realize.   The question is, are you maximizing the positive effects of that network?  Have you been working on your internal communications with an eye toward how to make the personal connection?  Finally, how are you doing in building your own personal network?  Let me hear from you by commenting