How healthy is your network?  

A good project manager periodically reviews their stakeholder map and management plan.  This keeps everyone with influence or interest engaged and contributing to the success of a project.  It gives an opportunity to identify new stakeholders that have emerged since the project initiated.  Obviously, you are not a project, but your career and research strategy will benefit from this approach.  It is good practice in managing yourself and your career to periodically review the health of your networks.   

Do you have a healthy and strategic network? Are you making the most of your networks, and are they getting the most from you? 

Who should be in a research leaders’ network?

People who:

Review the health of your current network 

You might have many people in your networks; however you can also review how strong and up to date your relationships are. To review your network strength, download our Reviewing your network worksheet (doc).  You could also suggest that members of your team do the same – do they gave gaps that you can help them to address?

Are you ‘Collaboration Ready’?  

Are you doing the things that will naturally build networks and attract potential collaborators?  Take a few minutes to download and reflect on the prompts in our Checklist: Are you collaboration ready? (doc). 

Previous and next

Go back to the previous section: Reviewing your networks and visibility overview

Go to the next section: Building visibility and reputation