COO Leadership Update: How and Why to Network

In the business world, “networking” is a buzzword that gets a lot of attention. Putting in time to build a professional network is an important skill, no matter your role in the organization. Why? Because at the Exchange, we are in the people and relationship business!

COO Jason Rosenberg

Every day, Exchange teammates build relationships—associates are making connections with customers, store managers with their peers and business partners, a manager in one directorate is collaborating with a manager in another directorate and GMs are building relationships with their command and community partners. Stronger partnerships make everyone’s job easier and allow us to better achieve our mission! The COVID-19 pandemic brought the importance of networking to the forefront. Think about how important a general manager’s relationships with command have been during the pandemic or our MD buyers’ relationships with their suppliers as the organization kept products flowing to stores throughout the pandemic. Networking builds relationships, and relationships allow for collaboration—a key component of success!

There are many ways to network, but I want to share with you a few tips that have worked well for me:

Network in all directions.

Network with people within the Exchange, but also network with external partners. Get out there and look for opportunities to build relationships at 360 degrees with those above you in your chain of command, your teammates that work for you and your peers inside and outside of our organization! Every relationship strengthens and widens your network, which in turn will drive your personal success. Keep your focus on people! Get to know who they are and what is important to them, including personal facts about them. Really invest the time needed and make it a two-way relationship of mutual benefit and not just about what they can do for you.

Networking will help you become a better leader while also raising awareness of the Exchange’s relevancy to the community. We all depend on our teammates, as well as many others who help us in our daily work. Whether we know it or not, all these people are our part of network and vital to our successes, past, present and future!

Engage regularly and not just when you need something.

The point of networking is to have a relationship in place before you need something. Let your network partners know that you are available and approachable whenever they need you. In turn, they are likely to treat you the same way!

Once a relationship is established, check in periodically to maintain that connection. Seek a dialogue, and in some cases, schedule regular touchpoints with your partners. Relationships need nurturing, even if it’s just sending a quick email to check in. I also recommend making notes to help you remember key points that are important to your networking partner. Write down things such as their top priorities and initiatives or even personal things such as their favorite sports team or facts about their family. This will go a long way in making your relationship flourish while you signal to them how important they are to you and that you deeply care about the relationship!

When I was part of the Exchange team in Europe, I established a network with the Red Cross leadership there. This relationship grew into gaining contacts for the Red Cross in the U.S. and we all keep in touch regularly to collaborate and share ideas. A few months ago, I casually mentioned on one of my networking calls with them that we had two associates at Nellis Air Force Base Exchange who saved a customer’s life through their skills to perform CPR. The story of our two associate heroes had touched me deeply, and the Red Cross has a strategic priority to train people to perform CPR. I just had to share! My partners at the Red Cross were equally moved by our associates act, and they immediately asked to be involved in recognizing both of them. Through this engagement, our associates were recently awarded the Red Cross Presidential Certificate of Merit, signed by President Joe Biden, at a virtual joint Exchange and Red Cross ceremony! An awesome conclusion to this story that came about through networking!

Share your appreciation and gratitude.

The importance I place on recognizing and thanking others for all they do is well known! This goes for your network partners as well! It doesn’t cost anything but time and effort, yet it means so much to most people to hear an expression of gratitude. When people feel appreciated, their commitment to taking care of you and the Exchange only grows and strengthens your collaborative relationship. So whether it is a vendor partner who came through with a special event for your store, a HQ teammate that went the extra mile to solve an issue you had or command and community partners who provide exceptional support, make it a point to let them know how much they are appreciated! It can be verbal or via an email or card, but regardless of how you do it, this nice touch will seal the deal on a long-term relationship!

COO Jason Rosenberg speaks with the Fort Sam Houston Exchange team at the grand opening of $54 million PX shopping center in April.

If possible, when thanking or recognizing someone, I like to include their chain of command. People don’t like to brag about themselves, so you should brag for them! While I was a store manager at Fort Bragg, we had a vendor of the month program where we recognized those vendors who went above and beyond to support our store. One month, we awarded our Sony representative with our Vendor of the Month award, which was a reserved parking spot and a certificate of appreciation. He was thrilled about the recognition and, as with all of the vendors of the month, I reached out to his bosses to let them know about the award and what a great job he was doing to support us. After sending my email, a Sony executive contacted me to tell me that our rep was a finalist for Sony’s Military In-Store Vendor of the Year award—and his winning the Fort Bragg Exchange’s award had clinched the honor for him! Following such powerful recognition of his efforts, our Sony rep not only continued his commitment to supporting out store, but he even took it to another level! This is a powerful testimony of how simple recognition of a business partner can go a very long way!

In closing, always remember, we are in the people and relationship business! Like planting a garden, it starts with sowing a seed and then continuing to water and feed your garden, ultimately leading to an abundant harvest that just keeps producing!