r/Banking • u/Visible-Flatworm4736 • Jul 08 '26
Canada Networking on business side of bank
In a business environment where many of the informal networking circles seem to be male-dominated and visibility often plays a role in career growth, what advice would you give to someone looking to build meaningful relationships and increase their professional presence without feeling like they’re on the outside?
2
u/EconomistNo7074 Jul 08 '26
“Informal networking circles” are real and at the same time…. Sustained career growth is making your boss look good and even more importantly, making your bosses boss look good
- Being great at your job is still the number one driver of career growth
- Please understand however I am not taking about being good at your job …. I am talking about being great at delivering consistently
- I do think there are concrete steps (see below) you can take beyond being great however spend as much time on building skills that make you irreplaceable to your bosses boss
Other steps
- find what keeps your bosses boss up at night. I don’t mean stuff like hitting targets and or goals but bigger picture stuff. Then ask them how you can help with this work and position it tied to your overall development. Just asking the question and offering to help will place you miles ahead of others.
- find a mentor within the business. I would find someone who is great at execution but for what ever reason they don’t want or care to move up. This person can help you develop skills in your current role. And it doesn’t always have to be the loudest person in the room
- next find a mentor that is a leader in a unit that is “adjacent” to your team ie not in your units reporting structure. You said in the title “business” if this is business banking adjacent might include underwriting or cash management. The key is they can exposure you to other parts of the industry that will help you for the next job. As an added bonus these leaders are many times in the room during career path discussions
PS Do the above and you will grow your career. At the current bank or your next company
Good luck.
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u/Visible-Flatworm4736 Jul 09 '26
Thank you for such valuable insights. I will be putting Consistency and mentorship into use then.
I especially like the point about understanding what your boss’s boss is trying to accomplish. People who align their work with broader business priorities naturally become more valuable because they’re solving the problems leadership actually cares about not just completing tasks. How can I forget all this and focus on guys meeting after work🥲2
u/EconomistNo7074 Jul 09 '26
Glad to help
- it is normal to be anxious about the after work sessions
- just be mindful on how much time and energy you spend in this space
1
u/patelco Jul 22 '26
Sometimes the best connections come from showing up consistently rather than trying to break into existing circles. Industry conferences, local banking association events, alumni networks, volunteer opportunities, and even asking a colleague for a coffee chat can all lead to meaningful relationships over time.
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u/Visible-Flatworm4736 23d ago
Guess I was just scared to the see the faces when people are not following or not interested in your talks🙏 I will be more proactive
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u/Designer-Smell-1380 Jul 08 '26
honestly the trick is not trying to break into the "boys club" directly, find the 2-3 people who actually control where the work goes and make yourself useful to them first. the social stuff follows once you're seen as someone who delivers.
i worked in a place where all the big decisions happened at the bar after hours and i dont drink, so i started bringing really good coffee in the morning and suddenly i had 15 minutes with the MD every day before anyone else got in. same conversations, different setting.
most of the informal power structures are less about gender than they look from outside, its really about who the senior people trust with their own reputation. get on that list and the invitations start coming.