Networking & Building Bonds: Relationships That Compound
Networking is not collecting visiting cards — it's building informal networks of mutually helpful relationships. Through Madhav Kale, Nitesh Runwal and Bhagat Patil, Avinash Chate shows how bonds built on trust, not transactions, compound into real career capital.
The best networkers I know never once used the word "networking" to describe what they were doing. They were just genuinely interested in people — and years later, that interest turned into introductions to Chief Ministers, Governors, and business across two continents. That's the trait I want to unpack today: Networking & Building Bonds.
In short- Networking is building informal networks of mutually helpful relationships — not collecting contacts.
- Madhav Kale of the RBI Officers Association turned genuine warmth into introductions with Chief Ministers and Governors.
- Nitesh Runwal of Samyak Group shows that the strongest network links are built on trust, not proximity.
- Bhagat Patil of Aditi Foods grew exports from 2 countries to 25 in a decade — powered by relationship-building, not just product.
- Networking sits on the RQ (Relationship Intelligence) side of your Winning Kite — and it compounds over decades, not quarters.
Where this sits on your Winning Kite
Networking & Building Bonds is a core trait on the RQ — Relationship Intelligence — right side of your Winning Kite (KITE Leadership Framework). You can be brilliant technically (PQ) and self-aware (EQ), but if you can't build and sustain relationships that others trust and rely on, your kite stays grounded on one side. RQ is what lets your individual excellence reach further than your own desk — through the people who vouch for you, open doors for you, and pick up the phone when you call.
What Networking Actually Means
In every leadership workshop I run, someone eventually says, "Sir, I'm not a networking person — I'm an introvert, I like to just do my work." I understand the instinct. But networking, done right, is not extroversion. It's a skill, and like every skill in this book, it can be built.
The trait means forming strong connections with others — relationships based on trust and respect that help you reach personal and professional goals. To build these relationships, you need three underlying abilities: understanding people, handling your own emotions, and communicating clearly. Notice something — those are EQ skills feeding an RQ outcome. That's exactly how the Winning Kite works: the sides support each other.
People who are good at making connections look for relationships that help both sides. They know that one person's success often depends on other people's support. They build large informal networks, connect easily across groups, and keep everyone updated. Above all, they understand something many technically brilliant professionals miss: success is not only about what you know, but also about who you know — and, more importantly, who trusts you.
These bonds go deeper than networking-event small talk. Star performers who are good at building bonds also form and sustain genuine personal friendships with the people they work with. These aren't just after-hours socializing — they represent a real, deeper understanding of the other person's needs and perspective. That investment builds trust and goodwill that becomes invaluable when you actually need help reaching a goal.
Madhav Kale: The Networker Who Introduced Me to a Chief Minister
Mr. Madhav Kale is the Vice President of the RBI Officers Association and Head of the Legal Cell at the RBI Regional Office in Bengaluru. He is also my friend, and a true master of building and maintaining strong relationships. Working closely with multiple RBI departments and external legal experts every day, he understands — instinctively — the value of connecting with people from all walks of life.
Over years of cultivating an extensive contact list, Madhav has built networking skills that reach far beyond banking. During one of my visits to RBI, he introduced me to the then Chief Minister of Karnataka, Mr. Basavaraj Bommai. On another occasion, his warm and welcoming nature had already earned him a genuine friendship with the Governor of Uttarakhand, Baby Rani Maurya — and he offered, unprompted, to gift her a copy of my book The Winning Edge. He also personally helped send a copy of my first book all the way to Ratan Tata.
None of that happened because Madhav was chasing influence. It happened because his networking is built on being genuinely helpful, over years, without keeping score. That's the whole lesson in one relationship. Read the full story in Madhav Kale — VP, RBI Officers Association: The Art of Networking.
Nitesh Runwal: Trust Beats Proximity
My friend Nitesh Runwal, who represents Samyak Group, is another example of someone who understands the power of networking at a deep level. I've known him since school, and he has always had this quality — building strong connections with people around him. That quality is a large part of why he became a leading builder and developer in his territory.
Nitesh recognizes something most people miss: the strongest links in our networks aren't necessarily the people we're physically close to. They're the people with whom we feel a genuine connection, trust, and mutual respect — regardless of geography or how often we meet. Because of this, his network spans people from many different walks of life, giving him access to a much wider range of perspectives and expertise than someone who only networks within their own industry silo.
There's an important nuance here that Nitesh's story surfaces, and that I want every reader to sit with: networking relationships are not the same as personal friendships that exist mostly for fun. Skilled networkers often blend their private and work lives to a degree — but they're careful to keep the two distinct enough that neither is compromised. Full story at Nitesh Runwal of Samyak Group: How a School Friendship Became a Networking Masterclass.
Why Some People Never Build a Real Network
Not everyone finds this natural, and it's worth naming why. People who are shy, introverted, or reclusive often find it hard to build these relationships in the first place. But there's a second, subtler trap: people who accept invitations but never extend their own, or who restrict every conversation strictly to work matters, quietly starve their own network of growth. And people who are too protective of their time and their agenda tend to turn down requests to collaborate — which, over time, leads to a stunted network that shrinks exactly when they need it most.
Outstanding professionals do the opposite. They balance their core work with carefully chosen favors — not favors that derail their priorities, but ones that build real goodwill with people who could matter later. Establishing that kind of alliance — a relationship you can actually count on — is what turns a colleague into a close work friendship.
Aditi Foods: From Two Countries to Twenty-Five
If you want proof that networking moves the needle on a P&L statement, look at Aditi Foods. The company's success is attributed directly to its CEO, Mr. Bhagat Patil, who understands relationship-building at his core. Under his leadership, Aditi Foods expanded its export range from just two countries to twenty-five in a single decade — a scale of growth that doesn't happen on product quality alone.
Patil's strength lies in building strong relationships with every stakeholder — customers, vendors, and even competitors — based on trust and mutual respect. He goes out of his way to help others, and he never forgets to send gifts and Aditi Foods products to his network on occasions like Diwali. I had the opportunity to attend one of his forums for local businessmen — a platform he created despite facing intense competition from many of the very people he invited. That single act captures his networking philosophy: build the room bigger, don't just fight for your seat in it.
This is also why many companies have created a dedicated role — the relationship manager — whose entire job is cultivating and maintaining strong relationships with key stakeholders like suppliers, customers, and partners. It ensures the company has a reliable, stable network of contacts that can help it weather any challenge. Read the full arc at Aditi Foods — Bhagat Patil, 2 to 25 Countries.
Networking Is Also Reshaping How Indian Companies Operate
It isn't only individuals who benefit from strong relationship-building — entire companies are shifting the same way. Businesses are moving from playing one supplier or partner against another toward building genuinely collaborative relationships with suppliers and retailers. Many Indian businesses now invest heavily in relationships with their customers through SMS, email, social media and other digital channels. Flipkart's customer service team, for instance, answers questions across email, social media and chat as a relationship-building exercise, not just a support function. Jio's mobile app does the same — letting customers recharge, manage accounts and resolve issues, because a frictionless relationship keeps customers loyal in a hyper-competitive market.
The parallel to your own career is direct. Whether you're managing a team, a client account, or your own professional reputation, the companies and people who invest in the relationship — not just the transaction — are the ones who build durable advantage.
| Practical Tool | What It Looks Like at Work |
|---|---|
| Social Intelligence | Observe and adapt to social cues, cultural differences and communication styles so you interact respectfully and effectively across diverse groups. |
| Follow-Up | After meeting someone new, send a personalized note referencing specific topics you discussed — this is what makes you memorable. |
| Genuine Interest | Ask open-ended questions about the other person's goals and experiences — this builds trust and authenticity, not just information. |
| Networking Events | Attend conferences and workshops within and beyond your industry — this is where new perspectives and collaborations begin. |
| Online Presence | Maintain a professional presence on LinkedIn and industry forums — share content, comment, and participate, don't just lurk. |
| Collaboration | Actively seek projects to collaborate on — this strengthens existing bonds and showcases your abilities to a wider audience. |
Daniel Goleman's research on emotional and social intelligence has long pointed to the same conclusion I've seen repeatedly across corporate India: the professionals who rise fastest aren't always the most technically gifted — they're the ones who've mastered the human network around them. That idea is supporting colour here; the frameworks, examples, and Winning Kite are Avinash Chate's own, built from more than a decade of training the Indian Army, BRO, RBI, BARC, JSW and 1000+ corporate leaders.
Bringing It Back to Your Own Network
In conclusion, the importance of building and maintaining strong relationships cannot be overstated. Trust and cooperation — the kind Madhav Kale, Nitesh Runwal and Bhagat Patil each built over years — lead to increased opportunity and a far more stable professional foundation. Companies now recognize this enough to create entire relationship-manager roles; you should recognize it enough to build the habit personally. Start today: follow up on one contact you've been meaning to reach out to, attend one event outside your usual circle, or simply ask one colleague a genuinely open-ended question about their goals. Networking isn't a weekend activity — it's a discipline you practice inside your everyday work, and like every RQ trait on the Winning Kite, it compounds quietly until, one day, it opens a door you didn't even know existed.
If you want to go deeper into how Networking connects to the other 24 EQ traits and the RQ, PQ traits around it, explore the complete Winning Kite (KITE Leadership Framework), or browse all Corporate Training Topics we run on relationship-building and leadership. Want this built into a live session for your team? Visit Signature Programs or get in touch directly.
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Avinash Chate TEDx Speaker · Founder, The Future Corporate · Author of Stars at India Inc. Avinash has trained the Indian Army, BRO, RBI, BARC, JSW Steel and 1000+ corporate leaders across India. His work focuses on leadership, emotional intelligence and behavioural training rooted in Indian values and modern business needs. |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is networking as a leadership trait, really?
It's the ability to build informal networks of mutually helpful relationships based on trust, respect and genuine interest in people — not transactional visiting-card collection. It sits on the RQ (Relationship Intelligence) side of the Winning Kite.
Is networking the same as making friends at work?
No. Networking relationships and personal friendships overlap but aren't identical. Skilled networkers often blend private and work life to some degree, but they still keep boundaries — the relationship exists to help both sides, not purely for socializing.
Why do shy or introverted professionals struggle with networking?
Because networking requires initiating, not just responding. People who accept invitations but never extend them, or who keep every conversation strictly work-only, unintentionally starve their own network of new connections.
How do I start building a stronger professional network?
Practice social intelligence, follow up personally after every new meeting, ask genuine open-ended questions, attend industry events, keep a professional online presence, and look for real collaboration opportunities — not just contacts to add.
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