story: In the spring of 1968, a twenty-two-story tower called Ronan Point opened. It was built using a quick, economical construction method called “large panel system building” that prioritized speed and cost over integrity.

On the morning of May 16, 1968, resident Ivy Hodge went to make her morning tea. She lit the stove, which ignited a gas leak and caused an explosion. The walls of her apartment blew out, triggering a cascading collapse. Without the walls for support, the floors pancaked down to the ground floor, killing four people.

The disaster revealed how the building’s connections were inadequate for real-world stresses. Like the structural components of a building, professional relationships create a structure of support and integrity for a successful career.

Many professionals overlook the importance of their network, treating it as an afterthought rather than an asset. But a well-built network provides support, opportunities, and resilience. However, without attention and care, it becomes a liability, revealing its weaknesses when needed most.

Despite advances in technology and AI, relationships are more critical than ever in today’s workplace. Remote work and distributed teams are a reality of jobs today, and the opportunities for connections are diminished.

With weak professional networks, disruption from turnover and transitions is magnified. Trust degrades, leaders struggle, mistakes get repeated, and growth stagnates.

On the other hand, strong professional networks provide a foundation for success. When challenges come, resources are available, and employees are well supported as they transition into new roles. The increased trust and collaboration fuels innovation and growth.

Managers must evaluate the strength of their relationships before they need them. Just like an engineer reviews a structure’s integrity, they must assess their network.

A strong professional network begins with a clear understanding of its breadth and depth. Just as an engineer carefully reviews a building’s plans before construction, professionals should assess their relationships in context and consider each connection’s position, influence, and long-term value.

The following approach can provide clarity on the strength of your network. It provides a practical way to visualize key connections and assess where to invest your efforts.

1. Open a spreadsheet and make a list of all your professional relationships. Consider each of the following categories and add all the people you can think of.

• Internal: Bosses, peers, colleagues, direct reports, and team members
• External: Clients, partners, and vendors
• Other: Mentors, coaches, and advisers

2. Now, add two columns to the sheet. The first column is how important the relationship is to your career. The second column is the current state of the relationship.

Use the following list to classify the importance of the relationship.

• Critical = Essential for long-term success; directly impacts key goals
• Valuable = Important and beneficial but not absolutely essential
• Functional = Useful for day-to-day work but not a priority
• Unnecessary = No real impact or misaligned with goals

Use the following list to classify the current state of the relationship.

• Strong = Built on trust, mutual respect, and regular engagement
• Developing = Positive but not deeply established; has potential to grow
• Weak/Strained = Lacks trust, has inconsistent communication, or has tension
• Non-Existent = No real connection or engagement

Once this spreadsheet has been completed, use it to assess your network and determine where you should invest.

• What stands out to you? Where is your network strongest? Where is it vulnerable?
• Who is taking too much of the load?
• Where are the gaps and weaknesses?
• Where could you expand your network?
• What other opportunities and risks do you notice?

Now that you’ve evaluated the structure, it’s time to take action. Relationships require deliberate effort, but trying to strengthen too many at once can be overwhelming and ineffective. Instead, focus your energy on a few key relationships where you can make a meaningful impact over the next three to six months.

Select three to five key relationships to prioritize. Then create a specific, actionable, and measurable goal for each one. Vague goals like “improve the relationship” won’t create real progress. Identify a desired outcome, the steps you’ll take, and how you’ll know if you’re making progress.

Your goal might look like one of these.

• Build a stronger working relationship with my boss by initiating regular check-ins to align expectations and provide updates.
• Improve teamwork with a peer by identifying a project to work on together and requesting feedback at the end.
• Strengthen communication with my direct report by scheduling quarterly career development conversations.
• Become a trusted adviser to my client by understanding their challenges and scheduling a semi-annual strategic review conversation.

A goal provides direction, but relationships grow through consistent actions. Start by considering the other person’s perspective and the current state of the relationship. Then use the following guidelines to take meaningful steps to strengthen the connection.

• Adapt to Their Style: Some people prefer emails while others thrive in face-to-face conversations or casual check-ins. Engage in the way that works best for them.
• Be Helpful Without Expectation: Strong relationships are mutually beneficial, not transactional. Offer insights, support, or introductions without expecting anything in return.
• Be Consistent: Build trust by following through on your commitments. Don’t cancel or deprioritize appointments.
• Give Recognition: People respond to sincere appreciation. As Dale Carnegie wrote in How to Win Friends and Influence People, “Be hearty in your approbation and lavish in your praise.”
• Don’t Force It: Not every relationship will develop as you hope. Some will grow naturally, and others will fade over time. That’s normal. Lean in when there is alignment and mutual value.

As you put your plan into action, reflect on what’s working. If a strategy isn’t strengthening the relationship, adjust your approach or reassess the relationship.

Short-term efforts can create momentum, but even strong relationships can degrade over time. To ensure your network remains strong, it needs to be supported by a reliable system.

People are constantly evolving. They move through different life stages, change jobs, earn promotions, shift industries, and experience personal transitions. How relationships are managed during these changes can either strengthen a professional network or cause it to slowly fade.

To maintain a strong network, it’s essential to have a simple, reliable system. It doesn’t need to be complex or expensive to ensure connections stay active and meaningful over time. Here are some key ideas to consider when building your system.

• Use a Customer Relationship Manager (CRM): This can be a specialized application, but it doesn’t need to be. A spreadsheet with columns for name, last contact, next contact, and notes is a CRM.
• Set reminders: If your CRM isn’t integrated into your task management process, then set reminders so you hold yourself accountable to ongoing relationship-building activities.
• Build relationship habits: Integrate relationship-building activities into your regular routines so it doesn’t feel like extra work.
• Use your strengths: If you prefer one-to-one interactions, use those to build deeper connections. Prefer larger groups? Find events and gatherings to attend. Always look for opportunities to introduce people in your network to each other.
• Connect on LinkedIn: This is the simplest way to maintain long-term professional connections as people advance in their careers.

Buildings decline over time if they are not maintained. The same is true with your network. Implementing a simple system of tools and habits will ensure your professional network grows and provides support throughout your career.

Ronan Point’s collapse resulted from weak, neglected connections that could not withstand real-world stress. The same is true for professional relationships.

A network built quickly and carelessly won’t hold up when it is needed most. When relationships are deliberate, nurtured, and reinforced over time, they create stability and opportunity. They become the foundation that lets you accomplish more and the structure that allows you to weather challenges.

Here in Alaska, we rely on each other and know the value of relationships. The more we invest and build in our network, the further we will go as individuals, with our organizations, and in our communities.