Develop and maintain your professional connections

This standard is about developing and maintaining your professional connections. You define objectives for networking activities, identify relevant professionals, stakeholders and organisations that can support your current and future work. You develop mutually beneficial relationships with your contacts, respecting confidentiality when sharing your own knowledge, skills and competence to support your colleagues and team members. You use the relevant digital technologies for engagement and communication with your professional connections and also follow organisational policies and procedures for sharing information and resources.

This standard is for all managers and leaders.

1. define your objectives for collaboration with relevant professionals and stakeholders
2. identify contacts and organisations that support your current work and provide future opportunities
3. create professional networks of contacts which meet your current needs for information and resources
4. compare your own and your colleagues' expectations of professional relationships
5. identify preferred ways of communication with your networks of contacts
6. develop your professional connections to meet your current and future needs for information and resources
7. outline your knowledge, skills and competence with your professional connections
8. provide information about the benefits of collaboration with you
9. assess opportunities presented by your networks of contacts
10. maintain boundaries of confidentiality between yourself and your networks of contacts
11. agree guidelines for exchanging information and resources following your organisational policies
12. encourage your colleagues and team members to share information and knowledge in accordance with confidentiality
13. develop your professional connections in conjunction with your priorities and needs
14. select communication media channels and styles to suit different contacts and professional sectors
15. deliver your position and views where there are differing opinions
16. use the range of digital technologies for engagement, communication and maintaining your professional connections
17. use the information and resources gained through your professional networks to enhance your work
18. comply with legal requirements, industry regulations, organisational policies and professional codes of practice

General knowledge and understanding

1.      the types of professional connections and their features

2.      the benefits of connecting with stakeholders and organisations

3.      the principles and methods of communication and how to apply them to engaging with professional connections

4.      the different communication styles and how to identify individual preferences

5.      the methods for developing mutually beneficial relationships with other professionals, stakeholders and organisations

6.      how to respond to differences of opinion and deliver your position and views

7.      the range of digital technologies for engagement, communication and maintaining your professional connections

8.      when and how to use of the information and resources gained through professional networks

9.      the principles of confidentiality and the legal and organisational policies

10.   how to develop approaches for exchanging information between individuals and organisations

Industry and sector specific knowledge and understanding

11.   the industry and sector requirements for the development and maintenance of knowledge, skills and competence

12.   the legal, organisational, codes of practice and policies relevant to your role and the activities being carried out

Context specific knowledge and understanding

13.   your own values, motivations and emotions, and the effect of these on your own actions

14.   your own interests and how these may conflict with the interests of other professionals, stakeholders and organisations

15.   your own objectives in developing your professional connections

16.   your current and future needs for information and resources

17.   the relevant professionals, stakeholders and organisations that can support your work, and vice versa

18.   the information and resources that relevant professionals and stakeholders may need from you and your organisation

19.   the relevant professionals, stakeholders and organisations in your current professional connections

1. Communicating
2. Influencing
3. Information management
4. Learning
5. Managing of self
6. Networking
7. Personal resilience
8. Persuading
9. Presenting information
10. Questioning
11. Risk management
12. Thinking strategically
13. Valuing individuals