Breaking Bread for Business Success

Update Your Inner Circle to Move Further, Faster

Hate Networking? You’re Not Alone.

Research from Bond University highlights the challenges and benefits of professional networking. The findings, shared by Libby Sander, Assistant Professor of Organisational Behaviour, from the Bond Business School, include:

• Reluctance to Network: A study of MBA students at a networking event revealed that although 95% aimed to meet new contacts, they spent over half of their time with familiar faces.

• Feelings of Discomfort: Engaging in networking for career advancement can evoke feelings of discomfort or even a sense of ‘dirtiness’ in some individuals.

• Limited Networking Among Women in STEM: Research indicates that women in STEM fields make 42% fewer contacts, spend 48% less time interacting with them, and establish 25% fewer LinkedIn connections compared to their male counterparts.

As established leaders, we tend to break bread - spending time working and socialising with the same people. It’s comfortable, familiar.

And yet, the world is shifting, prompting us to ask: should we update who we know?

Old alliances - whether industry colleagues, leaders, trading partners, safe havens, or preferential markets - may no longer be as predictable or valuable as they once were. They may no longer warrant the same time and resources.

Breaking Bread: Expanding who we know to go further, faster, together.

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A Network that Works

Who we know directly impacts our business results. The below image shows four types of business leaders based on the strength of their global network and how well they use it. Leaders with a strong, well-leveraged network achieve results faster and with less friction. Those without one - or those who fail to use it - fall behind. The goal? Move to the top-right, where connections turn into real business outcomes.

Where are you now?

Where do you want to be?

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Going Further, Faster: Deliberately & Discerningly

Going further, faster in today’s environment means going beyond the status quo. Beyond your industry. Beyond your lived experience. Beyond borders. Especially when you need specific support, for targeted outcomes:

• Investment (Capital that aligns with your ambitious goals.)

• Intelligence (Insights that are not widely available yet give a competitive edge.)

• Introductions (To the right people, not just more people.)

• Influence (Access to decision-makers who shape outcomes.)

• Income (Revenue-generating opportunities that sustain long-term commercial results.)

• Innovation (New ways of thinking and operating to stay ahead.)

• Ideas (Fresh perspectives that challenge assumptions and open new pathways.)

• Implementation (The ability to turn plans into action with the right expertise.)

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The Fast Five: Your Expanded Inner Circle

Some believe that building a strong network is about knowing the most people. Yet, it pays to know the right people. Who are the right people? Setting a clear target and defining their role in your network helps - inviting them into your inner circle with intention. With clients, I work towards a Fast Five.

Why five? It’s an actionable and practical number to work with. And, as the late Jim Rohn said:

“You are the average of the five people you spend most of your time with.”

Your Fast Five should be:

• Strategically aligned to your ambitious goals.

• Capable of accelerating key outcomes (introductions, insights, investment).

• Diverse in thought, geography, and experience.

Your inner circle should challenge and expand your thinking. If the key people you engage with most look, sound, and think like you, there’s a good chance you’re limiting yourself - and that will directly impact what you achieve over the next 1–5 years.

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When Should You Build Your Inner Circle?

Before you need it. As Douglas Conant says:

“The time to build a network is always before you need one.”

The best networks aren’t built out of desperation. They’re built intentionally - before a crisis, before a funding round, before a market expansion.

The next four years will bring significant global shifts - geopolitically, economically, demographically, and technologically. It’s a safe bet that we all have gaps in our networks given scope of these shifts.

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How to Start

1. Identify Gaps – What’s missing in your network? Who could help you see more and act faster?

2. Curate Your Fast Five – Look beyond your immediate circle. Who can elevate your thinking and unlock opportunities?

3. Engage with Purpose – Networking isn’t transactional. It’s about creating mutual value. The right people stay when they see the value of being in your world.

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Breaking Bread: The Power of Connection

Breaking bread has long been a symbol of connection, trust, and collaboration. Across cultures, sharing a meal signifies more than sustenance - it builds relationships, fosters understanding, and creates a foundation for deeper alliances.

In business, the same principle applies. Strong networks are about shared experiences, mutual respect, and collective progress. When leaders come together with openness and intent, they unlock new opportunities and accelerate success.

When you don’t know where to start, or want to learn and network with leaders who cross borders and break down barriers for smarter business success, join us.

We are Going Global.

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Who would you love to break bread with in 2025?

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