Networking Unleashed: Building Profitable Connections. An Interview with Daria Rudnik and Michael A Forman
- mforman521
- Dec 22, 2025
- 8 min read
Updated: Jan 5
Welcome back to Networking Unleashed: Building Profitable Connections. I'm your host, Michael Foreman. Today, we’re diving into a topic that separates good teams from game-changing ones. The best-performing teams don’t operate in a bubble; they are connected. They connect with their clients, other teams, and strategic partners. This connection is where the real magic and profit happen.
The Power of External Collaboration
My guest today understands this better than anyone. Daria Rudnick believes that external collaboration isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s a business advantage. We’ll discuss how building bridges outside your organization can accelerate innovation, amplify influence, and open doors you didn’t even know existed.
So, whether you're leading a team, building a business, or trying to expand your impact, buckle up, because this conversation will reshape how you think about connection, collaboration, and the power of what happens beyond your bubble. Let’s get into it. I would like to welcome to the podcast today, Daria Rudnick.
Daria is a professional in everything I just mentioned. Daria, welcome to the podcast! Please share a bit about your background and how you got here today.
Thanks, Michael! It’s great to be here. I’m happy to share my knowledge with your audience. A few words about myself: I started my career at Deloitte and then worked my way up to Chief People Officer for various tech and telecom companies. During this time, I was involved in many corporate activities, including mergers and acquisitions and setting up offices in other countries.
What I observed through these experiences is how crucial it is for businesses to have strong, empowered, well-connected teams. These teams can lead transformations, while organizations without such teams often fail in their efforts. That’s why I focus my work on helping leaders build amazing, self-sufficient, high-performing teams that are well connected within their organizations and can drive real organizational value.
The Importance of Connection
I developed about ten questions for our discussion, and I’ll ask you to answer them. If we stray a bit, that’s okay.
You mentioned that the best-performing teams don’t operate in a bubble. What are the biggest warning signs that a team is isolated? How can leaders burst this bubble before it limits growth?
I'll share a story about a cybersecurity team in a cloud computing company. This was a strong team; the members were experts, and the leader was very intentional. She wanted to support her team members and help them grow. She held regular one-on-ones and conversations with them. However, she also wanted to protect them from the troubles of the corporate world.
What she did was act as the main contact for the entire organization. She handled all the questions, requests, and mistakes that her team might make. She thought she was protecting them, but during an engagement survey, we discovered that the team was disengaged. They were getting bored and unmotivated, and she didn’t understand why.
Once we figured out that she was the only connection they had to the organization, it became clear. They were disconnected from other team members and lacked a clear vision of how their work impacted the organization. Once she proactively connected them with other stakeholders—people who actually used the results of their work—the motivation and engagement returned. The team became stronger and emerged as a center of expertise for the entire organization in cybersecurity.
This illustrates the power of connections. Leaders must connect their team members to the organization rather than acting as the sole spokesperson for the team.
Networking vs. Collaborating
In your experience, what’s the difference between networking for opportunity and collaborating for impact? Where do most professionals go wrong in that balance?
That’s an interesting question. When you collaborate for value, that’s where the opportunity lies. But the question is: what do you mean by opportunity? Is it something you want to gain, or is it something you want to co-create? When it’s about gaining something, it’s often visible to others. They may feel they’re not getting anything in return.
However, when it’s about co-creation and bringing real value, that’s when people want to join you on your journey. The same thing happens within organizations. When there are silos and departments competing against each other, individuals often reach out to senior leaders for networking, thinking they need to connect with them. They may ask questions that lack value, and this is noticeable.
Instead, when you approach senior leaders with questions that demonstrate your understanding of their needs, you create real connections. This strategic networking is where collaborating for impact comes into play.
I have a chart in my book that helps leaders create well-connected teams based on their goals. The first step is to understand the team’s purpose. Once you know that, you can identify stakeholders and determine who on your team is connected or can easily connect with them. Those team members should reach out to stakeholders, not just the senior person on the team. This approach makes networking more effective.
Breaking Down Silos
External collaboration sounds great in theory, but it often collides with ego, control, or corporate silos. What’s the most effective way to break down those walls without damaging relationships?
Breaking down walls actually builds relationships. External collaboration means going out and understanding how you can create value for other teams. It might seem strange at first—why create value for another team when you need to focus on your own? But from a business perspective, executives want to see collaboration.
When they observe someone who connects departments and creates value through those connections, they recognize that individual as a key asset. They prefer connectors over those who create something individually and present it to the top.
Leaders want their employees to achieve more than they did last year, but they also want collaboration. Together, they can be even stronger.
Unexpected Partnerships
Can you share an example where an unexpected partnership, maybe even one outside your industry, completely changed the trajectory of a project or business?
While it wasn’t exactly outside my industry, I once coached a leader who wanted to be the go-to person for AI implementation within his company. However, the company was very siloed. The challenge he faced was how to reach out to these silent organizations and establish himself as the AI leader without any formal authority.
He started networking. He reached out to people, asked them about their AI challenges, and began building connections—not just between himself and others, but also among different business units. This allowed them to share the benefits of AI across the organization.
He demonstrated to his leaders that he could connect these team members and wanted to be the AI leader because he was a connector. It can be challenging to reach out beyond your comfort zone, but taking that step can bring real value.
The New Currency of Collaboration
What do you think is the new currency of collaboration in business today? Is it information access, trust, or something else?
I would say it’s emotions. We need emotional connections. For instance, when you receive an email, if it’s written by AI, you can often recognize the patterns. What we want is that human touch—the emotion that comes from knowing someone cares about us.
Aligning Cultures
When two teams or organizations collaborate, culture clashes are almost inevitable. What’s one strategy that helps align cultures without losing each side’s identity?
That’s a great question, especially in our remote and hybrid world. Even within one team, we can have people from different cultures. The key is to discuss and agree on how you work together.
Every collaboration should start with rules of engagement. Teams need to agree on how they will communicate, respond to emails, and give feedback. Establishing these norms is critical for successful collaboration.
Measuring ROI of Relationships
How do you measure the ROI of relationships—not just revenue or referrals, but the long-term value of external connections?
I can tell you a story that illustrates this. There was a telecom company with a great culture. The CEO was transparent about the organization’s purpose. During tough times, instead of laying off employees or cutting processes, he approached the contact center team.
He acknowledged their value in building relationships with customers and asked them to be mindful of the time spent on conversations. They managed to save millions of dollars by shortening conversation times while maintaining excellent service. That’s the ROI of great relationships.
The Human Element in AI
In a world of AI and automation, how do you see the human element of collaborating evolving? Are we at risk of outsourcing too much of our connection?
AI does have a tendency to make us outsource our thinking. I once worked with a customer support team that relied heavily on AI. They became disengaged because they were merely operators of AI rather than people serving customers.
To combat this, we brought back the human connection by discussing the output of AI in team sessions. This allowed team members to critically evaluate AI’s insights and maintain their emotional connection with customers.
Advice for Leaders
What advice would you give to leaders who excel at managing internally but struggle to build bridges externally?
Many leaders express that they are introverted and prefer to focus on their teams. However, I help them realize that by not sharing their successes, they limit others from benefiting from their strengths.
Going out and talking about your team’s achievements is not about boasting; it’s about sharing valuable information. When stakeholders know what you can offer, they will reach out when they need support.
Redesigning Networking and Collaboration
If you could redesign the way companies think about networking and collaboration from the ground up, what would the new model look like?
I wish people were more open about their needs and what they can provide for others. Transparency from leaders creates trust, allowing employees to reach out and share mistakes or ask for help. When organizations foster this kind of transparency, collaboration and networking can reach new heights.
Outstanding, Daria! You have so much knowledge to share. If anyone would like to contact you for coaching or questions, how can they reach you?
I’m very open to connecting on LinkedIn. You can also find me on my website at airing.com. If you read my book, you’ll find practical tools and exercises for your team.
Powerful stuff right here! Remember, your next breakthrough might not come from inside your team but from the connections you build outside it. Collaboration isn’t just communication; it’s currency. When you spend it wisely, profits follow. If today’s episode sparked an idea or challenged how you think about teamwork and connection, share it with someone who needs to hear it.
I’m Michael Foreman, and this is Networking Unleashed, where we turn connections into profit. I look forward to speaking with you soon, Daria. Thank you for your time!
Thank you, Michael. I loved your questions; they were tough and very challenging.
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A huge thank you to our guests for sharing such incredible insights today, and of course, a big shout-out to you, our amazing listeners, for tuning in. If you’re interested in my digital courses, coaching, or having me speak at your company, just go to MichaelAForman.com and fill out the request form.
Remember, networking isn’t about being perfect; it’s about being present. Take what you’ve learned today, get out there, and make some meaningful connections. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave us a review, and share it with someone who could use a little networking inspiration.
Let’s keep the conversation going! You can find me on Apple, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube, or my website at michaelaforman.com/podcast.
Michael is a business networking expert specializing in enhancing professionals' networking and communication skills to drive profitability. As a leading authority in this field, he is highly sought after for his dynamic presentations and workshops. His extensive experience has consistently led to significant improvements in corporate profitability by empowering individuals and organizations to connect more effectively and efficiently.
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