Dr Alex Rhys, CEO of the Infection Prevention Society and CEO/Founder of It Gets Better UK, shares how remote leadership demands more human, deliberate networking, and why it works.

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As CEO of two national charities operating entirely without physical offices, I've had to completely rethink how professional relationships are built and maintained. The casual corridor conversations, spontaneous coffee meetings, and serendipitous encounters that traditionally fuel sector networking simply don't exist when your office is wherever you happen to be working that day.

What I've discovered is that effective networking in a distributed world isn't about replicating office-based relationship building. It's about being far more intentional, strategic, and frankly, more human in how you connect with people.

Starting with your own team

The foundation of external networking begins with how you maintain relationships within your own organisation. When leading distributed teams, it's easy for interactions to become purely transactional. Weekly team meetings can quickly devolve into status updates and task allocation unless you're deliberate about preserving the social connection that would happen naturally in a shared workspace.

I've learned to build social elements into our regular team meetings. Not forced icebreakers, but genuine space for people to share what's happening in their lives, celebrate successes, or simply have the kind of informal chat that would typically happen over a shared lunch. We're a team, not just a collection of remote workers completing tasks.

This internal relationship building matters because your team becomes your eyes and ears in the sector. When staff feel genuinely connected to you and the organisation, they naturally become advocates and relationship builders themselves. They're more likely to mention relevant opportunities, introduce you to useful contacts, or flag important sector developments.

The power of intentional availability

Without the luxury of bumping into people at events or overhearing important conversations in shared spaces, I've had to become much more deliberate about making time for connection. This means actively carving out time in the diary specifically for relationship building, treating it as seriously as any other business priority.

Being intentionally available means saying yes to coffee calls, scheduling regular catch-ups with sector contacts, and making genuine time for the conversations that might once have happened spontaneously. It's about replacing those random office interactions with planned but informal conversations.

Both of my organisations benefit from networks of volunteers across the UK, and I've learned that engaging meaningfully with these volunteer communities isn't just good practice – it's essential networking. These volunteers are embedded in communities, workplaces, and other organisations. They're often the best source of intelligence about what's happening in the sector and can make introductions that would be impossible to arrange through formal channels.

Making virtual interactions count

One of the biggest challenges I've faced is that virtual interactions can feel quite transactional compared to face-to-face meetings. When you've only got a scheduled video call rather than the buffer of arriving early, grabbing coffee, and chatting afterwards, you need to work harder to let your personality come through.

I've found that acknowledging this directly often helps. Starting calls with a genuine check-in about how someone is doing, being prepared to share something personal about your own week, or simply commenting on their bookshelf or workspace can quickly shift the tone from formal business to authentic connection.

The key is getting personality across quickly. In a face-to-face meeting, you have the entire journey to the meeting room, the settling in period, and the natural wrap-up time to build rapport. In a virtual setting, you might have 30 seconds before diving into business. Making those seconds count means being more intentionally warm and personable than might feel natural at first.

Building relationships you may never meet

Some of my strongest professional relationships are with people I've never met in person. This has required developing new instincts about how relationships develop and when they're strong enough to rely on.

The absence of physical presence means every interaction needs to be more substantive. You can't rely on the cumulative effect of brief, frequent encounters that office-based networking provides. Instead, each conversation needs to advance the relationship meaningfully.

I've also had to become better at follow-up. Without the natural reminder of seeing someone regularly, it's easy for relationships to fade unless you have systems for staying in touch. This might mean setting reminders to check in with key contacts, being more systematic about sharing relevant articles or opportunities, or simply being more proactive about suggesting collaboration.

The strategic advantage

What I've found surprising is that intentional networking often produces stronger relationships than the traditional model. When you arrange to speak with someone, it's because you've identified genuine mutual value. The conversation is focused, both parties are fully present, and there's usually proper follow-up because the interaction was planned rather than accidental.

This approach has also broadened my network geographically. When you're not constrained by who happens to be at the same event or in the same building, you can build relationships with people across the country who bring different perspectives and opportunities.

The discipline required for effective distributed networking has made me a more thoughtful relationship builder overall. Every interaction is more intentional, every follow-up more systematic, and every relationship more purposefully maintained.

The human element remains

Ultimately, successful networking in a distributed world still comes down to the same fundamentals that have always mattered: genuine interest in others, authentic communication, and consistent follow-through. The methods may have changed, but the human element remains central.

The difference is that without the natural relationship-building opportunities that physical proximity provides, you have to be far more deliberate about creating them. The reward is often deeper, more strategic relationships built on clearer mutual value and maintained through more intentional effort.

Dr Alex Rhys is chief executive of the Infection Prevention Society and CEO/Founder of It Gets Better UK. Alongside these roles, they run The Leadership Nook, a coaching and consultancy practice focused on values-based, sustainable leadership across the charity and healthcare sectors.

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