766: Using AI to Make Networking Easier, with Ruth Gotian
Coaching for Leaders
Dave Stachowiak
4.8 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 19 January 2026
⏱️ 39 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Ruth Gotian: Networking in the Age of AI
Ruth Gotian is the former Chief Learning Officer and Associate Professor of Education in Anaesthesiology at Weill Cornell Medicine. Thinkers50 has ranked her the #1 emerging management thinker in the world, and she’s a top LinkedIn voice in mentoring. She’s the author of The Success Factor and, with Andy Lopata, The Financial Times Guide to Mentoring.
Most of us recognize the value of building a better network, but we also know the time and dedication it takes. In this conversation, Ruth and I explore how we can use AI tools to do some of the administrative legwork so that we can spend more time on the real relationship-building.
Key Points
- McKinsey reports that since the pandemic, most people’s networks have shrunk or stalled.
- Consider the 90/9/1 rule: 90% of people lurk in online communities, 9% interact somewhat regularly, 1% post and lead the conversation.
- Use AI to enhance, not replace, your communications. Invite AI to do the administrative legwork (i.e. brainstorming, proofreading) so you focus on the human aspects.
- Ask AI to analyze speaker and attendee lists in advance at conferences in the context of your goals.
- Consider being the person that puts together an in-person dinner or gathering at a conference. Use AI to help you prep questions and discover the best people to invite.
- Ask AI to help complete your LinkedIn profile. An All-Star LinkedIn profile makes it substantially more likely that you’ll get surfaced to others.
Resources Mentioned
- Networking in the Age of AI by Ruth Gotian
Related Episodes
- How to Grow Your Professional Network, with Tom Henschel* (episode 279)
- How to Build a Network While Still Doing Everything Else, with Ruth Gotian* (episode 591)
- The Key Elements of a Powerful Personal Brand, with Goldie Chan* (episode 757)
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Most of us recognize the value of building a better network, but we also know the time and |
| 0:05.7 | dedication it takes. In this episode, how we can use AI tools to do some of the legwork |
| 0:11.9 | so that we can spend more time on the real relationship building. This is Coaching for Leaders, |
| 0:17.9 | episode 766. Produced by Innovate Learning, maximizing human potential. |
| 0:29.3 | Greetings to you from Orange County, California. This is Coaching for Leaders, and I'm your host, |
| 0:35.8 | Dave Stahofiak. Leaders aren't born. They're made. |
| 0:40.4 | And this weekly show helps you discover leadership wisdom through insightful conversations. |
| 0:45.9 | One thing that all of us need to do a decent job at, maybe not a perfect job, maybe not even a great job, but a decent job is building our |
| 0:55.7 | professional networks, not only building them, but continuing to invest in the professional |
| 1:00.0 | networks that we have and are growing. Almost all of us recognize the importance of that, |
| 1:05.9 | but we don't necessarily put the time and attention into it that we should. And now so many amazing tools |
| 1:13.7 | and strategies are available to help us make this easier through AI. And I'm so glad to welcome |
| 1:18.6 | back today, a guest expert, a great friend of the show who's helped us in so many ways of building |
| 1:23.7 | our relationships, of mentoring, of thinking about high achievers, and today a conversation |
| 1:28.7 | on how we can do better at networking with AI. I'm so pleased to welcome back Ruth Gautien to the |
| 1:34.2 | show. She is the former chief learning officer and associate professor of education in anesthesiology |
| 1:39.8 | at while Cornell medicine. Thinkers 50 has ranked her the number one emerging management thinker |
| 1:45.5 | in the world, and she's a top LinkedIn voice in mentoring. She's the author of The Success Factor |
| 1:51.4 | and also with Andy Lapata, The Financial Times Guide to Mentoring, both of which we featured |
| 1:56.9 | previously. Ruth, always a pleasure to see you. Welcome back. So good to be here again. |
| 2:02.9 | Yeah, I always learned so much from you. So anytime you are on, it is a pleasure to get into your work. |
| 2:10.0 | And I recently watched and completed your most recent LinkedIn learning course. And there's a quote that you mentioned in |
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