Kim Shyu is Chief Product Officer at Careology, a healthtech startup focused on improving remote cancer care through digital solutions. She’s an executive product leader with 20 years of cross-industry experience spanning quantum technology, healthtech, automotive, telecommunications, and government consulting. She’s also a board member for James Madison University’s College of Business Management Board and the author of DUSK, a science fiction novel.
In our conversation, Kim reframes “networking” as social connection, then gets practical about building and maintaining relationships as a busy product leader. She shares how small, consistent interactions compound over time, how to right-size your effort based on your goals, and how to build an authentic presence without diluting your message.
Networking doesn’t have to be cringe
Networking can be intimidating for a lot of folks, including product leaders. Where do you think that negative connotation comes from? And do you find that response to be similar across industries?
Yes, I do think it is a cringe-worthy word, and I do think it is a cross-industry response that’s not specific to product leaders. The way I like to think about it is that networking is really socialization. If you think about it like a social event or a social opportunity, that’s really what it is, it just happens to typically be for a professional reason. If you replace the cringe-worthy word “networking” with “social,” it makes it a bit more appetizing.
The main thing to keep in mind is that you’re getting to know people, you’re putting yourself out there, and it’s really all about making connections that may benefit you or others now or in the future. I think the negative connotation comes from how we’re raised, especially in the US. We’re driven by this idea of self-made success. We hear, push through the challenging times and make your own way in the world.
We’ve got all these rags to riches stories — Oprah Winfrey, Coco Chanel, Ralph Lauren, college dropouts who started startups in their garages and then became billionaires in tech. Being self-made somehow feels more respectable than being spoonfed opportunities. It can also feel strange to put yourself in a vulnerable position or ask for support when maybe you’re looking for a job.
But instead, think about it as: I’m going to meet some new people and give them an opportunity to meet me, and we’re going to look for common ground. We’re going to experience some new things together and keep our options open.
How has your own definition of networking evolved or changed throughout your career?
I recently wrote this article called “I Thought Networking Was Sleazy and I Was Wrong.” I’ve been working remotely now for five and a half years since the pandemic, and I realized how much I enjoy getting out and networking. I attended two networking events within about two weeks of each other, and I felt really electrified. I got out, I met new people, I was in different kinds of environments, and I talked to people with a product background and also people from my university who have all kinds of different professional backgrounds.
It made me think about college. I remember being offered a job by an alumni I was connected with through a club. I thought it was like a free handout. I was completely averse to it. I said, no way, I’m not even going to send my resume. I wanted to prove I could make it in the world.
Over time, I realized that was really silly — to think someone would offer an opportunity because they wanted something in return, or that it made me less of a person to accept support from someone. Now that I’m older and I’m actually in a similar position, I’m on my college board and I can support students coming out of college and looking for opportunities. I realized that people just want to help each other.
This is what networking is about: supporting one another and seeing others succeed. And I jump at the chance now to attend networking events, whereas in the past I would’ve said it feels too fabricated or manufactured. It’s completely opposite now.
Maintaining relationships while still meeting new people
As a CPO, I’m sure you’re very busy. When you think about allocating your time for networking, do you intentionally divide it into time for maintaining existing relationships and time for finding ways to meet new people, or does it just happen organically?
Historically for me, it’s been a bit more organic, but I do take time to connect with people regularly. I still have one-on-ones monthly with old colleagues and we stay connected. I also went out to brunch with colleagues I hadn’t seen in over eight years, which was delightful.
What I would like to do in the future is put more intention around it — maybe quarterly, make sure I get out there and go to events. And you don’t have to always think of networking as a business-focused exercise. I can think of networking as expanding friendships, like through my kids’ sports. All of that is still networking. You don’t know where relationships will lead, and you may end up forging a path together in ways you don’t anticipate.
Networking efficiently when you’re overloaded
Product execs are overloaded. They’re busy in all aspects of their life. What does efficient and meaningful engagement look like in the face of that?
It comes back to finding ways to just be social in general. It can be anywhere, anytime, with anyone. I struggle with perfectionism and I tend to overthink things, so my advice is: don’t overthink it.
If you want to reach out to someone — say hi, catch up, connect someone to an opportunity, follow up on something you saw — it doesn’t have to be long and drawn out. It can be a two or three sentence LinkedIn message: “Hey, it’s been a while. It’d be great to catch up. I saw this post and thought of you. I’ve got somebody who might be a great fit.” It doesn’t have to be perfect and it doesn’t have to be time consuming.
The trick is to keep it going regularly. It becomes part of your regimen — weekly or monthly — just constant connection. I was doing a Peloton workout and the instructor said something that stuck with me: “Fall in love with the process.” The outcomes aren’t always the end goal. You have to apply discipline to consistently go after what you’re trying to achieve. That’s the same with networking and building your connections.
One example: I was on vacation in Bar Harbor near Acadia, walking down the street, and I smelled this amazing scent. We were behind two ladies, so I said it must be one of their perfumes. I asked my family if I should ask her what it was, and my daughter said, “No, that’s so embarrassing.”
But I did it anyway. I ran up and said, “Excuse me, your perfume smells amazing. I’d love to know what it is.” She told me, and I found it when I got home. The point is: don’t be afraid to approach people. It can be something small like that, or you’re at a conference and someone spoke on stage and you want to talk to them more. You can strike up a conversation about almost anything, make those connections, and you never know where they’ll lead.
How to start and match your effort to your goals
How do you get started? Do you recommend blocking time on your calendar for it?
Yes, if that makes sense for them. The first step is to understand what your current goals are — and your goals will change, so your strategies should change along with that. If your goals are to stay put, remain satisfied, or help others connect, the way you engage might be different than if you’re actively looking for a job.
If you’re actively looking, you probably do want to sit down a couple hours a week, look for opportunities, network, find events, and engage in digital forums. Understand your personal goals and what you’re trying to get out of it. Then you can decide how much time to put toward it: is it maintenance mode or active growth mode?
Do you have an example where networking quietly compounded over time and only later revealed its full career impact?
Yes. The majority of my career changes — individual job changes and company changes, including industry changes — have been through networking. Only my first and second jobs were through traditional recruiting, because I was fresh out of school and determined to make my own way.
The first seven years of my career I was in government consulting. Around seven years in, I wanted something different. I had a neighbor across the street working for a company and they needed a digital marketing manager. I said, “I don’t know anything about that. They’re never going to hire me. I don’t do marketing.”
But government consulting — strategic communications and change management — had transferable skills. I was nudged along by my partner: “Give it a try. Go talk to people. Worst case, it doesn’t work out, but at least you’ve had the discussion.” I did, and I landed the job.
A year and a half later, my boss left and my colleague said, “You should apply for the digital product manager role.” I said no way. She was talking about APIs and I didn’t know what an API was. I felt too junior and embarrassed. They said, “Don’t worry. You have the skills you need. We’re going to teach you.” That kicked off my decade in digital product management.
That’s how it compounds. I then got multiple opportunities — recruited into roles or pursued opportunities I saw through my network. I probably wouldn’t have had those opportunities if I hadn’t leveraged it.
How do you evaluate whether a professional interaction is worth continuing or if it’s something you should let fade away?
I think you know with intuition. You follow your gut. I was talking to someone who said she uses a rule of thumb: if I try to engage someone three times and it doesn’t come together, or the chemistry isn’t there, then I let it go.
In a professional setting, you might connect on LinkedIn, exchange cards, message a bit, and it doesn’t pan out — that’s okay. Not everything is meant to work out. Things may not be right now, but they might be a year or two from now. Keep your network alive and you never know where things will pan out.
Building a presence online without diluting your message
There are so many channels people can use to showcase their work and enhance their professional profile. What factors should product leaders consider when making that choice?
It goes back to: set your goal. If your goal is to establish yourself as a thought leader, you should produce your own content or re-share others’ content with your thoughts added. It can be writing, video, podcasts, being a guest on a podcast, or a personal website.
You also have to consider what you can actually share. I don’t showcase much company work because it’s under NDA. But if something is public — a product, a marketing page — you can highlight it and write about the experience of building it or what the team achieved together.
The main thing is knowing your audience, what you’re trying to do, finding the right channel, and building a consistent rhythm.
What common mistake do you see product leaders make when trying to build an online presence?
AI slop is definitely a dilution. If you’re going to produce content, make sure it’s authentic. I believe in quality over quantity. I would rather post less often and have it be high quality, especially weaving in storytelling.
With all the AI-created content out there, storytelling sets you apart. It shows you’re human, you have experiences, you’re processing them, and you’re turning them into something useful. And you still have to know who your audience is, because you’re asking for something in exchange — their time.
Teaching networking in a remote world
How should product leaders mentor the next generation in a world of remote work and AI-mediated communication?
Encourage people to get out there. A lot of people are working remotely and they’re isolated. Even for me, going to events made me realize I needed to get out more. People at those events were saying the same thing — even if they go in, it’s only once or twice a week.
We need to embrace what’s natural to us as humans: social connection and human dynamics. And even if you’re an introvert, pay attention to how you feel after interactions. Are you charged up or drained? If you’re drained, maybe you overextended or did too much talking.
One of the keys to networking is having balanced conversations — spend as much time asking questions and getting to know other people as much as you do talking about yourself.
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