Welcome back to the Peer Suite Agenda, your weekly briefing on what matters for your career, network, and next move.

Inside This Edition:

• From the Peer Suite blog: Why summer is the easiest time of year to get a coffee in the diary, and how to keep your network warm while everyone else slows down
• On our radar: The loose connections that land jobs, what walking does for your thinking, a workplace podcast and a new read on the habits holding women back
• Resources: A free way to turn a slower month into a CPD-recognised qualification with the Open University
• Events: Sign up for the Peer Suite Networking Morning; Boardroom Breakthrough Webinar with City CV; The Wealth Panel Exploring The Gender Pension Gap, and our Walk & Talk.

How To Keep Your Network Warm Over Summer

When was the last time you reached out to someone in your network without asking for anything? Don't worry if you can't think of one. Most people only start prioritising their network when they need something, an introduction or a new role.

The problem is that in the time between those asks your relationships go cold, which makes the ask a lot harder. Keeping them warm with quick check-ins, coffee chats, and sharing something they might find interesting is a better approach, and over time, these people move from being your "network" to friends and trusted peers.

If you feel like you haven't been as active with your existing or prospective network, summer is a great time to change that.

This may seem counterintuitive, but slower summer diaries are actually when people are more willing to say yes to a coffee, a walk, or a quick call. There is less competition for their time, so even though they may have a holiday planned and the kids are home from school, their work diary itself is lighter.

The trick is having an easy system for staying in touch so it does not rely on remembering, and so it never feels transactional. This piece walks through the approach I have used for years to keep a large network warm without it becoming a second job.

Plus, scroll down for all our July events that will keep you networking through the summer!

🤝 THE CONNECTIONS THAT OPEN DOORS The largest study of its kind, a five-year experiment across more than 20 million LinkedIn users, found that your weaker connections, the people you know a little rather than well, were around twice as effective at leading to a new job as your closest contacts. This is your reminder that the acquaintance you keep meaning to reconnect with is often the person most likely to open a door.

🚶‍♀️ WALK THE MEETING Stanford researchers found that walking lifts creative thinking by an average of 60 per cent compared with sitting, and the effect continues after you sit back down. If you have a problem to think through or a catch-up that does not need a screen, take it outside. It is the thinking behind our summer Walk and Talks, and it works just as well for a one-to-one.

🎙️ PRESS PLAY Eat Sleep Work Repeat, Bruce Daisley's podcast on workplace culture, is one of the most useful listens on how work actually feels rather than how it looks on paper, covering focus, burnout, and what makes a team function. Easy to dip into on the commute or a long summer walk.

📚 ON THE SHELF How Women Rise by Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith looks at the habits that serve women early in their careers and then hold them back later, from over-preparing to underusing the network they have already built. A sharp, practical read if you are taking stock at the midpoint of the year.

🌴 TAKE THE LEAVE Analysis of more than 180,000 UK employees found that almost one in five booked holidays were cancelled last year, often by people who had requested the time months in advance. Summer is the time to protect the days you have already earned and make sure you take that break to rest and recharge!

The Open University's Free Badged Courses

A slower month is a good moment to build a skill without spending anything. The Open University runs a large library of free badged courses through its OpenLearn platform, covering communication, leadership, finance, and digital skills, and each one is CPD-recognised with a certificate and a digital badge you can add to your LinkedIn profile once you finish.

They are completely free, rather than a trial that asks for payment later, and most take around twenty-four hours of study, which you can spread across the summer at your own pace.

That's it for this week. I look forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming events in July!

Your friend,

Rebecca

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