Success isn’t just about excelling at your job. It’s also about pursuing your passions, creating new connections, and achieving goals that are good for your career and good for your company.

I joined the Salesforce Dublin family eight years ago as an Emerging Small Business Account Executive, and progressed through the typical promotion path right up to General Business Account Executive. At the start of this fiscal year, I was so thrilled to be back in ESB, but this time as a sales manager, running a team of 10 ESB AEs for the UK … and was recently honored to be recognized as Salesforce’s September Woman of the Month. While I’m very busy, I still manage to make time for my other interests, like singing (I performed with my choir on The Late Late Show!), taking evening classes (I just finished a mindfulness course), and being an active member and leader of the Dublin chapter of our global Salesforce Women’s Network.

The vision of our group is to attract, develop, and retain more talented women into the business. Besides being the right thing to do, it is proven that teams and organizations with better gender balance are more successful. We are inspired by our Chairman and CEO Marc Benioff and his commitment equal pay, equal advancement, and equal opportunity … he is truly paving the way for all of us.

We host networking events, career panels, volunteer activities, and welcome inspiring speakers including Anne Del Santo, Global VP of Engineering, and Mary Moloney, former CEO of CoderDojo. We believe conversations around inclusion should include everyone, and just this year we decided to re-brand the networking group with the new name ‘50:50 for 2020’ and are delighted to now have amazing male members also on our leadership committee in Dublin.

I chose to become involved in our women’s network because I’m passionate about our people and culture at Salesforce. I want to help create a more diverse workplace, support our core value of Equality for All, and make this an even better place to work. Helping women at this company be fully confident in their abilities, more courageous and inspired to develop into future leaders is so rewarding, and the relationships I have forged through this group are invaluable.

Whether you’re passionate about equality, wellness, innovation, or anything else, I strongly urge you to join a networking group. Networking and building relationships with people, no matter what role or industry they are in, will significantly impact your success. You never know who your next boss will be, or who you might rely on in your next role, or who might lead you to an entirely new career path. The connections you’ll make will make you a better person and a better professional, and will help you achieve your greatest career goals.

If your company or industry doesn’t have the specific networking group you’re looking for, I encourage you to start one! Reach out to leaders who are passionate about your area or cause, set up calls, and ask for guidance and suggestions. People are typically happy to help! Also, don’t rush to add members as you ramp up – instead of quantity, look for quality. Find people who are really dedicated to cause and genuinely care about improving the culture of your company. Start small, build your group, and see where it takes you … the sky’s the limit!

The Salesforce Woman of the Month campaign turns the spotlight on the amazing women who help make Salesforce one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies according to Forbes and one of Fortune Magazine’s Best Companies to Work For. Honorees are nominated by fellow employees and selected by a dedicated committee that works to ensure a variety of roles and regions are honored.

To hear more from Áine Corcoran, make sure to connect with her on LinkedIn and follow her on Twitter. And stay tuned for more career tips and tools for success from our next Salesforce Woman of the Month, coming your way in October.

Ready to join the team at Salesforce? Learn more and find opportunities at salesforce.com/careers.