Networks Matter
How I got a job that wasn’t posted. And without applying.
Andy Warhol, Edie Sedgwick, and their entourage in NYC.
I’m not famous. Not in real life and not even online. I have < 1,000 followers on Twitter.
But I have a really cool job. The kind of job that lots of smart people want.
And even though I’m not famous, I got this job without applying. No online forms. Not even a resume.
Here’s how it happened. I had beers with an old friend on the patio at Edley’s in Nashville. A former colleague who’s built a career I admire. We realized there might be an opportunity to collaborate and build something special together. A few weeks later, I flew to Boston to have dinner with his business partner. We hit it off. Six months later, I joined them as an operating partner.
I got lucky. The stars aligned.
Right experience, right relationships, right place, right time.
I got lucky, but I’ve also spent a career intentionally nurturing relationships and creating a “network.”
I’m more inclined to call it a group of smart peers I like and admire. Friends, former classmates, clients, colleagues. People I genuinely care about. People I’d like to maybe work with someday.
A cohort. A tribe.
A network.
Whatever we call it, conventional wisdom suggests networks matter. My experience confirms it. And the research agrees.
In 2019, Professor Paul Ingram of Columbia University published a first-of-its-kind paper on the careers of 90 pioneering abstract artists.
The paper explored fame.
Why do some talented artists become famous? And others don’t?
Ingram’s research found that great art doesn’t necessarily correlate with fame. But a diverse and influential network does.
But what do we do with that? How do we build ours?
Strong networks aren’t built by sending holiday cards and Linkedin connection requests. These are tactics. To be effective, they require a foundation.
And the foundation of a strong, enduring network is being a person of value. Consistently. Over a long period of time.
By helping a colleague win a big client.
By referring a high-performing friend to an executive who hires her.
By collaborating with smart peers on successful projects.
By spending time with people. Preferably in person. Over coffees, lunches, and dinners. By asking good questions. Then listening to understand.
We can make professional mistakes. I’ve made lots of small ones. A few big ones too. But along the way, we should try to be a person of value for members of our tribe.
This doesn’t mean we’ll necessarily get something in return.
But if we’re really lucky, the stars may align. And one day we may get a new client. Or a new project.
We may even get a cool new job without applying.
