Forbes: Why You Must Rethink How You Build Relationships In The 21st Century
The digitization of relationships has fundamentally changed what it means to build a network in the 21st century. Thriving in this era of confusingly rapid change and information overwhelm means embracing network literacy ; the critical, counterintuitive skill set that helps individuals and businesses systematically build their networks.
We All Have Two Networks We Should Actively Nurture
I believe that when we think about our networks, we should think about it as two networks:
- CLOSE NETWORK – Kindred spirits, friends, and family closest to us who we confide in the most and who we are most generous to time and energy wise.
- EXTENDED NETWORK – Large and diverse network of people we’ve met or who somehow resonate with who we are as expressed through our work and content.
IMHO, I think both networks are critical to career success and leading a fulfilling and rich life and both should be actively developed.
Many people criticize weak ties because they are shallow. I think what people miss is that shallow is not necessarily at the cost of deep. Also, a relationship being shallow doesn’t mean it’s not valuable.
This week, when I asked for a book recommendation (http://on.fb.me/O7k7tQ), introduction to a public company CEO (http://on.fb.me/P9x6vR), and received an intro to an author I interviewed (http://on.fb.me/P9xb2C); it was generally the weak ties in my network who I had never met or hadn’t connected with for years that gave the most support.
A book that makes a great case for the power of weak ties is Consequential Strangers.
This Is My Life Purpose.
My life purpose is to help create a world where people relate to each other as brothers and sisters and proactively help one another.
I plan to help create this world by finding what works, celebrating it, and scalably sharing it with others to create behavior change.
I currently do this through writing for Forbes (http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelsimmons) and through the organization I co-founded, Empact (http://www.iempact.com).
I would love to work with you to help create this world.
What is your life purpose?
New Forbes Article: The One Thing You Should Do After Meeting Anyone New
At 24-years-old, Francis Pedraza is the co-founder and CEO of a venture-backed company, Everest. In addition, he is an advisor to 10 tech companies, each of whom he does hundreds of introductions for in return for equity.
It is hard to predict how my Forbes interviews will go. Most top relationships builders are not able to articulate how they do what they do.
Francis does not fall into this camp.
New Forbes Article: How Big Should Your Network Be?
There is a debate happening between software developers and scientists: How large can and should our networks be in this evolving world of social media? The answer to this question has dramatic implications for how we look at our own relationship building.
New Forbes Article: Why Being The Most Connected Is A Vanity Metric
Over the last half century, a field of academic study called network science has turned traditional relationship building on its head. Surprisingly, research shows that being the most connected person is not an effective way to build your network. The single best strategy is one that almost no one talks about.
New Forbes Article: The Relationship Building Principle That Dale Carnegie Got Wrong
In 1936, Dale Carnegie published How To Win Friends & Influence People. Since then, it has become the relationship building bible for 30+ million people including myself. However, not all of Carnegie’s principles work as advertised.
New Forbes Article: Why Social Media Is Not A Distraction For Entrepreneurs
While people debate whether or not social media is a distraction or causes depression, many top relationship builders are using it everyday in ways you haven’t thought of.
New Forbes Article: The #1 Relationship Building Habit You Should Do Daily
Introductions from your network to the right clients, employees, partners, and investors can change everything. However, most people leave this up to chance. One individual has found a way to remove the randomness.
New Forbes Article: How Asking For Favors Can Build Your Relationships
Many give to their network while never asking for anything in return. New research shows that this is a huge mistake.
