The Boss of You

I just finished reading “The 10 Secrets of a Master Networker” over at Inc.com — and before you gag on how cheesy that sounds, hear me out, because it’s kind of awesome.

There’s a lot in it I don’t relate to, because the subject of the piece, Keith Ferrazzi, is a relentlessly ambitious guy who has made it his singular goal in life to achieve the kind of success Emira and I are pretty skeptical of — the kind that comes with being a Fortune 500 CEO, a political bigwig, or some other kind of high-profile, high-income heavy hitter. However, I found Ferrazzi completely fascinating, and I even discovered a couple of snippets of advice that I think are both brilliant and applicable to just about any entrepreneur.

For starters, there’s this comment about maintaining a diverse circle of friends and connections:

The best sort of networking occurs when Ferrazzi can connect two people who don’t know each other. Which drives home a surprising implication: the strength of your network derives as much from the diversity of your relationships as it does from their quality or quantity. Most of us know the people within our own profession and social group, and little more. Ferrazzi makes a point of knowing as many people from as many different worlds as possible. The ability to bridge those worlds is a key attribute in managers who are paid better and promoted faster, according to an influential study conducted by Ron Burt, a professor at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.

I’ve personally seen this in action, and in fact Emira is one of the most brilliant examples I know of. She’s forever making connections between the various worlds in which she travels, be it high-tech and DIY crafters, or mompreneurs and nonprofits. When you can be the go-to person people turn to when they need to meet just the right person in a field that’s outside their usual realm, it becomes highly valuable for them to maintain their relationship with you — which in turn has all kinds of good repercussions for your business.

I also enjoyed this bit about sharing your knowledge freely:

The care and feeding of contacts is a relatively new concept for the business networker. In Power! How to Get It, How to Use It, a 1975 self-help screed on the secrets to becoming a corporate chieftain, Michael Korda advised that “masters players … attempt to channel as much information as they can into their own hands, then withhold it from as many people as possible.” That is, 30 years ago old-style connectors attained power through a monopoly of information, whereas today people like Ferrazzi view the system as social arbitrage, a constant and open exchange of favors and intelligence. It’s a sort of career karma, too; how much you give to the network determines how much you’ll receive.

I feel like we’re hearing this message more and more, but it still bears repeating: Share what you know, and don’t expect an immediate tit-for-tat return on it. You’ll build up a reputation as an expert and a source of good info, and people will turn to you when they need help.

I recommend reading the whole article, but I don’t think I’ll be following Ferrazzi’s lead when it comes to work-life balance:

Ferrazzi, who has no children but has been in a 10-year relationship with another man, spends almost all his time working. “I wake up around 5 or 6 in the morning, and I go until 1 in the morning,” he says. “Every free moment is a chance to E-mail or call someone. But I don’t consider that work. That’s my true joy. I have balance, but it’s my own version. My career and my community-service stuff have always taken a front seat to my personal life. But, in a sense, that is my personal life. There’s no distinction for me. Yes, I’d like to go to church more and meditate more. And it’s been a while since I’ve taken a real vacation. But do I feel like I’ve sacrificed anything? No.”

Although I admire the fact he’s clearly made a conscious decision about fusing his work & personal lives, I know that wouldn’t work for me. I think I’ll be sticking with keeping a good chunk of time for myself (not to mention for sleeping!).

Oh, and while you’re over at Inc., you may be interested in reading Margot Fraser’s “How I Did It” story; she’s the founder of Birkenstock, and an amazing woman. We were fortunate enough to meet her a few years back, and she’s one of the humblest and most delightful women I’ve ever met. She treated us like peers and was eager to learn from everyone she met. If I can remain that open into my eighties, I’ll be damn proud of myself.