Mutual Gain, Mutual Advantage

The example of Eddie Turner

Creating your own healthy network from scratch, as did?the Olori Sisterhood, whom I talked about last week, can be incredibly rewarding— but it takes lots of time, effort, patience and faith. Not everyone has the capacity or the contacts to do this, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take an active role in a pre-existing network, or multiple networks. In fact, doing so can significantly boost our own careers while also enabling us to benefit others.?

Take the case of Eddie Turner.?

Eddie is a motivational speaker, executive coach, and consultant with the global HR company Linkage, but he began his career in IT,?joining a major corporation in Chicago back when the internet was new and anyone who understood how it worked was viewed as offbeat but necessary. “In the early days, employers weren’t looking for an IT degree,

they were looking for a certificate, which I quickly got. I had real skills and worked hard to outperform my peers, because my parents had drilled it into me that, as a Black person, I had to be the best if I wanted to have a chance. It wasn’t long before I was running the CEO’s meetings and everyone was telling me how valuable I was.”

Eddie, however, had a desire not just for excellence, but to lead. “That came from knowing how many people behind me had no opportunities. I believed that if I could aspire to leadership, I should try. So I began pushing for a job that would put me on a leadership track. But I kept getting the same response:?even though I had the skills and experience, nothing was going to happen unless I got a degree.”

Eddie applied to several Chicago-area colleges, basing his potential choices on convenience and affordability. “When I told my boss what I was doing, he gave me some of the best advice of my life. He said, ‘You go to school to get an education, but you also go to build a network. That’s just as important. You’re in Chicago, which means you want to go to Northwestern.’”

Eddie did so. And when he got his degree, he resumed pushing for a job that would position him for leadership in his company. To his surprise, he continued to get turned down.

“Previously, I’d always told that I had the experience but not the degree. Now that I had the degree, I was told I didn’t have the experience! It felt very unfair and was hard to process emotionally. But the response I got made it clear that I needed to find another employer if I wanted to rise and to test out my full potential.”

Eddie decided the best way to get started was to attend the regular networking events that Northwestern offered its graduates. He not only attended, he got active— offering to run them, handling the IT, suggesting topics, and recruiting fellow graduates.

He became, in master leadership coach?Bill Carrier’s?definition, a contributor.

Eddie’s efforts drew the attention of one of the group’s leaders. “After one of our meetings, a man named Bob Dean came up and offered to be my mentor. As it turned out, he was a senior VP at the search firm Heidrick & Struggles. “Bob told me, ‘My gray hair will open doors for you.’ And that’s what happened. He had access to powerful people and he introduced me, vouched for me and became my advocate. He helped me develop the connections I needed to stand on my own.”

Although Eddie’s Northwestern degree didn’t get him the promotion he’d expected, it ultimately gave him something more valuable: the network he needed to position himself as a potential leader. It also gave him a networking orientation that transformed his understanding of how to effectively pursue his goals.

Eddie says, “That experience taught me that your connections are your most important asset, and a key part of how people see you in the world. So I’ve continued to build and expand them no matter what else I am doing. Right now, I’m a member of the National Speakers Association, the American Society for Training & Development, the International Coaching Federation, and the 100 Coaches Network.”

And as with his Northwestern alumni group, Eddie doesn’t simply join. “I look at how I can play an active role. I volunteer to lead meetings. I identify people I want to know better and follow up with them one-on-one. I make a point of asking how I can help them. So now I have this big, rich, diverse, and ever-expanding network that helps me and all the people I’m connected with. Social media has only made this network more powerful. And it’s made it much easier to keep in touch.”

Eddie prizes his healthy networks because of their positive focus. “I avoid conversations where people find common ground by complaining or talk about how powerless they feel,” he says, describing the typical grapevine orientation. “I think it’s counterproductive because it undermines your motivation. And in my experience strong motivation goes hand in hand with a commitment to excellence. Staying positive is essential.”

Eddie notes that whenever he feels tempted to gripe about the unfairness of a situation, he thinks of someone like Jackie Robinson. “I know I’ve never gone through anything like he and the people in his time did, so their stories fortify me. They had so much grit. And they made it possible for someone like me to be where I am. Also, you can’t see the impact of your path when you’re on it, so you never know when your enthusiasm might help someone else. That’s why getting active in a network is so important. By banding together, you make life better for everyone.”