The Power of Weak Ties

As we zoom into the halfway point for 2023, it’s a good time to pause and reflect on the year so far. How are you doing on your personal and professional goals??If you’re like most folks, there have been enough plot twists and pivots in 2023 to make your head spin.

So what’s next??The answer may lie with people you haven’t yet met. At the 2023 Business Agility Conference, we explored the power of social networks in “Beyond Kotter:?It’s Time to Change How We Change” — one of the most impactful sessions of the event.

First described in 1973 by Harvard-trained sociologist Mark Granovetter in?The Strength of Weak Ties, social networks contain a variety of relationships or connections characterized by their strength.?“Strong ties” are deep connections with your family, coworkers, and colleagues who know you well, share common history and perspectives, and frequently interact.?“Weak ties” are acquaintances or perhaps even a stranger you meet at a conference or online.

Surprisingly,?intentionally cultivating weak ties can lead to greater opportunities and richer outcomes?than just relying on your strongest immediate connections.?

Why?

Sharing ideas with someone new may offer diverse perspectives beyond “what everyone knows” in your close inner circle. You may receive more authentic feedback, and your new connection may become a bridge to their own network of strong ties - yielding more opportunities.?

In fact,?a recent study of 20 million people on LinkedIn over a 5-year period of time demonstrates that weak ties have a greater impact on job mobility than stronger connections.?

In other words, your next job or business opportunity is more likely to come from your friend’s friend, the person seated next to you at a conference, or the group you chatted with at the online meetup.?

So how do you tap into the power of weak-ties??Here are a few ideas

• Be open to invitations to connect.?We’ve all been spammed by folks looking to push their agenda under the guise of networking.?Don’t let that keep you from building new, authentic connections with others in the spirit of contribution.
• Try something new.??Attend an event, take a course, or read a book outside your usual focus-bubble.?What does 19th-century orchid horticulture have to do with business agility??Who knows! Nothing??Everything??If it sparks your imagination, it’s worth a look.
• Seek out differences.?New ideas and opportunities take root in the well-cultivated soil of diversity.?Step out beyond “group-think” to explore new ideas and experiences, even if just for a brief conversation.
• Bring your curiosity, not an agenda.?Begin with a desire to learn about the other person, not to advance your specific objective.?You never know what you’ll learn when. I recently got advice on teaching my kitten to stop biting me from someone who connected to talk about our research.

So what will the balance of 2023 bring us all??It’s hard to guess what may emerge next.?By creating more weak-ties in your network, you may discover a new idea to solve an organizational challenge, receive a new business opportunity, or help your kitten grow from land-shark to snuggle muffin.?

There’s strength in weak ties.?