(What in the Heck is) Unintentional Networking

Let me start here: In case I've never said it to you in person...thank you for being part of my network.

Last week I went to the HIMSS Annual Conference. It’s fun, exciting, and exhausting. 40-something-thousand people, and all of them have a better idea about how to improve healthcare.

This was my twenty-ish HIMSS conference. Over the years, and over the course of my career, I’ve gotten to know lots and lots of really spectacular people in this industry, and they all seem to show up at this one event every year. It’s great to see them, catch up, and talk about for the future.

On day-one, while travelling through one of the hotel casinos with another colleague, I crossed paths with a fellow CIO, who was trying to find the registration desk. “It’s over there,” I pointed. “You’re one minute away!”

“I can’t find anything, ever, in Vegas – good thing I happened across you,” he said, exasperated. Then he joked, “You’re not going charge me for that call last week even though I told you to, are you?” The previous week we’d spend 20 minutes on the phone puzzling out an issue he was having at his health system.

“Nope.”

“Or for the advice on how to find the registration desk?”

“Nope.”

“I love it. But hey, seriously, let’s meet up later, I have a problem I know you can help me with, and I’ll actually pay you for this one,” he said.

“Sound good. You’ve got my number -- Just yell,” I told him.

The colleague who was with me jokingly complained, “Are you running for office or something – seems like you can’t go fifty feet without somebody stopping you for a quick chat!”

For me, that’s “networking” in a nutshell. I’ve spent 30 years getting to know all these people. I’ve helped them, and they’ve helped me. I’ve done presentations with them. And we’re in the audience rooting for each other when one or the other is on-stage. All of it done with no expectations. We don't secretly keep score. I like to say that I do it for karma-credits. And, as the luckiest man alive, I’m living proof that it all comes back to you when you least expect it.

I’ve tried to other version of networking. When I was younger, I would go to all the appropriate parties, and do my best to meet the right people, and say something memorable. But as an introvert, I found it exhausting. 

I liked work. I liked being creative. I wanted to make healthcare better. Turns out, if you do what comes naturally, the networking part will happen unintentionally.

“Unintentional networking” – my friend, Chris Vrooman calls it “Networking Without A Purpose” – came to me primarily through volunteer work. I can’t begin to list the committees, task-forces, and work-groups, and boards I’ve been a part of at HIMSS, CHIME, and ACHE. Now, years later, I’m beginning to realize how many of you I know (and love!) because of the work we’ve done together to make healthcare better, faster, cheaper, safer, and easier-to-access for patients and families.

Through this work, I’ve been able to learn a bit about you, your background, what you’re an expert at, how you work, and what makes you happy. You’ve picked up the same insights about me. 

And, naturally – unintentionally – that networking has turned us into trusted colleagues, fans, and friends.

One of my favorite books is Adam Grant’s “Give and Take” (with a quick shout out to Jeremy Schwach, who sent me the Kindle edition of the book out of the blue because, in his words, “I read this book about you – you need to read it too.”)

I won’t spoil it for you, but when it comes to your hard-earned knowledge and skill, don’t be afraid to give some of it away. The payback will be enormous.

Turns out, life’s a lot more fun when you spend it trying to figure out how you can help!

OK, your turn, what’s one of your favorite network stories? Post your comments below, or feel free to drop me a message!

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Hey, want to see what Chris Vrooman wrote about this week as part of our endless pursuit of Empathy-powered healthcare, technology, and innovation? Click here!

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You can always find me at www.drex.io

You can trust a leader who has been in your shoes! Drex DeFord has spent nearly 30 years leading some of the nation’s most respected health systems. As a digital health leader, he works with health systems, vendor-partners, start-ups, and investors, associations, and boards. He understands competing priorities. Strained resources. The pressure to differentiate your services, distinguish your brand, demonstrate value, and the drive to find ways to deliver better, faster, cheaper, safer, easier-to-access care to patients and families. All amid seismic changes in our industry. 

You’re busy. Let drex help. 

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