Q&A: When to lean in

I recently received a reader’s question that I thought would be worth addressing in a Q&A post:

Do you have a systematic way or method that you use in expanding your network?

My first thought was: well, no, I just randomly show up and have a few beers with colleagues and call it a day.

So, my answer was:

No, I grow my network organically, by meeting at conferences, by working collaboratively and in committees, and sometimes by just emailing or reaching out to colleagues who have published something that called my attention.

Thinking about it in more detail, I actually think there is an added layer to this question: do we need to plan on how to expand our network?

Well, there are two parts to this:

• Legacy and impact: If you are thinking about the legacy you want to leave with your career, and the lasting impact it well make (memento mori moment style), then the people you work with, matter a lot. So, you may want to put some thought into it – but i think in expanding our network and deciding who to collaborate with, the most important is your ability to work together, and not the stellar CV of your collaborator.
• Collegiality: There is part of the idea of planning to expand your network that rubs me the wrong way. In a sense, it feels calculated, almost something an algorithm could plan for me – and in an age where algorithms take over more and more, I think there is value in the simple humanity of collegiality. I can refer to Sennett’s work on The Corrosion of Character here again. I value compassion and collegiality highly, even if it “serves no direct purpose”.

These are my two cents on building a network. Certainly not systematic – but something that brings me joy.

What do you think? How should we grow our network, if at all?