In this Vlog Grant asks – if someone wants to connect with you online, and you don’t know them too well – should you refuse?
If someone wants to connect with you online and you don’t know them too well, should you refuse?
Well, there may be a reason why you don’t want to do that.
You see, there is an importance in the power of weak ties. When you only hang out with people who you know very well, you tend to bottle up information. In other words, you know the same things. You know the same people. If there’s a job going somewhere down the road, the likelihood is your friends know it but you know it, too.
Whereas, when you accept weak ties into your network, those people are likely to know things that you have no idea about, information you’ve never heard of, people you’ve never met and, therefore, jobs, opportunities, and other things of which you would be completely unaware.
Of course, no one is suggesting that you shouldn’t be forming deep relationships with people.
However by accepting weak ties into your networking, in business when you’re looking for jobs, opportunities, and innovations, weak ties can often bring that to the table.
I’m not suggesting that perhaps you should connect with everyone but I am saying that when you get a request that comes from left field, you shouldn’t dismiss it out of hand.
While we all understand the power of deep and meaningful relationships, actually weak ties can open up worlds you’ve never previously explored.
There may be small changes to the spoken word in this transcript in order to facilitate the readability of the written English
Comments
Totally agree Grant. If you are not open to ‘connect’ – then there is no potential to communicate and collaborate. Understanding that the real value of networking, is not necessarily doing business / learning from / seizing an opportunity with that particular person, but more so with his or her extended network. Great Vlog.
Thank you for your comment Austin. I agree. There is real value in being open.
Too right Grant. it’s like marketing ‘per se’… the more you share, within reason, the more you put out there, assuming relevance, the more you get back. So, the more people you know and who know you the more visible you become…. but you know all that, you wrote the book!!!
Absolutely Chris! What is more, today every member of your community is a channel because they have their own media.
Some amazing things happen when you keep an open mind!!.
Absolutely! Thanks Chris