Connect With Your Tribe – Tight Relationships.  Whether someone is in your personal network or professional ecosystem depends on how tight the relationship is. Commit to a limited number of very close allies and professional friends. Your personal network has only tight relationships. These are people you know, like, and trust. It is sustained on mutual integrity, quality conversations, and trust that holds up over time. Your personal network develops out of loose-tie relationships with employees, customers, online connections, mentors, colleagues – your ecosystem. Build and nurture these relationships. This is your professional tribe. Cultivate these tight relationships professionally and authentically. Expand emotional bandwidth with these trusted people. 

Your Extended Reach.  Your professional ecosystem is a circle of reciprocity, your extended reach. It includes those who are in the best position to elevate your career path, even if you haven’t met them yet. It includes Google Hangout circle members based on shared interests, virtual and quite loose. It includes individuals you don’t want to be closely affiliated with, such as “frenemies” and professional competitors. It reaches out to colleagues you worked tightly with but no longer do, moving them into an ecosystem loose-tie relationship. It includes people you meet at networking events and professional circles. It can extend to school mates, neighbors and friends.

Ask for stuff.   Research suggests that a very good method for deepening a friendship and smoothing over a conflict may be to ask for help. It turns out we feel good about helping others, yet we worry no one wants to help us. When we ask for something, we tend to focus too intently on our concern about seeming weak or that people won’t want to help. Most actually enjoy helping others, and even those who don’t feel social pressure to say yes to requests. Help others in their careers, and ask for help with yours.

Find your Passion for Others.  Commit to people, especially those you genuinely like and respect. It’s okay not to care for some people; that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be compassionate, respectful, and considerate. Our professional future is built on relationship. It defines how we value our professional relationships. We need people who know and trust us to be a competent team player. Don’t be one of those people who reach out only when in need. Talented professionals severely limit their ability to collaborate effectively when they lead for themselves and forget it took a team to make them the professionals they have become.