Essay 09

Your Network Isn't Your Audience. It's Your Distribution Channel.

I often ask executives a question they've never considered. "If I called five people you've worked with over the past ten years, what would they say you do?" Most people smile. Then they pause. Not because they don't know what they've done. Because they realise the five answers would probably be different. That is a problem.

Most executives think networking is about meeting more people. I don't. I think networking is about making your message travel. That may sound like marketing. That's because it is. When we launched products at Procter & Gamble, we never expected every customer to see our advertising. The goal wasn't reach. The goal was memorability. Could someone remember the message? Repeat it? Recommend it? That's how brands grow. And I believe careers work the same way.

Imagine you're not in the room. A former colleague is talking to a CEO. Your name comes up. What do you want them to say? Not everything. One thing. The one thing you want to become known for. Most executives make that impossible. Their introduction is too long. Too broad. Too detailed. Too difficult to remember. Your network cannot advocate for a message it cannot repeat.

Think about the conversations that create opportunities. "I know someone who's brilliant at scaling international businesses." "You should speak to her. She's the person companies call when they need to turn around underperforming divisions." Those messages travel. They are clear. Specific. Easy to remember. Now compare that with: "She has twenty-three years of international experience across multiple industries with strong stakeholder management and transformation expertise..." Accurate? Probably. Repeatable? Not really.

One of the biggest lessons I brought from brand management into executive hiring is this: A message doesn't spread because it is complete. It spreads because it is memorable. That doesn't mean oversimplifying your career. It means identifying the one idea people should associate with you. Because networking isn't about explaining everything you've done. It's about making one idea easy enough for someone else to carry.

The strongest brands can be described in one sentence. Not because the business is simple. Because the positioning is clear. Your career deserves the same clarity. Your network isn't responsible for understanding your entire career. It is responsible for remembering one compelling idea about you. And when they remember it... They repeat it. When they repeat it... Opportunities begin to move without you being in the room. That's when networking starts working. Not because more people know you. Because more people can explain you.