Living and working in Silicon Valley means that I’ve got an immense network of friends at the various companies here. \u00a0I came to VMware on a friend’s recommendation, so I started off knowing someone in the company. \u00a0I soon discovered that a couple of other people whom I’d fallen out of contact with are here. \u00a0Of course, there are also friends of friends. \u00a0I even got a Twitter introduction to someone on the Fusion team. \u00a0The network effect is immense.<\/p>\n
I’ve been leveraging my network to help me acclimatize<\/a>. \u00a0There’s a lot to learn, and much of what I need to learn isn’t something that you pick up through online training or in a meeting. \u00a0The real learning, about what makes the company tick and how everything fits together, happens in hallway conversations or over lunch.<\/p>\n They say that most people find a new job as a result of networking. \u00a0This is true, but it only goes so far. \u00a0Networking doesn’t stop when you get the job. \u00a0You learn about your new job through networking too. \u00a0The first few weeks at a new job are about extending your network. \u00a0If someone says that they want to have lunch, I take them up on it. \u00a0If a friend offers to introduce me to someone here, I follow through on that. \u00a0In these conversations, we figure out how our networks already collide. \u00a0We strengthen these ties, and create new ones.<\/p>\n My theory is that networking makes it easier to become a productive member of a new team. \u00a0I’m trying to execute on that theory now. \u00a0Check in with me in a few months to see how my theory stood up to reality.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Living and working in Silicon Valley means that I’ve got an immense network of friends at the various companies here. \u00a0I came to VMware on a friend’s recommendation, so I started off knowing someone in the company. \u00a0I soon discovered that a couple of other people whom I’d fallen out of contact with are here. … Continue reading the network effect<\/span>