Mandatory Cocktail Hour

Sanyin Siang is the Executive Director of Coach K Center of Leadership and Ethics, Duke University, a Professor in the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke, an executive coach and author.  Sanyin and I spoke about a mutual dislike of the term 'reverse mentor', the message sent by the questions you ask when getting to know someone, and her experience building an organization in a networked world over the last fifteen years. 

Scott Johnson is the founder of the Frogpants Podcast Network and a host of 9 podcasts including The Morning Stream, the Instance, Current Geek and Filmsack.    Scott has won multiple awards for his podcasts and was inducted into the Academy of Podcasters Hall of Fame in 2018.  Scott and I talked about his intuitive process for bringing people into his network and his idea that 'you get the chat room you deserve' We also spoke about how he built an event to help build community - Nerdtacular.  

Edwin Reyes is a Coastal Management Administrator on the island of Guam.  We speak about working in a job that is networked by design, the ups and downs of networks on a small island, and ways that he is an energizer in his own work networks.

This is a new kind of eposide - instead of an interview, it is a practicum on what to do during Mandatory Cocktail Hours in real life.  It is inspired by a linkedin post I published a few years ago: http://www.thenetworkedleader.com/blog/2016/2/4/uncommonalities-your-secret-to-surviving-mandatory-social-hour

  David Graham is a writer for The Atlantic Magazine.  I speak with him about the unique nature of career progress in journalism,the realities of Washington DC cocktail parties and the power of finding good mentors.

  Hayes is a North Carolina sports media personality: Lead Anchor at Sports Channel 8, North Carolina's only all-internet sports station; Announcer for the Carolina Mudcats Minor League Baseball Team and general Raleigh/Durham advocate.  Hayes and I talked about the power of diverse networks at a young age, how he handles people that only want to talk sports, how he learned to ask for things when he was a radio show booker and more.

Brian Brushwood is the co-host of The Modern Rogue, half of the Billboard #1 "Night Attack" comedy album team, and according to his website, "Some kind of Wizard" Brian and I talk about how he creates a culture of collaboration and excellence in his company, his philosophy for when to connect with dormant ties, how old competitors can become partners and more.

Charlie Green is a speaker, consultant and the author of The Trusted Advisor.  Charlie and I talk about trust in network connections, curious members of his support network, the network of trusted advisors and more. 

Kathleen Minogue is the Founder and CEO of Crowdfund Better, a firm that advises people and organizations on their crowdfunding efforts on sights like Kickstarter and Indiegogo. Kathleen and I talked about how the network in crowdfunding is about connections and not a contact list, how mentors shaped her career, and the importance of trust in crowdfunding. 

Todd Etter is the Chief Collaboration Officer at The Motley Fool.  We discuss collaboration and connection, and some of the techniques 'The Fool' uses to enhance that, including playing together and mobile desks.  We also discuss how being in an organization for almost 2 decades affects your network, positively and negatively. 

Rob Foster is the founder and owner of RBF Fitness in Cranston, Rhode Island.  We talk about the power of asking for help, how is network influenced his entrepreneurial journey, and learning and teaching in a community.

 Anna Hickabee Tull is a life coach and custom song crafter.  WE talk about connecting, hedging who you are, and authenticity.  For more info, go to www.thenetworkedleader.com

Sheila Heen is cofounder of Triad Consulting Group, Lecturer at Harvard Law School and coauthor of Difficult Conversations and Thanks for the Feedback.

Doug Stone talks about the difficult conversations in our networks, and how friendship and work sometimes go together and sometimes don't.   Go to thenetworkedleader.com for more info. 

Debbie Goldstein is Principal and Managing Director at Triad Consulting Group.  She teaches communication and conflict resolution all over the world for top organizations. Debbie and I spoke a lot about friendship and its influence on our networks, including how she started her job at Triad.  Enjoy!

Cathy Salit, Co-Founder of Performance of a Lifetime, author of Breakthrough Performance, talks about improvising your way into connections.  Networking Improvising Leadership Performance  

An overview of Mandatory Cocktail Hour: the companion podcast to The Networked Letter and The Networked Leader book (in progress)   This is a series of interviews with interesting people at various stages of their careers, examining their experiences with cultivating networks and how those experiences link to the science of social networks.  Interviews are exploratory, and conversations range widely.  To learn more, go to www.thenetworkedleader.com and sign up for the newsletter