The Accidental Networker

It's a toss-up between caffeine and networking as to which is the primary energy source for entrepreneurs.  But the genome of every entrepreneur includes a networking gene - check out the research - QED.

We all know and appreciate the importance of entrepreneurial ecosystems.  We stress this to our students from the first day they arrive on campus.  It is remarkably easy to network in our business community, and is a critically important part of the experience of our students as they get their educational experience.

But, surprisingly, it's not intuitive.  To some it is an intimidating thing.  To others it is too indefinite; they don't always appreciate that 2nd and 3rd degrees of separation are not an impediment, but rather a pathway to use an initial connection to lead to a second and a third before the synapses fire.

I had an experience just before the holiday that demonstrates, however, just how easy networking can be--sometimes by accident.

I was rushing late one afternoon to attend a pre-holiday reception for an organization in Boulder.  I knew roughly where it was taking place, but the names of the bars and restaurants in the area had gone through recent changes and I wasn't clear about the specific location. I reached the general area, parked, and with collar up and hat pulled down against the cold and windy weather I headed across the street, looked for a lively venue - and spotting one - entered without further thought.

Upon entering I observed that it was indeed a lively group. There were several familiar faces, and again without further thought, I accepted a drink and went looking for my first conversation.  I was almost immediately engaged in animated conversation with a number of people including students, business colleagues and familiar faculty members, but it began to slowly dawn on me that it was not the group with whom I had intended to meet. Instead I had accidentally crashed the holiday gathering of the staff, faculty, students and supporters of the Environmental Studies department--ENVS.  ENVS is one of our truly outstanding departments at CU Boulder, and our dual degree program - MBA/MS in Environmental Studies is one of our most excellent and competitive from an admissions perspective.  So I was not among strangers - but the enthusiasm with which this gate crasher was included in the celebration was in the best spirit of the networker's credo.

By the end of the evening I'd had several terrific conversations during which I'd received and offered referrals to several other folks, and enjoyed hearing and suggesting great ways in which our two schools could work even more collaboratively in addressing the world's really big challenges with sustainability. 

Happy Networking in 2010!  I can only wonder what might have happened had I arrived at the event for which I'd set out.