When it comes to the reputation economy there are two key elements that seem to need more focus – personal branding, and networks. I’ve written about personal branding before, so will only summarise it now, by starting with the best definition, as crafted by Jeff Bezos, Amazon
“Your personal brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room”
Ultimately the definition is: how we market ourselves to others.
This is done consciously or subconsciously. You already have a brand. Whether you are actively promoting a well-defined brand or hardly communicating anything about it, people perceive who you are and what you do, based on the information available.
Their views can be shaped by what you’ve said, done, shared or liked online, how you’ve behaved, how others acted towards you, your digital footprint, the words you use, your body language, what comes up when you’re Googled, what old colleagues, friends, ex-lovers, family say about you. The power is in knowing this, and owning your authentic brand. Networks is the topic I wanted to cover in more depth now though.
Networks and Connection
Degrees of Connection
We all know about the 6degrees of separation theory, and how in New Zealand, it’s more like two degrees (hence the name of the NZ telco 2degrees). In the 1960s social psychologist Stanley Milgram researched the ”small-world problem” which was based on the hypothesis that everyone on the planet is connected by just a few intermediaries. He tested this with an experiment where hundreds of people had to get letters to one particular person, with only limited details about that person. When Milgram looked at the letters that reached the target, he found that they had changed hands only about six times.
In 2011, a study by Facebook found that its users were separated by an average of 4.57 degrees.
What this ultimately means though is that our networks and connections, are smaller than we realise. While the number isn’t exact, we know it’s between 2-10 degrees, and the implications of this are what is interesting. It means that our networks are powerful - people can learn about us easily, and we can access knowledge, people and opportunities if we seek them out.
Depth of Connection
Way back in 1809, Johann Wolfgang Goethe appears to be one of the first to write about human ties, his 1809 novella, Elective Affinities, Goethe discussed the "marriage tie". The book’s title is drawn from science – it’s an analogy to show how strong marriages are like particles of quicksilver (mercury), which find unity through the process of chemical affinity. Chemical affinity is a scientific term which refers to chemicals combining with certain substances over others.
In the 1960’s Mark Granovetter published The Strength of Weak Ties. Interestingly this was his second attempt at being published, he was rejected the first time around, and this is now recognized as one of the most influential sociology papers ever written.
He talks about ‘ties’ between people, which are essentially information-carrying connections between people. He also codifies these into three groups based on the strength of the tie, and the strength is developed through “a combination of the amount of time, the emotional intensity, the intimacy (mutual confiding)”.
Strong ties
Are those with people have a deeper engagement and connection with. They take time to build. These people know about us, we know about them, we’d feel comfortable catching up for a coffee or calling on the phone. Often, our strong ties are a socially cohesive group (read, we like each other and are alike) - moving in the same circles, investing time the same ways, so the flow of information may be limited to these areas.
Weak ties
The majority of social connections are weak. They are also hugely beneficial in that the more novel, new and interesting information is shared through these networks, likely due to the broader range of people and therefore areas of interest and discussion. Interestingly it’s been said that “The more weak ties we have, the more connected to the world we are and are more likely to receive important information about ideas, threats and opportunities in time to respond to them.”
Absent ties
Granovetter gives the example of "nodding" relationships between people living on the same street as an absent tie. Interestingly though “the fact that two people may know each other by name does not necessarily qualify the existence of a weak tie.”
Social media influencers are a good example of absent ties – people choose to follow them, but can then choose to engage more deeply, which if reciprocated can create a weak tie. And with increased interaction could become a strong tie. It’s this reach though, the sheer volume of absent and weak ties that create their network and enable them to have some degree of influence.
Power of Weak Ties
The power of weak ties, is also the power of diversity – the broader range of people and their interests, the broader the experiences and conversation, which is crucial for innovation and growth as individuals and in organisations.
The research from Granovetter and subsequent studies also shows that most jobs were found through "weak" acquaintances. While that’s not always the case, as the link to jobs via weak ties was more common in more affluent and developed social circles and individuals, and that communities and people who had longer periods of unemployment were more likely to find work through stronger ties. Broadly though, it’s the weaker ties that often help connect people and opportunities.
Social networks
Are social networks, real networks? Yes. Largely, social media has given us a larger group of ‘weak ties’. If we’re managing our personal reputations well, we connect with those we meet that align with our values and add something to our networks. Some become part of our closer networks and we form strong ties, due to the nature of the communication. Some connections remain as weaker ties, and the power of this is that our news feed is filtered with broader topics and opinions, and as we learn and grow, again some weaker ties develop further. If we actively participate on these platforms in an authentic, respectful and constructive way, ties develop.
It also means that our personal brands are even more important, as while the degree of connection hasn’t changed materially over time, the ability to connect with anyone in our network has grown. With highly visible digital profiles, what we share, like, state and endorse casts a shadow on our own brand. If you consider work based opportunities as one example, people can readily see shared connections on LinkedIn and have conversations about you with others.
‘Social influencer’ is an interesting term, as we are all social influencers unless we completely abstain from any form of social media and if you’re reading this, I know you’re not in that camp. The focus on this today comes from the size of the network these influencers have, the reach and impact they can have. It’s often used for marketing and brand endorsements, but the example of Kylie Jenner’s statement about Twitter resulting in a near-instant $1Billion reduction in their market cap shows that endorsing or critiquing has an impact and reminds us that they are called ‘influencers’ not ‘promoters’, which means the upside and down side need to be considered.
Also important if you are an ‘influencer’ to be authentic, and to provide honest commentary. At times, this may include comments that are disapproving or discussing elements that you don’t endorse too, as the power you have as an influencer is less about the products or brands you talk about, but is anchored firmly in your own personal brand, and the network that’s associated with that. People smell disingenuous words and actions a mile away and it’s easy to ‘unlike’, so authenticity online and offline is essential for credible personal brands, regardless of whether you ‘influence’ 10 people or 10 million people.
This theory has implications for all of us, especially if we’re interested in leadership, affecting change, marketing and sales, and seeking new job opportunities.
Key Takeouts
- Your reputation is your currency - know and manage your personal brand
- We are connected to almost anyone by somewhere between 2-10 degrees
- Be authentic and be respectful to people – you don’t know who they know
- Fostering a diverse network is a smart move
- Seeking new opportunities – connect with your network
- Invest in your network – share ideas, engage in conversations, ask questions, be active
