The Art of Connection: What Actually Helps You Grow
As we close out this month's theme, here are my main takeaways:
1. You need both strong and weak ties
The quote "you become like the 5 people closest to you" most often to Jim Rohn is not exactly true, mostly because it doesn’t stop at 5 people. But there is some research backing it, e.g. you’re more likely to work out if your close friends work out. Part of why it's a great idea to surround yourself with brilliant Movi members.
But weak ties, acquaintances, people just outside your circle, people in different industries are actually more valuable for growth/change. Because your strong ties know what you know. They move in the same circles. They read the same news. Weak ties bridge you to new worlds. They give you access to information, to perspectives, to opportunities you would never find in your inner circle.
We need both. We need the inner circle for safety and to normalize a culture that is helpful to us and the outer circle, the weak ties for expansion.
We're building for both at Movi.
2. Kian Beyzavi's POV framework from Mosaic Series
So many great takeaways, but here’s one on connecting with people at work. POV: Parallelize, add Orthogonality, then Vector:
First, parallel someone's thinking to build psychological safety. Then add a perpendicular view (disagreement) to expand the horizon. Finally, vector: what direction do we go next?
You can book 1:1 office hours with Kian here: https://meetings.hubspot.com/movi/office-hours-with-kian?uuid=4e438e2c-df99-4d60-920d-4b77d856b03d
3. Having a bedrock person
An insight from our Salon Dinner, I believe from deepak puri: Jobs change. Houses change. Having one person who doesn’t, whether that's a spouse or a few long-term friendships, is really special.
4. Being “good energy”
A friend of Tim Foley recently gave me the book “Unreasonable Hospitality”. A quote from that book that I’m practicing this month: "Let your energy impact the people you’re talking to, as opposed to the other way around."
What did you learn this month about the Art and Science of Connection?