Joe Gerstandt | keynote speaker, freedom fighter, freak-flag flier

In my last post I talked about the value of diversity in your network of relationships and “The Social Origin of Good Ideas.” Here is another way to take a swing at this issue: Take a few minutes and conduct the following social network analysis. (These questions come from Achieving Success Through Social Capital by Wayne Baker.)

For each of these questions write down up to five names, and do not write down anybody’s name more than once:

one | From time to time people discuss important matters with other people. Looking back over the past six months, who are the people with whom you discussed matters important to you?

two | Consider the people you communicate with in order to get your work done. Of all the people you have communicated with during the past six months, who has been the most important for getting your work done?

three | Consider an important project or initiative that you are involved in. Consider the people who would be influential for getting it approved or in obtaining the resources you need. Who would you talk to, to get the support you need?

four | Who do you socialize with? (Spending time with people after work hours, visiting one another at home, going to social events or out for meals, and so on.) Over the past six months, who are the main people with whom you have socialized informally?

So, you end up with a list of 10 or 15 or 20 people. You might not have ever thought about this group of people before. You might not even like some of them. But, they play an important role in your life. They represent one of those filters around you.

So … if you understand how and why diversity is valuable to you, this list is one of the places that you should want it. Take a look at your list of names and see how much difference there is. Race, ethnicity, gender, profession, educational background, nation of origin, age, religion, politics, different working styles, worldviews, etc.

You may be an exception, but for most folks this is a lot like looking in the mirror. We tend to surround ourselves with people who look and think and talk and walk a lot like we do.

Again, pretty easy to fix and it does not involve eliminating any of these people from your life. I am not suggesting there is anything wrong with any of the people on your list.

But if you want more diversity in your network of relationships, then you have to start going to different places. You will know that you are doing it when you feel uncomfortable. Be intentional about putting yourself in new and different places with your social time, your professional development time, your volunteer time … If you consistently do that, more diversity will come into your networks naturally.

Be good to each other.