Whether it’s making some changes in the office or fighting to keep your job, it’s good to have a support network. Sylvia Ann Hewlett, author of Forget a Mentor, Find a Sponsor, reckons that her “2+1 Rule” of networking can give you the help you need in any situation.
The ideal life raft, research from the Center for Talent Innovation shows, consists of three sponsors: In organisations with fewer than 10 people, you’re best served by having one sponsor within the firm and two outside of it in the same industry; in larger firms, you’ll want one outsider and two insiders — one in your line of sight and one in a different department or division. This “2+1 Rule” pertains for every career stage, from entry level to executive.
Ideally, these sponsors should be independent of each other, so that any work calamity affecting one doesn’t drag the others — or you — down with them.
This kind of diverse support gotten by building a professional network should ensure you can survive any threat, whether internal or external.
To Diversify Your Network, Follow the 2+1 Rule [Harvard Business Review]
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