The Power of Peer Networks

J. Kelly Hoey
2 min readJul 30, 2020

Well. Seems that humans are not the only social “creatures” who benefit from peer networks. Researchers at Georgetown University and Duke University report that young dolphins need to “network” with their peers — to socialize, forge bonds and learn skills that will make them successful adult dolphins (success = survival strategies!).

Peer networks are typically overlooked or reluctantly embraced in our hyper-competitive world, rather than being viewed as a source of support and competitive advantage.

If someone stopped you to ask “what’s most important to you right now?” you’d likely list friends, colleagues, classmates, co-workers — — you’d say relationships when competition for a job, promotion or other recognition could beg to differ. Actions speak louder than sentimental statements. When operating in an environment with so many factors outside of your control, why don’t you firmly take control of what you can control:

  • how you interact with or show up for others
  • when you choose to share or pass along information

What to listen for in this episode of the #BYDN podcast:

  • 00:38 The glass is refillable: what does this mean for networking?
  • 02:11 Why is it so important to cultivate your network amongst your peers?
  • 04:00 Guidance for networking with peers
  • 04:32 Build your dream network challenges

“Peer networks are your career success strategy.”

My #BYDN networking ask! If you enjoyed this week’s podcast (or frankly any of the episodes of the Build Your Dream Network podcast that you’ve listened to), could you:

  1. Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes/Apple Podcasts or Spotify or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.
  2. Rate the podcast (5 stars please!) on iTunes/Apple Podcasts (and if you really feel like going crazy, write a review too!).

Subscribing, rating and writing reviews has a big impact, in terms of podcast discoverability by new listeners as well as promotion by podcast platforms. So thank you (in advance) for taking the time to listen to my podcast and for rating/reviewing it.

--

--

J. Kelly Hoey

Design the career you’re destined to have around the relationships you’re building today // Facilitator + Strategic Advisor + Coach + Author