Board Networking: Why Weak Ties Might Be Your Secret Weapon Over Strong Ties

In this interconnected world, networking is not just a way to make connections; it is a tool of strategy to expand growth, innovation, and success. When we talk about board-level networking, the focus usually tends to be on building strong and close relationships. These are the people you know well and trust, and with many amongst the majority, you have deep and established connections. However, there is one domain that is often overlooked, and that can be as valuable as any other category: weak ties.

While it is important to have "strong ties” within your professional world, from the perspective of emotional support and stability, weak ties—those distant acquaintances, casual contacts, or colleagues with whom you interact infrequently—can often provide the key for unlocking new opportunities, ideas, and growth. In the following paragraphs, we will try to position and assert why weak ties can be one’s secret weapon in the universe of board networking.

Weak ties at networking events often lead to new ideas, partnerships, and board-level opportunities.

The Strength of Weak Ties:

The term "weak ties" was developed by sociologist Mark Granovetter in the 1970s, who discovered that our more distant social ties often add greater value than those close and near to us. Our "strong ties" may offer us trust and collaboration, but they tend to be embedded in the same social/professional networks. In other words, your strong ties will likely have access to the same resources and information as you do, leaving little room for new perspectives.

Conversely, weak ties are individuals not necessarily in your immediate circle of connections. They may be in a different department, a different industry, or simply not part of your day-to-day life. Weak ties, while not frequent contacts for you, when engaged with, often have access to a different set of networks, resources, and opportunities. And this is where the power of weak ties can add value.

Access to Diverse Information and Perspectives:

In any boardroom situation, having a range of information at your disposal is critical to informed, innovative decisions. Weak ties can help you access varied knowledge, insights, and ideas you may not have come across otherwise. Strong ties tend to engage with the same people and share the same information; weak ties create bridges between different networks that bring new ideas, different solutions, and fresh perspectives that can be transformative for your board strategy.

For example, a casual connection in an entirely different field or industry may provide you with an innovation or emerging trend or technology that you can apply to your own sector. Equally, a friend or former colleague that you chat with after some years may introduce you to a key contact that is valuable because it can provide help with a problem or challenge you are facing. This type of cross-pollination of ideas is extremely important in the boardroom when out-of-the-box thinking may actually support growth and leadership in new ways.

Unlocking New Opportunities:

Weak ties are also a great way for you to find new opportunities. In a business sense, your strong ties can provide you with a very limited set of options. Strong ties can, for the most part, limit you to opportunities in your current industry, whereas weak ties can open up a whole new world of opportunities, partnerships, collaborations, and even job opportunities altogether. The people you are closest to, or your strong ties, are usually all situated in your industry or your sphere of influence; your weak ties are generally the people who can link you to other markets, other companies, or job roles that you simply would not have known otherwise.

When you start to think about board-level networking (which might mean looking for your next vendor, venture, or partnership), weak ties can connect you to new opportunities for growth. Say you bump into someone you only know casually in a completely different industry, who may tell you about new deal opportunities, expansions, or partnerships in that space that might relate perfectly to what you are looking to do at your current organization. Former weak ties provide you with a chance to operate outside your zone of familiarity that will allow you to widen your knowledge base and open yourself to possibilities you would not have otherwise had.

Serendipitous Opportunities:

The possibility of serendipity is one of the distinct benefits of weak ties. These kinds of connections may not immediately seem like valuable connections when you first encounter them. After all, you just never know when a weak tie might point you to the next terrific opportunity. Maybe it is the casual conversation with someone you met at a conference, or maybe it is a random introduction to a friend of a friend. Either way, the results are often unexpected, but they turn out to be meaningful nonetheless.

This serendipity can lead to collaborative projects, joint ventures, or board positions you might not have even thought to pursue. Because weak ties often link you to people who are not in your immediate network, they can lead to an opportunity to explore a whole different realm of possibilities, one of which may surprise you.

Building Your Reputation as a Thought Leader:

Engaging with weak ties increases more than just your professional network—it grows your personal brand. The more repeated connections you make outside of your typical networks, associations, or industry, the more you begin to be perceived as a thought leader. "Someone who is connected to multiple circles of people, exposed to many perspectives, open to changing their perspective, and ultimately open to working towards the future." 

Having a reputation of being a well-rounded, connected leader can be especially valuable in the boardroom. It signals to others that you are aware of the bigger trends and conversations impacting the business world and that you are coming with an entirely unique and informed perspective. In the simplest terms, weak ties can help you establish a reputation, especially in your own boardroom, that exists beyond the scope of your own industry or immediate network, making you a global expert and a trusted advisor to the board level.

The Power of “Weak Tie Bridges”:

The advantage of weak ties is that weak ties serve as conduits to broader networks. They tie you to people and opportunities that won't be available to you in your immediate circle of strong ties. Think about weak ties as the leaves or twigs that connect some of the branches of the tree-like structure formed by strong ties. The weak-tie bridges connect you to new collaborators and new partnerships that enable you to enter wider networks that you could not access before.

In practical terms, weak ties may be the ones who help you access exclusive board meetings you could slip into, get a high-profile client before someone else does, or build cross-sector partnerships. Ultimately, weak ties are your means to ally across these different groups and to remake the dynamics of the "new terrain" you occupy so that you make a difference beyond your established network!

Balancing Strong and Weak Ties:

While there are many benefits to weak ties, don't forget the value of your strong ties. Strong ties are built on trust, reliability, and teamwork. They will help you in times of need, either in the form of support, advice, or help during a moment of crisis. Strong ties are the people you go to when you need in-depth, collaborative work. 

But weak ties have important value, too. Weak ties give you new insights, new ideas, and new opportunities that are "out of the circle" of your influences. The secret of board-level networking is to balance strong and weak ties. If you only rely on strong ties, you will miss out on new networks and new ideas. If you only have weak ties, you will be too shallow. You need to find the right balance between the two to maximize your influence, new ideas, and new opportunities.

Final Thoughts:

Weak ties in board networking are frequently overlooked or unappreciated. Yet, as previously discussed, these weak ties can provide you access to new knowledge, open unexpected doors, and help you build your reputation as an accomplished thought leader. In our interconnected world today, it's the weak ties—distant acquaintances and infrequent contacts—that will most likely act as a springboard for the growth and prospering of your career and board work going forward.

So, the next time you are at a networking event or are connecting with someone outside your inner circle, just think: believe these weak ties could ultimately be the connections that bring your career to a whole new level and help you land what turns out to be your next big opportunity. Use weak ties as an advantage in board networking!