This One Habit Will Unlock Your Career Progression
Why People Who Network Outside Their Bubble Get Promoted 3x Faster
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I've been thinking a lot about career growth lately.
For years, the formula seemed simple.
Do great work, develop your skills, impress your boss, get promoted. That's the path most of us follow.
But after looking into how promotions actually happen, I found something interesting in some MIT data that made me question this entire approach.
What Actually Drives Promotions
MIT's Human Dynamics Lab equipped professionals with electronic badges to track their daily interactions. When they analyzed the data against promotion rates, a clear pattern emerged:
People who regularly connected with professionals outside their immediate company were promoted at three times the rate of those who primarily networked within their own professional bubble.
Not technical expertise. Not hours worked. Not even having a great relationship with your direct manager.
It was the diversity of their professional relationships that made the difference.
When I saw this, I immediately thought about certain colleagues who've moved up quickly despite not being the strongest technical performers. Their common trait? They know people across different companies, workstreams, and professional circles.
Why External Connections Matter
This data actually makes a lot of sense when you think about it.
When you only talk to people within your company, you develop a limited viewpoint. You approach problems the same way, use the same frameworks, and develop the same blind spots.
But conversations with people in extended networks bring fresh perspectives. Last month, a casual chat with a client of one of our existing partners changed how I was approached one of my biggest bottlenecks. They had experience with similar challenges in a different context, which gave me a solution I never would have considered if I'd only talked to my immediate circle.
These external connections seem to work because they expose you to entirely different ways of thinking. They also connect you to opportunities and information that simply don't circulate within your existing team or professional circle.
Building a Diverse Network
After seeing this data, I've been more intentional about expanding my professional circle beyond just marketing people at my company.
I joined an online community for professionals called Safary. The conversations there have exposed me to challenges and solutions I never would have encountered otherwise.
I've started attending events where I know I'll meet people from completely different bubbles.
The key seems to be approaching these connections with real curiosity rather than just collecting contacts. When you're genuinely interested in understanding different perspectives, people respond positively.
Changes I've Noticed
It's been a couple months of making this shift, and I'm seeing some interesting effects:
The most immediate benefit has been gaining shortcuts through others' experience. Problems I would have had to solve through trial and error were often already solved by people outside my company. A single conversation has saved me weeks of work multiple times now.
There's also a clarity that comes from explaining your work to someone without your company's shared context. When you can't rely on internal jargon or assumptions, you're forced to articulate your thinking more precisely, which often reveals flaws or opportunities you hadn't considered.
What's surprised me most is how these external conversations help separate signal from noise. When you're deep in your company's ecosystem, it's hard to tell which challenges are unique to your situation and which are fundamental to the work itself. Outside perspectives quickly highlight what actually matters.
A Simple Way Forward
If you want to apply this approach to your own career, here's how to get started:
Set a goal to connect with two new people outside your company each week. This is enough to build momentum without becoming overwhelming.
Keep your outreach messages short and specific. People appreciate when you respect their time. A brief note explaining why you're interested in their work and suggesting a 15-20 minute conversation is often most effective.
Show genuine interest by doing a little homework before connecting. Reference something specific about their work rather than sending generic messages.
Leverage your existing network as a starting point. Ask current connections, "Who's the most interesting person you've spoken with recently?" Those second-degree connections often lead to the most valuable conversations.
Be prepared with 2-3 thoughtful questions when you do connect. This ensures the conversation is productive and demonstrates that you value their expertise.
Follow up with a brief thank you noting something specific you found valuable from the conversation. This small gesture significantly increases the likelihood of maintaining the relationship.
Remember that networking isn't about collecting contacts—it's about building a brain trust of people whose perspectives complement your own. Quality always beats quantity.
The MIT data suggests that this approach—consistently connecting with people outside your immediate professional circle—might be the highest-leverage career investment you can make.
Talk soon,
Phillip