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Zach Hamed, CEO of Clay | Your Network Is Your Superpower
Zach Hamed on Turning Pro Episode #28 | Networking, authenticity, and genuine relationships
Ben Sharf
April 09, 2024
This week on Turning Pro, we were joined by Zach Hamed. Zach is the founder at Clay, helping over 100 million people manage their relationships — from small, personal-use accounts to professionals and executives of big name brands like Nike, Disney, and Coca-Cola!
The top 9 highlights from this week's episode:
Your network is your superpower, so take the time to grow and maintain a deep, diverse circle. It may seem tedious, but the rewards on the backend are worth it.
Relationships built on genuine interest in others’ work are always more mutually beneficial than those centered around transactions.
Everyone intuitively realizes when someone is being inauthentic. You can’t automate the maintenance of relationships. It takes intentional, genuine interaction in order to develop the connections that matter.
Always show people that you care about them. Many people think it requires a phone call, scheduling a meeting, etc, but it really can be as simple as engaging with one of their social posts.
Find a way to keep your relationships organized, apart from memory alone. Dunbar’s number theorizes that the number of people you can maintain a stable relationship with is around 150, and on average, you’ll meet over 4,000 people throughout your career.
Be sure to stay up-to-date with your connections – even the ones you aren’t as close with. Around 80% of job changes come from network opportunities, not from strong ties like your best friend or cousin, but often from weak ties, such as college acquaintances.
Invite top candidates to work on real projects with your team before you hire. Everyone knows a small squad of A+ talent beats a deeper roster of B/C players anyday, so filter out the fluff before the contract gets signed.
Don’t overcomplicate networking. Many people want to maintain their work relationships, but some see it as too costly due to the effort required. By staying on top of it and engaging a few people a day, you’ll never feel out of touch.
Always send the message. If you like someone’s work, there’s no downside to reaching out. All of the greatest acquisitions and investments started from a meaningful conversation.