The best careers and businesses are built on personal, authentic relationships, because people work with, hire and help the people they know.
The best businesses and careers are built on personal, authentic relationships. I call the goodwill and reputation built up between two people relationship capital. The principle under it is simple: you work with people you know, and you help people you know. Without the right relationships I wouldn't have become a CTO, built a consulting firm or started Contactually. The research points the same way. Studies show 80% of jobs are filled through personal contacts, and a 33-month study of a German bank's customers found referred customers were 18% less likely to leave and 35% more valuable. In my coaching we put it this way: existing relationships are your greatest business asset.
On December 1, 2008, I had quit my CTO job with nothing lined up, no savings, a father going into major cancer surgery the next morning, a freshly declared recession, and jury duty. I called Peter, someone I'd met at a small DC tech conference the year before, with no ask. He had a project for me, stood by me when my old employer threatened his business, made introductions and gave me a desk. We weren't particularly close. He knew and respected me, and that was enough.