The “Butterfly Effect of Networking”

I am writing to you today from Necker Island in the Caribbean where I am meeting with about 20 business leaders including Sir Richard Branson the founder of Virgin Atlantic Airways and owner of the Island.

My journey to this island is a dramatic example of the “Butterfly Effect of Networking.”  The “Butterfly Effect” is the theory that a small action in one place may have a ripple effect that creates a dramatic action in another place. It is like a pebble in a pond creating ripples on the surface.

For networking, it is about how a seemingly minor connection or conversation with one person may, after many ripples across the network, end in a dramatic connection later in the process.  This week, I am living that concept to its fullest.

It started several years ago when I received a phone call from a woman I did not know but who has since become a good friend.  Her name is Kim George.  Kim asked me if I would be willing to help with the creation of an online networking and social capital community.  It took some work to put this together, but at the time I had no idea what type of ripple effect this request would have on my life.  I did it because it fit the values and direction that I wanted to take my company in.  With that, the ripple began.

This relationship turned into a strategic alliance, which turned into a speaking engagement, which allowed me to meet Jack Canfield (co-author of Chicken Soup for the Soul), which led to an invitation from Jack to participate in an international organization called the Transformational Leadership Council, which led to meeting a woman by the name of Nancy Salzman, owner of NXIVM Training. Getting to know Nancy led to an invitation for my wife and I to spend five days on the breathtakingly beautiful Necker Island where we have been meeting with financial wizards of business, movie producers,and successful business leaders such as Sir Richard Branson (OK, I won’t hold back this week is a networker’s dream).

The ripples that take place in the networking process may not be clear when the pebble drops into the water and the ripple begins. What is certain is that there is a ripple. If you follow that ripple and make the most of the contacts that you meet during each stage of that journey, it can lead you to making connections and creating relationships that may very well surprise you when you look back to where the journey first started.

Look for more later about the journey of this particular ripple.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 24th, 2007 at 1:53 pm and is filed under Social Capital, Networking, Connections. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

6 Responses to “The “Butterfly Effect of Networking””

1. Dora Corby Says:
   September 24th, 2007 at 3:05 pm

   First off. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy and take it all in. It is truly amazing what happens when people just “ask”. Kim “asked” you and from there things just spread.

   I have seen it happen in my BNI group with a person having a chance meeting with someone and cultivating that relationship to turn that person into a networker for them and opening doors that seemed shut.

   It really sometimes comes down to the 6 degrees of separation.

   All the Best to Sir Richard Branson and now I have to try to use my 6 degrees of separation to get an invitation to that island.

2. Dave Abstetar Says:
   September 24th, 2007 at 5:04 pm

   Great article. You can’t predict the outcome from the dropping of a pebble. It is certain that doing nothing will yield the same. Keep dropping thoses pebbles and opening doors.

3. Lise Marquis Says:
   September 25th, 2007 at 4:55 pm

   Ivan,

   As a result of finding and reading your article, I believe the “butterfly effect” has again taken place. You see, I recently heard mention of Jack Canfield from Richard Paul Evans, also an author, as he was discussing his newest business venture, Bookwise. It’s a likely business for authors and readers and from what I understand, Jack Canfield, co-author of the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series, is also involved in this new, very intelligent home based business.

   I’ve happened upon this website seeking information to make my Bookwise business more successful. Perhaps sharing this connection will encourage you or your readers to explore Bookwise. Hmmm, the “butterfly effect”, I like it.

4. John Davidson, From Hell Hot Sauce Says:
   September 27th, 2007 at 5:23 am

   This article proves the six degrees of seperation theory and shows that you should be kind and open minded to everyone you meet they will hold the key to your financial success.

5. Weston Lyon Says:
   October 7th, 2007 at 7:38 pm

   Ivan,

   I’m actually reading this blog post because of the Butterfly Effect…

   4 1/2 years ago I met a man in a park while walking with my son. He invited me to a BNI meeting in Pittsburgh…my first experience with BNI or any referral organization.

   After visiting that chapter I decided to put BNI on the back burner (dumb on my part part ironic after you read more…I’ll tell you more about this later - maybe in San Diego). However, a few months later I received a phone call from a member in the chapter I visited. He was starting his own BNI chapter due to a conflict (he switched careers).

   I decided to start the chapter with him and within 6 months we formed our own chapter (which I’m now President of). A year after forming that chapter I decided to become a BNI Director in Western PA. A month after that decision I met you in Long Beach, CA at my first ever International BNI Director Conference.

   2 years later…I was the first Director to sign up for your Article Mentoring you offered to all the BNI Directors in Long Beach last year (I almost tackled you in the aisle as you got off stage if you remember).

   And to end this story, I just recieved an e-mail from you regarding this new blog. Funny how things work out.

   See you in San Diego next month - thanks for BNI and everything else you do!!!

   Weston Lyon
   Author, Speaker, & KING of the Functional Fitness Jungle

6. Ed Woods Says:
   October 9th, 2007 at 4:48 am

   This story demonstrates the great value for our efforts to invest in rippling relationships. Though we make it a plan to help and connect others, relationships have a way of taking a course all their own.

   The experience begs the thoughts, “So, where might my island be? Where could my ripples take me?” It’s exciting to think about…

人际关系网的蝴蝶效应

今天，我从加勒比海的Necker岛上给各位写这封信。我正在这里和包括维珍航空公司的创始人Richard Branson——他同时也是岛的主人——在内的大约20位商业领袖们会晤。

我来到这个岛的过程是“人际关系网蝴蝶效应”的一场戏剧性的示范。“蝴蝶效应”理论认为，一个地方的一个小小的不经意的行为，可能通过连锁反应给另一个地方带来一些惊人的变化。就像一颗在池塘水面上跳跃的鹅卵石，在水面上造成的一圈圈扩散开去的涟漪。

在人际关系中，蝴蝶效应可以指那些，因为与一个人进行的看上去无关紧要的谈话或者相关活动，在经过许多的连锁反应之后给你带来的，让人惊喜的社会关系。我这星期的生活是对这一理论的最好注解。

这次事件开始于几年前，我接到的一个陌生女人Kim George的电话。她问我有没有兴趣一起建设一个关于人际关系和社会资源的网络社区。因为我认为这种网站正符合我的公司的发展方向，所以我参与了进去。把这些资源整合起来颇费了一番功夫，我也和KIM成为了好朋友，但是我当时尚未意识到，蝴蝶效应已经开始发生了，而我根本不明白答应这个请求带来的连锁反应对我的生活将会产生什么样的影响。

我们的合作伙伴关系带来了一场演讲，我竟然在其间认识了Jack Canfield （心灵鸡汤的合著者），结果Jack邀请我参加了叫作转型领导会议的国际组织。在那里我认识了一位叫Nancy Salzman的女士，NXIVM培训机构的拥有者。结识Nancy之后，她邀请我和我的妻子一起到美丽的Necker岛上共度5天假期。也是在这里我们见到了商业金融界的奇才，电影制作人，成功领导人Richard Branson先生。（好吧，我承认这个星期真是一场社交生物所期待的美梦。）

当连锁反应发生在人际关系网络中时，就像一块小石子坠入水中，我们很难高清涟漪从哪里开始又在哪里终结，但它的发生和传播却是实实在在的。如果你跟随着这些涟漪，并在过程中尽最大可能地扩大你的接触面，尽量与遇到的人交流，它能使你建立更多的社会关系，并且使你建立起与反应开始时相比，令人大为惊异的人际关系网络。

我正期待着把这次蝴蝶效应的旅程继续下去。