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Networks
By Michael Alan Hamlin
March 22, 2004
I spent most of the last couple of weeks studying
an interesting global network. This particular network isn't what
generally comes to mind when we talk of networks. It's common to
assume that when we speak of networks, we refer to business relationships
of some sort, such as those between organizations and individuals
within organizations. Technically-minded folks may think of the
Internet, or other communication networks. Any way you look at it,
the notion of networks is a hot button in the global economy.
However, the network I was involved in last week revolves around
my close friend Paul. Paul is a globe-trotting consultant, with
clients in Europe, Asia, and South America. His widely dispersed
clients keep him traveling up to two weeks out of every month. When
he's not traveling, Paul lives in Chiang Mai, a popular vacation
destination located in northern Thailand. It's quite a life that
Paul leads.
And while his client network is extremely interesting in itself,
the network that fascinates me most is Paul's network of friends,
which he collects-and cherishes-as if they were precious jewels.
To Paul, they are precious jewels. And it seems to me after observing
much of this network that its members likewise view Paul's friendship
as a precious jewel. I know I do.
This observation comes as the result of networking with an impressive
contingent of Paul's friends over an amazing five days or so in
Chiang Mai. I-and about 50 of Paul's other friends-were there to
help Paul and his new wife Hazel get married. Or at least to watch.
Now, seeing 50 friends at a wedding may not sound like such a big
deal at first blush. But this group of 50 diehard friends came from
the United States, Russia, and Asia. All paid their own way and
took a significant block of time all at one time to be present at
Paul and Hazel's wedding.
Why-As Chris-who is a political fund raiser based in New York-told
me, "There are some things in life that you can miss, and some
you can't. This is one you can't miss." That's in part because
Paul, at 52, was tying the knot for the first time. We, his many
friends, were all convinced that he was a confirmed bachelor, and
had scoffed at any suggestion that he would settle down. Well, turns
out it just took finding the right woman, as the cliché goes,
although it took an awfully long time to find her (Incidentally,
Hazel is a Filipina.).
Second, Paul is one of those rare individuals whom many people genuinely
care for. For one thing, he's uniquely smart. It's almost as though
Paul sees the world through a different prism. The thing is, his
prism seems to be the one that sees the world in proper perspective,
and all the rest of us use prisms that somehow bend light-and reality-in
a way that suits us, but doesn't really help us.
Of course, being smart is an admirable trait, and not necessarily
one that inspires the affection of one, or many, individuals for
another. A quality that does inspire affection, or at least appreciation,
is the ability and willingness to communicate regularly and reasonably
meaningfully. Paul, in fact, stays in regular contact with his friends
for no urgent reason, but always has a reason to call. It may be
to share an incident in his life, a story he's heard, or a complaint
he wants you to hear. By always being in contact, Paul wittingly
or otherwise instills the notion that he cares about you, and so
you do for him, as well.
As a result, Paul and Hazel were surrounded by a devoted network
of friends as they formalized their union last week. The U.S. contingent
was made up mostly of friendships formed 25 years ago in the then
New Jersey governor's office. Paul, Chris, Tom, and others successfully
ran the campaign to get their boss elected, and then set about implementing
their collective vision. That process was replicated over the years
numerous times in other races.
From Russia came friends involved in selling the notion of privatization
of state-owned enterprises after the collapse of the Soviet Union
to skeptical Russian employees and consumers and investors alike.
The Philippines contingent consisted of business partners and assorted
friends collected over nearly a decade. That group also included
several U.S. journalists as well, for whom Paul became an important
sounding board as well as a valued friend.
Together we lived through a four-day wedding involving nightly dinners,
cocktails and singing, two Buddhist blessings-and long leisurely
afternoon Thai massages. Thankfully, this is a network that will
last.
(Michael Alan Hamlin is the managing
director of consultancy TeamAsia and the author of three books on
Asian economies and companies. His latest book is Marketing Asian
Places, of which he is a co-author (Wiley, 2001), and he is currently
at work on High Visibility: The Making and Marketing of Asian Professionals
into Celebrities. Write him at mahamlin@teamasia.com.).
Copyright © 2003 Michael Alan
Hamlin. All Rights Reserved.
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