How Many Roberts Do You Know?

As personal networks expand during a career, so do learning opportunities, job offers, invitations to attend life-shaping events, and occasions to be a part of special experiences. 

Who you know really matters, and as your network grows, so does the probability of good fortune. So, estimating the size of your personal network and those of your team members can be an illuminating exercise.  

For those teams and team members dependent on an expanding network to achieve goals, such as sales and fund-raising teams, assessing how many people an individual knows and connects with is often a predictor of success. 

Unfortunately, accurate estimates of personal networks are difficult to come by. But, thanks to Tyler McCormick at the University of Washington, leaders now have a simple way to make a reasonable calculation. 

Common names offer leaders a clue about how to estimate network size. Take, for instance, the popular name of Robert in the United States. There are roughly 4.3 million Americans named Robert, which is just over 1% of the population. The most popular names over the last 100 years in the U.S. also include James, Michael, John, David, and Mary. 

Logic suggests you should have a network with a similar percentage of names. If you know 10 Roberts well enough to have their contact information and to have had a conversation with them in the past two years, then you likely have a personal network of 1,000 people. These are people you know well enough to recognize and address by name when you run into them at the store or on a plane. Take the average number of people you know with those six names and multiply by 100. This will give you a rough estimate of your personal network size. 

This is more than a parlor trick. The broad circle of your relationships shapes your life in ways that are both significant and unpredictable. Careers, in particular, are heavily influenced by both strong and weak ties to people in your network. Interestingly, an ongoing LinkedIn study confirms that network acquaintances are more important than friends in finding a new job. 

Connecting with others compounds possibilities. Understanding the size of your relationship circle will give you an idea of just how many opportunities of different shapes and sizes are likely to come your way. Nothing produces opportunities like an ever-expanding network.