The Essential Elements of Networking (Fifteenth Edition)

Talks

Jim Remsik

The Essential Elements of Networking (Fifteenth Edition)

by Jim Remsik

The video presented by Jim Remsik at the Ruby on Ales 2015 conference focuses on the essential elements of networking, particularly emphasizing the idea of networking among people rather than just technical systems. Remsik begins by acknowledging his background as a network administrator and uses a humorous approach to engage the audience by confessing his limited knowledge about hardware networking, which he contrasts with the concept of human networking.

Key points discussed include:
- Networking Analogy: Remsik uses the technical aspects of networking to illustrate human interactions, comparing sending requests to networking on platforms like LinkedIn and utilizing social media as a broadcasting tool for personal connections.
- Importance of Relationships: He emphasizes that relationships play a crucial role in career growth and opportunities, recalling personal anecdotes about how significant individuals helped shape his career.
- Planning for Success: Remsik discusses the importance of beginning with the end in mind, encouraging the audience to reflect on their long-term goals and the legacy they wish to leave behind. This is illustrated through stories about well-known figures in the tech community, such as Leonard Nimoy and Ezra, who positively influenced their fields.
- Building Connection: The talk highlights how effective networking involves not just acquiring skills but also ensuring that others know you and what you can offer. This idea is rooted in the concept of personal branding and visibility in the community.
- Community Engagement: Remsik discusses attending meetups and speaking at conferences as beneficial methods to expand one's professional reach and impact.
- Genuine Desire for Others' Success: He concludes by stressing that true networking is about wanting to help those around you succeed, highlighting that these values are pivotal for personal fulfillment and community growth.

By synthesizing these discussions, Remsik provides a practical guide that aims to redefine what it means to network in a professional context, firmly rooting interpersonal relationships as the foundation for success and collaboration.

00:00:30.080 I am really excited to introduce Jim, who is another good friend of mine. I met him here at Ruby on Ales, probably for the first time, and I got to attend this conference for the first time this last year at Madison Ruby, now known as Madison Plus Urban. It is a fantastic conference in Madison, Wisconsin. They serve a lot of fried cheese, but don't let that deter you! There are many other great things about the place.

00:00:58.480 Jeremy is a great conference organizer; he goes by 'Big Tiger' and loves to give hugs. He closed the first three years of this conference with Robert Hits, who had the closing keynote.

00:01:19.360 It's actually working, and I just played it cool. Confession: the networking analogy was always a lie. I don’t actually know much about hardware networking. I had several people ask me if my talk would be about networking with human people or never being, etc. I don’t know much about cabling and similar topics, so today we're going to talk about networking people.

00:01:25.520 I seriously considered going all the way with this, and I was building up a glossary. Then, I spoke with Chris Dillon. He helped me a lot on the bus ride, flushing out ideas a little bit.

00:01:38.079 So never being in cable or computer hardware translates to sending a request. You know, it hits the device, checks if it's there, sort of like a LinkedIn request. There's a protocol called ZPRA, where you send a bunch of requests out, and you only care if anybody comes back. A subnet is basically just shouting in a room, 'Oh!' Thanks to Chris for helping me with all this.

00:02:00.719 Regarding report scanners: anyone who does support, let's get together. Bingo, Birdman! They hit the fort and assess the abilities to see if they can do damage, which made me realize that we should probably have some sort of intrusion detection system for people who receive too many recruiter emails. It's a total first-world problem; it's a good problem to have!

00:02:30.160 Broadcasting would be like social media; you've got your social graph, your Twitter, your Facebook. For the most part, on these networks, you’re getting information out. You can turn the volume down on the computer if you'd like; I'm hearing chat messages and I want to check them but I’m kind of busy. So again, broadcast, social media, etc. The default route—what is that? It’s where you go when you get stuck. Where is the one place that you always go? Cheers! I mean, they allow it.

00:03:35.360 So, talk to a lot of people and they know I'm connected to many individuals. Can I get a show of hands? The entire balcony is raising their hands and standing. It’s amazing! I seem like I'm good at that, and there are other people in the room you probably recognize. That’s the point of this talk.

00:04:08.000 People know that I'm connected to a lot of individuals, and they think, 'Oh, that’s valuable.' They must want this connection because they recognize there's value there. So what does that look like? I’ve been married for 15 years to Jen, a small business owner with a total of 10 people at Adorable, and we have one fur kid—a dog. We don’t have any actual children, so our pets fill that role.

00:05:22.240 Kevin is our creative director, and he made these cool little stickers. This is our Abbott, our mascot. Come see me later; I'll give you one. I may have just over-committed, but if I can't give you a sticker, I’ll give you a hug—unless you don't want a hug, in which case I’ll fight somebody for a sticker! This is my wife Jen. Again, we’ve been married for 15 minutes.

00:06:11.199 This is my business partner Mark. Apparently, he didn't get any attention. These are adorable people; we are about 10 people right now. I was talking with Ryan earlier about Landjaeger, which is familiar because when we named our dog Jaeger, we discovered all sorts of fun names related to that. We've left out some 'Jaeger shots' in our yard, which means potty breaks and 'Jaeger bombs' for fart escapes.

00:07:34.960 Success—everyone believes you have to have all the money, nice house, dog, wife, etc. That’s not how it works. What is success? We built Adorable because we wanted to create a better work environment. Talking with Brandon Hayes and some others, we realized if we are trying to build a better work environment for ourselves, maybe we did a poor job!

00:09:05.200 So start with the end in mind. You probably recognize this from the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Anyone read this? If you’re not raising your hand, either your arm is tired or you haven't read it and should. Unfortunately, while I was putting this talk together, Leonard Nimoy passed. Starting with the end in mind: What do you want people to remember you for? There were fantastic stories that came out about him. This is Leonard as Spock; he is best remembered, but the stories were amazing.

00:10:05.760 We have another opportunity to see this in our community. This is Ezra; if you don’t know, he started Engine Yard and also Merb. If you’re using Rails today, Rails is a much better place because of Merb and because you can deploy with Engine Yard. There are many other things in our field that wouldn't be here without him.

00:10:55.120 We often are not great at planning, as developers, and many of us can probably agree we're terrible at estimating. So let’s not go all the way to the end but set a marker for the next day, week, next month, or even the next six months. What do you want to be true by then? I typically think of this approach when I have an impetus for change, often because my situation is miserable.

00:11:46.400 Webcrafters, Inc. is not a web development shop; it’s a printing press. I got an apprenticeship there because my art teacher signed me up. I spent five years getting to know the entire printing plant and digital prepress, learning Photoshop. I became popular on Geocities because nobody in my circle knew how to edit images. My wife saw an ad for a position requiring knowledge of Photoshop, HTML, and CSS, so I applied and was hired as the sole web developer.

00:12:17.600 So I showed up on day one, and they said, 'By the way, you need to know how to program.' I went out and got 'Sam's ASP Teach Yourself ASP in 24 Hours.' The next day, I knew how to program. Little did I know when I took the job in June that it was a half-time job; I just worked full-time for half a year. Then, two weeks before Christmas, my boss told me I was out of hours and couldn't work anymore.

00:13:36.320 At that point, my boss reached out to her network. She secured a two-week project with the state of Wisconsin's Department of Financial Institutions, and I was there for about seven years. As developers, we always take the time that’s available, and my two-week project turned into a seven-year stint.

00:14:34.960 I got an opportunity to interview with John Markowski. We spent seven happy years together, and I also met Mark during that time. Like many situations, our team grew, and as things progressed, John moved on to Hashrocket and invited me to join him. He mentioned they needed a fourth for pairing and asked if I was interested.

00:15:38.080 When I joined Hashrocket, I hadn’t practiced test-driven development, pair programming, or even done agile storyboarding. I learned a ton there. We transitioned from a product company to a different focus, and I felt like I could do more than just code, especially since I had built strong relationships with clients.

00:16:33.120 We started discussing the idea of satellite offices for Hashrocket, and I thought, 'I’d like to run my own office.' This plan ultimately fell apart, but not before I began talks with people in my hometown of Madison and ended up at Bendy Works. At Bendy Works, I spent two and a half years doing great work and building a large team.

00:17:22.400 My role shifted to going out, talking to people, and bringing work back in. Though it might sound like sales or business development, I saw it differently. It can be challenging to be labeled as a salesperson, but I felt I could make a larger impact. I then moved to Thunderbolt, where I worked for about seven months, commuting weekly from Wisconsin to Los Angeles.

00:18:28.480 At Thunderbolt, my boss noticed I wasn't happy. In December 2013, I left despite having a great job and salary. Adorable was founded by Mark and me coming together to build a great company. Mark initially thought he had a contract gig, but when that opportunity fell through, we were able to move ahead with launching Adorable.

00:19:30.720 As I reflect on my career, I recognize the importance of relationships. Every opportunity I've had to progress in my journey can be traced back to relationships with people: Mr. Hansen, my art teacher, who got me my first opportunity; Jen, who supported me; Virginia, who connected me to my next job; and so on.

00:20:14.080 Relationships are crucial not only in my career but in every successful career. Most of us are so focused on acquiring skills that when we enter a new place, we can impress others. However, I would argue it's not only about what you know or who you know—it’s who knows you!

00:20:54.080 It's vital to provide something valuable for others. You might know someone—could that open doors for you? It’s crucial to know people because that’s part of the discovery mechanism. You might receive leads for projects, but if no one knows what you offer, opportunities can slip away. Finding ways to connect through shared challenges or projects leads to strong networks.

00:22:29.600 We can optimize for discovery. Broadcasting your skills using various channels—like social media or meetups—can help. When you attend a meetup, you can connect with one to seven people realistically, depending on its size. If you speak at a conference, many more can know who you are.

00:23:30.320 Podcasts can also expand your reach significantly, as well as branding. Recognizing the connection between personal branding and being known for something can enhance your professional exchanges. However, it’s essential to understand that branding isn’t simply the stickers or logos; it’s what people say about you and their recognition of you.

00:24:45.120 Before broadcasting yourself, be aware of what you’re doing. It's a good idea to read guides about privacy. This talk isn't a how-to; it is not about building a brand that provides direct outcomes like mine. Mission statements might seem futile; sometimes, we develop them without feeling they matter beyond that moment. But if you reverse engineer your mission, it’s about relationships.

00:26:55.360 Ultimately, it boils down to a genuine desire for the success of those around you and doing what you can to make it happen. This expands beyond just your team or community; it includes everyone around you, like your loved ones. Take the time to understand what success looks like for them; we are well-positioned to help achieve those goals.

00:32:32.080 Even in simple ways, you can do things that help others feel valued. Events like Madison Ruby provide an opportunity to showcase our community, and efforts like YWebCA tie local organizations to teach coding. Ultimately, it’s about listening, even when it’s challenging. Thank you!

Ruby on Ales 2015