In this episode, I’m joined by Maya Townsend. Maya is the founder and lead consultant of Partnering Resources. Her practice is grounded in knowledge of organizational networks: the complex, interrelated, and often messy webs of relationships that drive all organizational activity. We discuss the value of organizational network analysis, the pros and cons of doing re-orgs, the power of critical connectors–Hubs, Gatekeepers and Pulsetakers, how leaders can use the network to align strategy, and more.

• (0:00) Intro
• (1:44) Conversation with Maya
• (2:40) Informal network
• (4:09) The 10-15%
• (6:00) Three types, Hub
• (7:18) Gatekeeper
• (8:04) Pulsetaker
• (12:58) Impacts of re-orgs
• (15:18) Strategy implementation
• (17:50) Toxic resistors
• (22:30) Successful alignments of network and strategy
• (27:30) Road to success full of trade-offs
• (31:55) Leadership agendas
• (35:30) Biggest insights from career
• (46:34) Maya's dream
• (47:24) Outro

Relevant Links

• Partnering Resources website
• Maya Townsend’s LinkedIn
• Maya Townsend’s Twitter
• How to Apply the Principles of Network Management to Talent Management
• What you can learn from your employee networks
• From Regional to Global: Using a Network Strategy to Align a Multinational Organization
• Restructure This: Why Shuffling Your Org Chart Won't Bring Real Change
• Mentioned—Dr. Karen Stephenson