What does it look like to be in your corner?

I’ve had my fair share of “coffee chat” style networking calls, both good and… well, some you wish you hadn’t agreed to.

But a few weeks ago, I had a very lovely coffee chat with Annie Evans. She was, as they say, a good hang.

At the end of these calls, it’s really common to ask if the person is looking for any particular type of work lately, or what they’re offering, or if there’s anything you can do to help or refer someone their way. It’s a polite, “network-y” thing to do, and I have a standard answer for it.

But at the end of our call, Annie asked me something I don’t think I’ve ever been asked before in a work setting:

“What would it look like for me to be in your corner?”

I think my face probably 😶-ed out for a moment, because I was so taken off-guard. Being asked about who I work with or what kind of work I’m doing right now is very helpful, very professional, always appreciated. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with asking people that.

But what would it look like for someone to be in my corner?

That’s such a more open, expansive, and human question. It says less “How can I help you make some money?” and more “How can I be connected to you? How can I support you? How can I show up for you?” which, in my opinion, just feels a lot nicer.

I can’t even remember exactly what I said to Annie — I wasn’t really quite sure what to say! — but I like this question a lot.

When I think about the people who feel like they are “in my corner” professionally, I think of the folks who:

• Subscribe to or read my newsletters or my writing
• Send me little comments about, or respond to in some way, my newsletters
• Send me interesting things they read or liked that they think I would like too
• Bounce ideas off of me, or allow me to do the same for them
• Refer me to clients they don’t have the room for, or send me referrals when they hear of someone looking for something I do
• Ask for advice, and offer advice when asked

At the end of the day, they’re cool people who just “hang around,” sharing cool things, keeping in touch, liking my stuff, and cheering me on (privately or publicly!) when I do something new.

You don’t have to do anything too special. It’s just nice to know that when you make something and send it out to the world, there will probably be at least a few people who will say “hey, this is cool, keep going.” Like the phrase suggests, it’s someone who just stays… well, in your corner of the world with you.

If you’re reading this, thanks for being in my corner 🥂

What would it look like for me to be in your corner?