Variety is the spice of life!

I thought to share how important it is to not be stereo-typical and closed-minded when it comes to networking and collaboration.

Yes, we all prefer to work with like-minded people, and usually this is the best way to get things going. But what I have found is that often the best help comes from niches I never would have expected.

An example might be; a woman who wants to save street dogs.

She would network to find funds and homes, and at first she would consider only ‘animal lovers’. However, on a social media platfrom she sees a post by a grumpy old man who says, ‘I’m sick of dodging these stray dogs all the time – can’t you just get rid of them?’ Now all the animal lovers say, ‘how can you say that, you nasty old man!’ But, the woman sees that this man’s passion to ‘get dogs off the streets’ matches her passion for wanting to save them (bar ‘getting rid of them’). And so she gives the grumpy man her number to call each time he sees a dog in the street.

Do you see? She did not rely on his love for dogs, rather she saw how to benefit from his dispossition for them!

The same goes for collaboration. It does not need to be click/niche-driven. At the end of the day, good collaboration and networking often sees a myriad of ‘actors’ in the team. And in essence this ensures that all aspects of their ’cause’ are covered, both positive and negative.

It is important to remember that all humans like to feel useful, and that their usefulness does not always have to adhere to a set of standards we have. If the passion is there to fulfil a purpose or tackle an issue, that is all that is needed. But, yes, obvioulsy working with people that won’t deliberately bring you down or hold you back is as important.

[DeepikaHMarch 5, 2026 at 11:51 am]

That’s a really thoughtful perspective. I like the idea of looking beyond just “like-minded” people and noticing where motivations overlap, even if the starting point is different. Your example really shows how reframing someone’s attitude can open up unexpected collaboration. It’s a good reminder that networking isn’t always about finding people who think exactly like us, but about finding where interests or goals intersect.

And you’re right — people generally want to feel useful. When you recognise that, it can create opportunities for cooperation that might otherwise be overlooked.

[CazMarch 5, 2026 at 3:16 pm]

DeepikaH wrote:

That’s a really thoughtful perspective. I like the idea of looking beyond just “like-minded” people and noticing where motivations overlap, even...

Cool! Glad it makes sense.

[DeepikaHMarch 7, 2026 at 8:13 am]

Caz wrote:

Cool! Glad it makes sense.

It also makes me think about how easy it is to stay within familiar circles when networking. Sometimes the real opportunities might come from conversations we almost overlook. I’m curious — what helped you start thinking about collaboration in this broader way?