👉 A Career Wake-Up Call 👉 Human Connection on Digital Platforms 👉 Showing Up In Person to Network 👉 Join the TPM Basecamp, November 2025 (+ a 20% discount code below!)
The Wake-Up Call
When I started my career, I thought I’d spend my whole career at one company.
It was a good job with good people. I learned a ton, got promoted a few times, and assumed if I just kept doing excellent work, everything else would take care of itself.
That was naïve.
As I left the infant stages of my career, I realized that I wasn’t motivated by future opportunities at this company, nor did I enjoy the career planning experience in this company.
I needed to move on.
However, I realized I had built almost no network beyond the walls of my employer. I didn’t know who to call or how to start those conversations. I had built a strong career foundation, but it lived in a closed system. Just me and my little ecosystem of “familiar.”
I had a choice: remain at my company because it was familiar or start to venture beyond the familiar for something truly motivating.
(Quick interjection: Thanks for reading The TPM Craft! If you’re not subscribed yet, now is your chance!)
Breaking Out of the Bubble of Familiarity
LinkedIn was the first place I turned when I wanted to reach beyond my own “familiar” network….the network of people fully isolated within the same company.
When I first turned to LinkedIn, I didn’t have a strategy. I just knew I needed to show up. Over time, I found three habits that made all the difference:
Post things real humans relate to. Skip the platitudes and corporate fluff. Tell stories from your experience, lessons you’ve learned, or moments that shaped how you think.
Repost from your “digital mentors.” Share high-quality insights from people you admire. Use their ideas as a springboard for reflection. This helps you learn in public.
Comment with intention. Don’t write “Great post.” Ask questions, add perspective, or share how you’ve seen the same thing play out.
Those three actions built real conversations. Comments became DMs. DMs turned into coffee chats. And eventually, those connections became genuine friendships.
2 years ago, I shared this LinkedIn post about meeting 3 new people on LinkedIn and turning those digital connections into human connections.
While most people use LinkedIn for self-promotion, that’s not the most valuable use case.
It’s a digital community where authenticity can be found. Once I started treating it that way, opportunities started showing up.
The Real Networking is Showing Up in Person
Online momentum is powerful, but it’s missing something: real connection.
The kind that happens when you’re in the same room, shaking hands, sharing stories.
I remember attending my first TPM conference. I posted about it on LinkedIn. I was excited, nervous, and grateful to finally meet peers I’d only interacted with online.
This TPM conference is 🔥🔥🔥
✅ Great speakers ✅ Great 1:1 coaching ✅ Great informal relationship building (see the original LinkedIn post)
I flew from Houston Texas to Mountain View California to attend. I had no other reason to be there except for this conference!
(From a work perspective, I didn’t have to take PTO because it was considered professional development!)
That event changed everything. I wasn’t just a name on a profile anymore. I was a person others could connect with. Names, faces, laughter, shared war stories.
From there, doors started opening: collaborations, projects, even speaking invitations.
It all began with one decision: show up.
Meeting people in person builds trust faster than any social media post. It compresses time. It turns recognition into memory.
Why This Matters More Than Ever
It’s easy to confuse being “connected” with being “known.” You may have hundreds of contacts, but do those people actually understand your mindset and values?
Certifications feel good because they are predictable. The path is clear. Obtaining them can be done without the obstruction of anyone else.
But relationships? Much less predictable but so much more valuable.
And to be clear, I’m not talking about using people to advance your career. People can sniff out that level of un-authenticity from a mile away.
This is real interest in real people.
Invest in building relationships, your career will thank you.
Your Invitation to Accelerate: TPM Basecamp 2025, November 14 (discount code below!)
November 14, multiple cities around the world are hosting the TPM Basecamp. I mean, look at this line up!
Bay Area: Jenny Truong, Director of TPM at Meta
Vancouver: Reji Varghese, Senior TPM at Autodesk
New York:Tal Lazar, award-winning cinematographer, producer, and educator – Lessons in Authority
Seattle: Toby Roberts, SVP of Engineering at Zillow Group
India: A full-day, in-person experience packed with learning, leadership, and community.
Working sessions with Li, Gaurav Sen, and Naveen Mansur
Panel featuring:
Deeptha Mohan – Senior Director, Head of Central PMO & Customer Ops
Padmasini Renga Bashyam – Building Tuzo
Harshad - Product Manager at Google
Ananya- Product Manager at Google
Join us for a global, distributed event designed by TPMs, for TPMs — with in-person gatherings in India, the US, and Canada, plus a shared, real-time virtual experience.
This one-day event is designed to create deeper, real-time connections between TPMs. You’ll hear from exceptional local speakers, then stay for global cross-talk as each chapter shares a live session from their region.
This is more than just a series of events, it’s a global movement to elevate the TPM craft, share knowledge, and build the next generation of tech leaders.
