30+ years in marketing leadership means I've lived the full spectrum of career turbulence.

I've been the leader making the brutal calls: performance issues, restructuring, M&A fallout, RIFs. Sat in too many rooms where we decided who stays, who goes.

And I've been the person getting the tap on the shoulder. The "new direction" conversation. The non-voluntary plot twist. More than once.

Here's what I've learned from both sides of that table: every time my career felt like it was ending, it was actually moving toward something better.

But only because of one thing. It wasn't timing. It wasn't luck. 𝗜𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸.

Not the LinkedIn "spray and pray" version. The real one. The slow-build relationships forged over coffees, conference dinners, shared war stories, terrible jokes and genuine curiosity about what makes people tick.

I'm naturally more introvert than extrovert. Building and maintaining connections doesn't come naturally - I've had to force myself to do the upkeep. Show up at events when I'd rather be reading. Join and invest time in communities like Pavilion, The CMO Circle, The Slice Network.

Just this week, someone planning to become a fractional CMO asked me where my opportunities come from. Answer: a network built over decades

My last 8 roles all came through relationships, not job boards. A WhatsApp from an old colleague. A referral from someone I helped years ago. An exec who remembered me from an interview I didn't even get.

Nurture relationships before you're desperate.

Make the calls. Send the messages. Book the coffees. Not because you need something today, but because relationships compound like interest.

Your network isn't your safety net. It's your springboard.

And that's the bit nobody mentions until you're already mid-flight.