Enlarging Your Circle for Business Growth

How large is your circle?

Most of us only travel in certain circles because we feel comfortable and safe with whom and what we already know. There are several types of circles: family, friends, acquaintances, associates, etc., but I am talking about business. I narrowed the field down to four circles:

The Inner Circle, The Outer Circle, The Informal Circle, and The Network Circle. I will expand on each one and describe the benefits of enlarging your circle for business growth.

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

What Powers the Internal Circles?

Keeping your friends close may eliminate the need to keep your enemies closer. I was always skeptical of the cliché “the enemy’s closer” because most adversaries do not like each other. The Internal Circles should be groups whose motives are not questionable.

• The Inner Circle. The most reliable and powerful of the trusted agents. This is normally the three or four people at the top of the food chain in organizations who not only have authority but also influence that helps decision-makers make decisions. If you have worked in corporate or government organizations, you have either seen, sought, or been a member of an inner circle.
• The Outer Circle. The larger but still limited number of faithful agents that can always be depended on to ‘get things done.’ The outer circle may consist of C-level officers, vice presidents, and special officers such as the corporate lawyer, religious officer, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), or the Office of Corporate Ethics. The outer circle supports decision-making by gathering information. They are the leader’s eyes and ears to the lower levels and may have better instincts on the corporate climate.

Do not close off your information highway with your Internal Circles. Explore the benefits of External Circles.

Why External Circles are Vital

These circles are far removed from the C-suite. The Informal Circle is internal to the corporation, but individual members do not have direct access to the CEO or C-suite, which is why I placed it in the External Circles category. The Network Circle is in the CEO’s personal network and likely does have direct access through social media or email. But why do these people provide information to the CEO?

• The Informal Circle. I once heard a senior leader exclaim, “I have spies everywhere.” He went on to explain that “every leader has people who admire, respect, and are loyal to them. They provide information without being asked, but know what data is important.” No, these people are not considered confidential informants, rats, finks, or even spies, but are those who recognize Inspired Leaders who want the best for the company. They normally do this with the best intentions.
• The Network Circle. The Network Circle consists of people who do not work in your organization but are part of your personal network, know you, and understand what is important to you. As a CEO, I had 77 branches and eight headquarters in four states and two major metropolitan cities. I could not afford to discover problems when they were on the local news or ABC World News Tonight (true story). I received many timely phone calls that averted disaster for my organization and me.  

These circles create great benefits if you know they exist and use them properly.

The Benefits of Enlarging Your Circle

Because our circles are already established, what is the benefit in enlarging them?

1. Unexpected Opportunities. An enlarged circle can provide opportunities that we never planned, expected, or even imagined. Remember, opportunities are “a set of circumstances that make it possible to do something that you want to do.” What opportunities are you missing by keeping your circle small?
2. Acquiring New Knowledge. Our current circles can normally only provide us with what they already know. Expanding our circles may allow us to acquire new knowledge that can prove to be an unexpected opportunity. Are you looking for new insights into your industry or competitors, but your current circle cannot help you?
3. Expanding Your Sphere of Influence. Your expanded circle may help move you into places you were unaware existed. This may also expand your sphere of influence into those places. Are you looking to expand your influence but do not know how?
4. Creating New Relationships. LinkedIn connections and Facebook (Meta) friends are not always based on true relationships, but on networking. Once an unexpected opportunity arises, knowledge is acquired, and influence expands, these may open the door to new relationships. What new relationships have you established from your current network?

Have you considered enlarging your circle to take advantage of the potential benefits?

Whether we want to believe it or not, we all travel in our own circles and in other people’s. Consider this: Whose circles are you in? Are you a trusted agent in inner circles across your community? What about the outer circles in your company? Maybe you have ‘influence without authority’ and are in informal circles? Certainly, you are in several network circles, right? Whatever the case, enlarging your circles may be the beginning of something fabulous for you and your organization.

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