DROPPING JEWELS: NETWORKING AIN'T OPTIONAL

Let me drop a jewel on you real quick. Networking ain’t an option no more. Not in 2026. Not if you want that promotion.

You can be the most skilled person in your department. The one who knows every system, hits every deadline, carries the whole team on your back. But if nobody with influence knows your name, knows your work, knows what you bring to the table? You gonna get passed over. Watch it happen. Somebody who ain’t half as good as you walks right past. Why? They built the relationships. They got seen.

Here’s the truth. Being great in silence don’t get you promoted. Being great and visible does.

Now I know what some of you thinking. That feels fake. That feels like kissing up. Nah. That’s just making sure your work doesn’t get lost in a room full of people who could speak up for you. Big difference.

And the numbers back it up. Around 70 percent of jobs never even hit a public listing. They get filled through connections. LinkedIn found that 85 percent of jobs come through networking. One study showed folks who network actively are up to six times more likely to move up in their company. Six times. Let that sit.

So do this. Speak up in meetings. Grab coffee with somebody outside your team. Send that email. Let the right people know what you doing.

Being the best kept secret at your job helps nobody, especially you.

Who you gonna connect with this week? Start today. That’s your jewel.

Catch Dropping Jewels with the Madd Hatta every weekdays at 5:26 on Majic 102.1.