Don’t Go It Alone: The Role of Relationships, Networking, and Community in Successful Redirection

As I continue to interview people about career and life redirection, one theme appears so consistently that it becomes impossible to ignore: successful pivots aren’t done in solitary. We ask for and get advice and support from others. We go to others to find our next opportunity. We have a “kitchen cabinet” of advisors. Our partners, family, and friends are our resources. We live in neighborhoods. We participate in local activities. We work in organizations with colleagues, bosses, and HR. We live and work in a community. We belong to networks. We are part of a social network that may be global in reach. 

Concept visualization created with AI assistance

The importance of relationships, networking, and community as a crtical success factor was one of my seven hypotheses when I started my redirecting research. At first, I mostly thought about the role my husband has played in supporting my own redirects across different phases of work and life. And me, for him. We are not alone. Among my interviews, I see that highly independent people, entrepreneurs, researchers, executives, consultants, and retirees rarely describe navigating major transitions entirely alone without their partners.

People spoke about spouses, trusted colleagues, “personal board of directors,” mentors, recruiters, cohort groups, former managers, collaborators, volunteer communities, professional peers, and long-standing friendships that helped them move through uncertainty. Sometimes these relationships opened doors to opportunities. Sometimes they provided emotional steadiness during the “messy middle.” Sometimes they helped create a new direction.

What emerged across the interviews was not simply the importance of networking during a pivot in the conventional sense. Rather, relationships, networking, and community together appeared to form an underlying support structure for successful redirecting, and life itself. The people who navigated transition most effectively often had strong relational ecosystems already in place long before disruption occurred.

This pattern was especially interesting because many interviewees described themselves as highly self-directed individuals. They would almost balk at answering my question: Who helped you make your decisions? Many built careers based on expertise, autonomy, leadership, or independent thinking. But all reported they had support. Successful redirecting repeatedly was deeply relational.

Was a successful pivot supported by one person, a network, a community? It was all three.

Overall Themes and Findings

Several broad themes emerged consistently across the interviews when I synthesized using AI.

Relationships frequently helped trigger the pivot itself. Exposure to new possibilities often came through conversations, recruiters, mentors, sponsors, role models, collaborators, or trusted peers who encouraged people to reconsider their direction.

Relationships reduced uncertainty during transition. During layoffs, burnout, retirement, entrepreneurial experimentation, caregiving periods, or identity disruption, people often relied heavily on advisory circles, cohorts, peer groups, or long-standing professional relationships to provide emotional support, accountability, practical advice, and new opportunities.

Relationships often shaped the sustainability of the new direction. Communities became audiences, collaborators became partners, and former colleagues became referral networks, clients, or advisory board members. Particularly for Entrepreneurs, Passion Pivoters, and Continuous Contributors, community frequently became intertwined with both meaning and economic sustainability.

Relational resilience was always cultivated. The strongest redirectors did not appear to build relationships only after a crisis occurred. Much like physical health, financial resilience, or continuous learning, the individuals who redirected most successfully often maintained professional visibility, reciprocal relationships, intellectual curiosity, and community involvement continuously across their lives.

Several interviewees described this directly. Mike Pino says, “The most valuable thing you can have is a small group of people who will talk straight to you.” These advisors should provide honest feedback—both encouraging and critical—to help you navigate decisions and know when to pivot. “They’ll help you see clearly whether your assumptions hold water.” 

Dirk Peterson says: Don’t let your network go dormant. The outer circles of your connections are where many opportunities arise. Leverage weak ties. These are those contacts beyond friends, who you’ve connected with in the last 12 months and who know something about your work.” 

Successful redirecting is rarely an isolated act of reinvention. Instead, it often unfolds inside networks of encouragement, accountability, credibility, and belonging.

The Role of Relationships in Supporting the Transition

One of my key questions in each pivot interview is who supported you during your transition process to create the next direction?  Relationships acted as catalysts for change. In some cases, people were encouraged by trusted peers who recognized capabilities or possibilities they could not yet see themselves. In other cases, recruiters, collaborators, or professional communities surfaced opportunities that helped people reconsider their direction.

For younger and earlier-career pivoters, cohorts and peer communities often accelerated experimentation. One younger pivoter in her 30s, reflected that “a cohort gave launch structure and the first clients — community accelerates the start.” Grace Leung similarly described how side projects and community audiences became the source of her first paying clients.

Among mid-career professionals, recruiters and long-standing professional relationships frequently triggered opportunities. Gretchen Alarcon emphasized the importance of maintaining “recruiters and sponsors” because they transform relationships into multiple career options. One older woman who is mid-pivot reports that “personalized intros beat cold apps.”

Several people also described conversations that quietly shifted their thinking long before visible change occurred. Elzet Blaauw observed that “curious, agenda-free conversations reveal opportunities.” Serena Huang suggested to me to ask trusted contacts how they describe my professional brand because relationships often help clarify identity and possibility during transition.

Across age groups and pivot types, relationships repeatedly acted as mirrors, revealing alternative paths before individuals fully recognized them themselves.

Relationships During Transition and the “Messy Middle”

Relationships often helped trigger pivots. They were particularly visible during periods of uncertainty, layoffs, burnout, experimentation, caregiving, or adjustment to retirement.

Many interviewees described what might be called the “messy middle,” the period after an old identity begins to loosen but before a new direction is fully established. It’s the period when women often get very reflective and men experiment. During this stage, relationships frequently provided emotional steadiness, accountability, and practical support.

One man laid off twice in less than 18 months reflected, “Peer groups kept me sane during the messy middle — accountability stops drift.” Dirk Petersen similarly emphasized the value of collective navigation, explaining, “Never search alone — a council makes the market visible and the change feel possible.”

Don’t search alone. Group coaching, he argues, is today where executive coaching was a decade ago—powerful, affordable, and transformative. 

There’s even a book by Phyl Terry: Never Search Alone: The Job Seeker’s Playbook.

Several interviewees described small advisory circles that helped them think through difficult decisions. John Sumser described a “personal board” that fills “the gaps your CV can’t.” Mike Pino advised cultivating “advisors who will tell you the hard truth.”

Sumser's support system includes his long-time partner, Heather, … and a small, trusted network he calls his “board of advisors.” These twenty or so individuals, from various parts of his life, provide critical feedback and perspective. “I don’t do big decisions alone,” he says. “This group keeps me honest.” 

Women, particularly Resetters and Pivoters in Progress, frequently emphasized the emotional safety provided by trusted communities. Elaine Benfield described “a circle of smart women” that became both “lifeline” and “launchpad.” 

Find Your Circle: Surround yourself with people who challenge and support you. “I have a handful of advisors who act as my mirror, reminding me who I am when I forget.” 

Men, especially later-career men, more often described strategic peer groups, long-term professional networks, and candid advisory relationships. Bob Johansen emphasized the importance of pairing with younger collaborators to sustain creativity and vitality while reducing travel and executive pressure.

Although the language differed somewhat by gender and life stage, the broader pattern remained consistent. During periods of uncertainty, people appeared far more resilient when they remained connected to supportive relational ecosystems.

Relationships and Current Direction

Relationships also played a major role in shaping what people ultimately built after redirecting. Communities often became intertwined with meaning, sustainability, visibility, and contribution.

Entrepreneurs and Passion Pivoters frequently described collaborative ecosystems rather than purely independent ventures. Marilyn Pearson Hendricks emphasized the importance of “advisors and fractional partners” who allowed her to scale ideas without immediately building large payroll structures. One executive coach advised founders to “partner for the things you can’t do.” This is particularly valuable advice for Entrepreneurs and Transformers.

Thought leaders and researchers similarly described community as essential to sustaining visibility and relevance. Serena H. Huang observed that community “gives stage and credibility,” helping transform research into speaking and coaching opportunities. Susan Van Klink described community as “the flywheel” where thought leadership and revenue begin to intersect.

For Continuous Contributors and retirees, relationships increasingly became connected to meaning, identity, and legacy. Naomi Bloom observed that “when life turns you, your philanthropic and volunteer networks become the scaffold of the next chapter.” Frank Scavo reflected that “spiritual and writing collaborators make retirement meaningful.” Robert Baker emphasized that while financial stability mattered, strong professional relationships turned retirement into immediate consulting opportunities.

What became increasingly clear was that successful redirecting often evolves from isolated expertise into more collaborative, relationally supported forms of contribution.

Variations by Gender

Although relational support appeared important across all interviews, some gender differences emerged.

Women frequently emphasized community as a source of emotional safety, confidence rebuilding, validation, and collaborative support. Cohorts, circles of trusted women, coaching communities, and peer groups appeared repeatedly in stories involving burnout, caregiving, organizational toxicity, or rebuilding identity after disruption.

Men more often described strategic advisory relationships, reputational networks, peer boards, and long-term professional credibility structures. Their descriptions tended to emphasize candid feedback, practical counsel, experimentation, and strategic introductions.

At the same time, the underlying dynamic remained remarkably similar across genders. Both men and women appeared to benefit significantly from relationships that combined trust, accountability, encouragement, and practical opportunity flow.

Variations by Age Cohort

The function of relationships also shifted noticeably by life stage.

Among younger pivoters, relationships often accelerated learning and experimentation. Cohorts, startup ecosystems, side-project communities, and peer accountability structures helped people move more quickly toward new opportunities.

Among mid-career professionals, networks often reduced risk. Recruiters, sponsors, former colleagues, and internal advocates frequently shortened transitions and created multiple pathways forward.

Among later-life redirectors and Continuous Contributors, relationships increasingly became connected to meaning, contribution, belonging, and legacy. Volunteer work, advisory roles, writing communities, spiritual groups, and intellectual partnerships often replaced organizational identity structures that had previously shaped people’s sense of self.

Variations by Pivot Type

Different pivot types rely on relationships somewhat differently.

Entrepreneurs frequently depended on collaborative ecosystems, referral networks, partnerships, and advisory structures to reduce risk and scale opportunities.

Resetters and Pivoters in Progress often leaned heavily on emotional support systems, cohorts, trusted friends, and accountability communities while navigating uncertainty.

Passion Pivoters frequently described communities built around shared interests, creativity, learning, or service.

Continuous Contributors often maintained long-standing professional and intellectual relationships that helped sustain relevance, contribution, and purpose later in life.

Despite these differences, one finding remained consistent across virtually every pivot type: people who redirected most successfully rarely attempted to sustain the process entirely alone.

Practical Implications and Recurring Advice Patterns

Several practical lessons appeared repeatedly across the interviews.

Maintain your relationships before you need them. The strongest redirectors did not wait for a crisis to reconnect. They did not activate relationships only as emergency resources during a crisis. They consistently invested in networks, friendships, communities, and collaborative visibility throughout their careers and lives.

Focus on reciprocity, not just networking. Build relationships grounded in trust, generosity, curiosity, collaboration, and mutual support rather than short-term transactional exchanges. 

Join or create a transition community. Small peer groups, mastermind circles, coaching cohorts, and advisory communities often provided accountability, emotional steadiness, practical feedback, and momentum during periods of change.

Create a personal board of advisors. Surround yourself with trusted people who bring different experiences, perspectives, skills, and honest feedback.

Treat relational resilience as a core life practice. Invest in relationships with the same intentionality used for health, financial stability, or continuous learning. Strong relationships are usually built gradually and consistently over time, not only after disruption begins.

Looking back across both the interviews and my own experience, I believe that successful redirecting is not simply an individual act of courage or reinvention. People may ultimately choose their own direction, but the journey itself is often supported, sustained, and made possible through relationships, networking, and community. In that sense, one of the clearest lessons emerging from this research may also be one of the simplest: do not go it alone.