### **Talk Description and Outline:**

Many DevOps professionals excel at designing technical systems but struggle with intentionally designing their professional networks. Some find networking overwhelming or inauthentic. Others maintain relationships only with their immediate circle. Some become "takers" rather than "givers," while others fear asking for anything. When AI can write your Terraform configs, what makes you invaluable is your ability to influence, collaborate, and navigate complex human systems.

I'll demonstrate how to apply systems networking concepts to professional relationship-building through three key phases:

**1. Define & Segment:**

* System architecture goals => career objectives
* Subnetting by function => relationship categories (Stakeholders, First Team, Direct Reports, Base)
* Principle of least privilege => intentional relationship investment
* Case studies of "The Builder," "The Anchor," "The Advocate," and other common patterns

**2. Firewall & Automate:**

* Setting inbound/outbound rules => establishing interaction patterns
* Creating automated checks => systematic relationship maintenance
* Building CI/CD pipelines => scheduling regular check-ins
* Avoiding the boundary deficit (saying "no") and just-in-time networking traps
* Communication fidelity: when Slack isn't enough

**3. Monitor & Adjust:**

* Tracking system health => relationship health metrics
* Monitoring threats => identifying reciprocity imbalances
* Analyzing performance patterns => energy and influence flows
* Creating a simple non-weird system for relationship data collection
* Internal vs. external network balance

### **Audience Takeaways:**

With examples from my own experiences and using systems networking metaphors, the audience will take away answers to the following questions:

* If you’re intentional and genuine and the other person is not, what do you do? Are they worth keeping in your network?
* What do I do if I’m just shy and awkward? Networking feels impossible.
* How do you spot takers who never give?
* What do you do when you need to ask for something from your network? How do you actually ask for a favor without them thinking that you’re a taker?

### **Who is this talk for?**

DevOps professionals who want to apply their systems thinking skills to improve their career outcomes and find greater satisfaction in their work relationships.

### **What makes me qualified to give this talk?**

I changed my career into DevOps engineering in my late thirties, and career networking played a significant role in my job search, but I also just really love it. I was a DevOpsDays organizer for a few years when I lived in Dallas, led the Boulder Cloud Community Meetup for a couple of years, and enjoy connecting with people through my blog. I think networking can be a gamechanger for underrepresented folks, so I write a lot about it and use it as a teaching opportunity for all those I mentor.